Doctor Salary Guide: Award Rates, Casual Loading, and Annual Pay Under the Medical Practitioners Award
Under the Medical Practitioners Award, a full-time intern earns a minimum hourly rate of $33.62, which equates to $1,277.54 per week and $66,432 per year based on 38 ordinary hours per week.
Understanding Doctor Salary Under the Medical Practitioners Award
When you search for a doctor salary in Australia, the figures you see often come from the Medical Practitioners Award 2020 (MA000031), which sets minimum pay for interns, residents, registrars, and senior doctors. This guide explains how to convert those award rates into annual, fortnightly, and hourly amounts, and how casual loading, superannuation, and tax affect your take-home pay.
National Minimum Wage vs. Award Rates
The National Minimum Wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for 38 hours. However, most doctors are covered by the Medical Practitioners Award, which has much higher minimum rates. For example, an intern’s minimum hourly rate is $33.62 – well above the national minimum. Always check the award that applies to your role; using the National Minimum Wage would underpay you.
Doctor Salary Rates Under the Award
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Pay Guide for the Medical Practitioners Award lists the following minimum rates for full-time employees (38 ordinary hours per week):
- Intern: $33.62/hour, $1,277.54/week, $66,432/year
- Resident Medical Officer – Pay point 1: $35.69/hour, $1,356.33/week, $70,529/year
- Resident Medical Officer – Pay point 2: $37.13/hour, $1,410.96/week, $73,370/year
- Resident Medical Officer – Pay point 3: $37.49/hour, $1,424.67/week, $74,083/year
- Registrar – Pay point 1: $40.61/hour, $1,543.23/week, $80,248/year
- Registrar – Pay point 2: $42.28/hour, $1,606.52/week, $83,539/year
- Registrar – Pay point 3: $44.21/hour, $1,679.79/week, $87,349/year
- Registrar – Pay point 4: $45.56/hour, $1,731.12/week, $90,018/year
- Senior Registrar – Pay point 1: $53.07/hour, $2,016.81/week, $104,874/year
- Senior Registrar – Pay point 2: $55.17/hour, $2,096.35/week, $109,010/year
These rates apply from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, as confirmed by the Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database.
How to Calculate Annual Pay from an Hourly Rate
Use the formula: annual gross ≈ hourly rate × hours per week × 52. For a full-time doctor working 38 ordinary hours, multiply the hourly rate by 38 then by 52. For example, a Registrar at pay point 1: $40.61 × 38 × 52 = $80,248. This matches the award’s annual salary.
If you are part-time or casual, adjust the hours per week. The hourly conversion tool on this site does the maths for you.
Fortnightly and Weekly Pay
A fortnight is simply the weekly rate multiplied by 2. For an intern: $1,277.54 × 2 = $2,555.08 per fortnight. Many employers pay fortnightly, so this figure helps you budget.
Casual Loading for Doctors
Casual employees under the award receive a 25% loading on top of the ordinary hourly rate, instead of paid leave. For an intern, the casual rate is $33.62 × 1.25 = $42.03 per hour. When using our casual loading calculator, enter the base award rate and check the casual box – do not enter a rate that already includes the loading.
Superannuation Paid on Top
Superannuation is an additional 12% of ordinary earnings (up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830 per year) paid by the employer into your super fund. It is not deducted from your salary. For an intern earning $66,432, the super contribution would be $7,971.84 per year. See super and packaging for more details.
Tax and Medicare Levy
For the 2026–27 financial year, the resident tax rates are:
- $0 – $18,200: nil
- $18,201 – $45,000: 15% of excess over $18,200
- $45,001 – $135,000: $4,020 plus 30% of excess over $45,000
- $135,001 – $190,000: $31,020 plus 37% of excess over $135,000
- $190,001+: $51,352 plus 45% of excess over $190,000
Plus a Medicare levy of 2% (with possible reductions for low incomes). Use our take-home pay estimator to see what you keep after tax.
Overtime and Penalty Rates
Doctors in training (excluding senior doctors) are entitled to overtime when working more than 38 ordinary hours per week. Rates are:
- Monday to Saturday first 2 hours: 150%
- Monday to Saturday after 2 hours: 200%
- Sunday all day: 200%
- Public holidays: 250%
Casual employees get the same overtime percentages plus the 25% loading. For example, a casual intern working overtime on a Sunday would receive 225% of the base rate.
Allowances
The award also provides allowances such as on-call and managerial allowances. For instance, the on-call allowance for non-senior doctors is 10% of the daily rate per occasion. These are not included in the base salary calculations above.
Using This Site’s Tools
Our the timesheet lets you enter your base hourly rate and see annual, fortnightly, and weekly pay. Check the casual box to add 25% loading. For award-specific rates, refer to our pay guides and reference tables. The minimum wage page compares the national minimum to award rates.
Final Note
This guide uses official Fair Work Ombudsman and Fair Work Commission data. Always verify your classification and pay point with your employer or the award. The figures here are estimates and do not include overtime, allowances, or salary sacrifice.
Open the same rate on the home timesheet. Read the reference tables before treating a figure as your pay.