Meteorologist Salary: Hourly to Annual Conversion, Tax, and Super Guide
A meteorologist salary under the Bureau of Meteorology Enterprise Agreement is based on classification and 36.75 ordinary hours per week, with annual increases of 3.4% from March 2026.
Understanding Your Meteorologist Salary
When you search for a meteorologist salary, the first step is understanding how your hourly rate translates into annual pay, fortnightly pay, tax, and super. This guide uses the Bureau of Meteorology Enterprise Agreement 2024 and Fair Work Commission data. We assume 38 hours per week for the national minimum wage, but meteorologists under the Bureau of Meteorology Enterprise Agreement work 36.75 ordinary hours per week (36 hours 45 minutes) for full-time employees. The formula is simple: hourly rate × hours per week × 52 weeks gives your annual gross salary. For a meteorologist earning $50 per hour, that’s $50 × 36.75 × 52 = $95,550 per year. Your fortnightly pay would be roughly $3,675 (weekly × 2).
Hourly to Annual Conversion
To convert any hourly rate to annual, multiply by your weekly hours and 52. If you’re award-free or not covered by an agreement, the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour for 38 hours, giving $1004.90 per week or $52,254.80 per year. For meteorologists covered by the Bureau of Meteorology Enterprise Agreement, ordinary hours are 36.75 per week. Always check your specific agreement or award for your exact hours. The Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database provides minimum rates for award-covered employees, but enterprise agreements often set higher rates.
Meteorologist Salary Under Enterprise Agreement
The Bureau of Meteorology Enterprise Agreement 2024 sets salary rates by classification (see Attachment A). It includes annual increases: 4.0% from March 2024, 3.8% from March 2025, and 3.4% from March 2026. For example, a meteorologist on a base salary of $85,000 in 2023 would receive $88,400 from March 2024, then $91,759.20 from March 2025, and $94,879.01 from March 2026. These rates are for full-time employees working 36.75 hours per week. The agreement also includes a Workplace Responsibility Allowance of $30.51 per fortnight (increasing to $32.75 by March 2026), which counts as salary for superannuation.
National Minimum Wage and Award Rates
If you’re not covered by an enterprise agreement, your meteorologist salary may fall under a modern award, such as the Professional Employees Award 2020. The Fair Work Commission sets minimum award rates each year. The national minimum wage applies to award/agreement-free employees. For casual employees, a 25% loading is added on top of the base rate. For example, the casual national minimum wage is $33.05 per hour. Under the Bureau of Meteorology Agreement, casuals also receive 25% loading. Always compare your offer to the relevant award or agreement to ensure it meets minimum standards. See our minimum wage page for current rates.
Casual Loading
Casual loading compensates for entitlements like paid leave and notice. For meteorologists, the Bureau of Meteorology Agreement specifies a 25% loading on the base hourly rate. This is paid in lieu of annual leave, sick leave, public holidays not worked, notice of termination, and redundancy. The loading is not applied to allowances like the Workplace Responsibility Allowance. If you’re a casual employee, your hourly rate should be the base rate plus 25%. Use our casual loading guide to calculate your correct rate.
Tax and Superannuation
Once you have your annual gross salary, you need to estimate tax and super. For the 2026–27 financial year, resident tax rates are: nil on the first $18,200, 15% on $18,201–$45,000, 30% on $45,001–$135,000, 37% on $135,001–$190,000, and 45% above $190,000. Plus a 2% Medicare levy (based on 2025–26 single reduction thresholds). For a meteorologist earning $95,550 per year, tax would be approximately $18,367 plus Medicare $1,911, leaving about $75,272 after tax. Superannuation is paid on top at 12% of ordinary earnings, up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830. So your employer would contribute an additional $11,466 to your super fund. This is not deducted from your salary. For more on super and salary packaging, see super and packaging.
Fortnightly Pay
Most employers pay fortnightly. To find your fortnightly gross pay, divide your annual salary by 26. For $95,550, that’s $3,675 per fortnight. After tax and Medicare, your take-home pay would be about $2,895 per fortnight. Remember that super is additional and not reflected in your bank account. The Bureau of Meteorology Agreement uses a formula: Fortnightly Salary = (Annual Salary × 12) / 313, which accounts for 313 fortnightly pay cycles over 12 years. This ensures consistent fortnightly amounts.
Key Points to Remember
- Always use your actual weekly hours (36.75 for full-time meteorologists under the Bureau agreement) when converting hourly to annual.
- Casual loading is 25% on top of the base rate, not included in the base.
- Super is 12% of ordinary earnings, paid by your employer on top of your salary.
- Tax estimates are for residents using the 2026–27 scale; Medicare levy applies.
- This is an estimate; your actual pay may vary due to allowances, overtime, or salary sacrifice.
For more detailed calculations, visit our hourly conversion page or use the timesheet to estimate your take-home pay.
Open the same rate on the home timesheet. Read the reference tables before treating a figure as your pay.