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ACT Doctor Pay Overview 2025–26
Canberra Health Services operates as an Eligible Public Hospital and Ambulance (EPHA), with a salary packaging cap of ~$9,010 FBT-free per year — the standard public hospital rate. ACT interns start at $88,485. The dual overtime trigger (shift >10 hours or fortnight >76 hours) means registrars can hit overtime on rosters that look unremarkable on any single day.
ACT Doctor Pay
Public hospital · 2025–26
- Intern base salary
- $88,485
- Ordinary hours
- 38/week
- Saturday loading
- 1.5×
- Sunday loading
- 1.75×
- Public holiday
- 2.5×
- Overtime
- 1.5×
- Annual leave
- 5 weeks
- Sick leave
- 18 days
Takeaways
- ACT intern base salary is $88,485.
- Moving from intern to Resident - Year 1 adds $14,001 before penalties, overtime or packaging.
- Canberra Health Services is an Eligible Public Hospital and Ambulance (EPHA): ACT doctors can salary package up to ~$9,010 FBT-free per year — the standard public hospital cap, saving approximately $2,000–$2,500/year in after-tax income.
- Core ACT ordinary-hour penalties are evening +12.5%, night +25%, Saturday +50%, Sunday +75% and public holiday +150%.
Which ACT pay page should you use?
Interns, residents, RMOs and JMOs
Use the early-career page if you want early postgraduate-year pay, the intern-to-resident jump, study leave notes and intern/resident calculator presets.
Open ACT Interns & Residents →Registrars and senior registrars
Use the registrar page if you want registrar progression, senior registrar rows, on-call, callback, overtime and heavier-roster take-home context.
Open ACT Registrar pay →ACT penalty rates & loadings
These are the main roster-driven loadings and overtime rules that move take-home pay above the base salary row. Use the ACT Interns & Residents page or ACT Registrar page for detailed penalty, on-call and callback modelling.
| Loading / penalty | Rate | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Evening ordinary hours | +12.5% | Applies to ordinary hours from 6pm to midnight Monday to Friday. |
| Night ordinary hours | +25% | Night-heavy rotations can lift pay above the base row. |
| Saturday / Sunday ordinary hours | +50% Saturday; +75% Sunday | Weekend mix is one of the clearest roster-driven pay variables. |
| Public holiday ordinary hours | +150% (2.5x total pay) | Public holidays are high-impact roster inputs. |
| Overtime trigger | All time above 10 hours in a shift | Long shifts can trigger overtime even when weekly totals look ordinary. |
| Overtime trigger (fortnightly) | All hours above 76 per fortnight at 1.5× | ACT EBA Clause 49: overtime is also triggered when total paid hours exceed 76 per fortnight — heavy call rosters can hit this even when no individual shift exceeds 10 hours. |
| On-call allowance | First hour of overtime per on-call period, once per 24 hours | Availability pay should be separated from recall work. |
| Recall / call-back | Digital recall 1-hour minimum; workplace recall 4-hour minimum | Remote and workplace recall have different minimums. |
Salaried doctors vs VMOs: The rates on this page apply to salaried ACT doctors. Visiting Medical Officers (VMOs) are engaged sessionally or fee-for-service and are paid differently — the penalty, overtime and leave rules here may not apply to them. See the ACT consultant & VMO pay page.
ACT pay extras and entitlements
| Extra / entitlement | Why it matters | Applies mainly to | Where to check / model it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties and overtime | Evenings, nights, weekends, public holidays and long shifts can move pay above the base row. | All rostered doctors | Model early-career roster |
| On-call and recall | On-call availability, digital recall and workplace recall are separate pay concepts. | Mainly rostered after-hours roles | See registrar detail |
| Education allowance | The ACT agreement summary lists annual education allowance amounts for interns, resident-style rows, junior registrars and registrar rows. | Junior Medical Officers and registrars | See education allowance notes |
| Annual and personal leave | Annual leave, extra Sunday-related leave and personal leave affect job value alongside base salary. | All levels, depending on roster | See leave notes |
| Study and conference leave | Study time, conference leave and protected teaching time can matter when comparing roles. | Resident Medical Officers, registrars and junior medical officers | See study notes |
| HECS/HELP and packaging | HECS/HELP withholding and salary packaging can both change net pay even at the same gross — worth modelling for any grade carrying a study debt. | Doctors with study loans or packaging | HECS/HELP and packaging guide |
| Salary packaging (EPHA — public hospital rate) | Canberra Health Services is an Eligible Public Hospital and Ambulance (EPHA): ACT doctors can package up to ~$9,010 FBT-free per year — the standard public hospital cap. This saves approximately $2,000–$2,500/year in after-tax income depending on salary level. | All doctors employed at Canberra Hospital / Canberra Health Services | HECS/HELP and packaging guide |
| Annual leave loading (17.5%) | The ACT agreement provides a 17.5% loading on ordinary pay paid on commencement of annual leave — a concrete cash addition worth approximately $1,500–$4,000/year depending on grade. | All ACT doctors taking annual leave | Check ACT agreement |
ACT pay snapshot by career stage
Rates effective 2023–2026 Determination (current) · ACTPS Medical Practitioners Enterprise Agreement 2023–2026 · source.
| Level | Base salary | Estimated take-home | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $88,485 | $66,159 | Open calculator |
| Resident / RMO | $102,486 to $135,446 | $73,580 to $90,808 | Open calculator |
| Registrar / Senior Registrar | $125,473 to $173,760 | $85,753 to $107,666 | Open calculator |
Estimated take-home is after income tax, Medicare levy, and HECS/HELP repayment. No salary packaging applied.
Worked example snapshots
Intern — mostly day shifts
- A representative early-career roster with the occasional weekend, some after-hours and limited night work. Open in the calculator to adjust to your own roster.
Gross: $100,423
Net*: $72,486
RMO — mixed shifts with some overtime
- A busier roster with more weekend and after-hours shifts and occasional overtime. Open in the calculator to adjust to your own roster.
Gross: $130,317
Net*: $88,224
Registrar — heavier overtime
- A heavier registrar roster with more weekends, after-hours and overtime. Open in the calculator to adjust to your own roster.
Gross: $216,810
Net*: $127,090
* After income tax and HECS/HELP repayments have been deducted.
Frequently asked questions
Which ACT pay page should I start with?
Use this overview if you want to compare intern, resident and registrar pay at a high level. Use the ACT Interns & Residents page for early-career pay, or the ACT Registrar page for registrar progression, overtime, on-call and callback detail.
Why does ACT take-home pay differ from the base salary?
Base salary is only the starting point. Take-home changes with HECS/HELP withholding, salary packaging settings, overtime, weekends, public holidays, after-hours work and other paid roster features.
Where should I check exact ACT award wording?
Use the Australian Capital Territory award/enterprise agreement and rates documents linked in the sources section. This page is an overview; exact entitlement wording should be checked against the source documents and your employer.
AussieClinicians is an independent Australian pay calculator built by Jacob Stretton (RN; final-year medical student). Estimates only — verify with your payslip, payroll, and the linked award/EBA + ATO sources. Not financial or tax advice.
Sources
Estimates only; confirm with your specific award/EBA, local HR, and roster rules.