New South Wales public hospital pay guide · 2025–26
NSW Junior Doctor Salary & Take-Home Pay | 2025–26
Junior doctors in NSW public hospitals earn between roughly $80,000 and $170,000+ per year depending on level and overtime. This guide explains intern, resident and registrar pay in 2025–26, including base salary and estimated take-home income after tax, HECS/HELP and salary packaging.
Includes quick answers, worked examples, and links to NSW award sources.
Estimate my pay (NSW)On this page
What determines your pay in NSW?
- Base rate: classification (intern, RMO, registrar) and year level.
- Penalties: nights, weekends, and public holidays.
- Overtime: usually 1.5× for the first 2 hours, then 2.0×.
- Allowances: site- and shift-specific where applicable.
- Tax + HECS/HELP: HECS is calculated on gross; tax is calculated after deductions and packaging.
- Salary packaging: living and meal/entertainment caps can change take-home, but NSW keeps part of the tax benefit.
NSW Doctor Pay by Level (Base Salary and Estimated Take-Home)
| Level | Base salary | After-tax + HECS (take-home) |
|---|---|---|
| Intern | $80,570 | $61,964 |
| Resident - Year 1 | $94,441 | $69,316 |
| Resident - Year 2 | $103,873 | $74,315 |
| Resident - Year 3 | $103,873 | $74,315 |
| Registrar - Year 1 | $117,645 | $81,614 |
| Registrar - Year 2 | $127,718 | $86,898 |
| Registrar - Year 3 | $137,829 | $91,857 |
| Registrar - Year 4 | $147,538 | $96,129 |
| Senior Registrar - Year 1 | $165,884 | $104,201 |
See how this state compares
Want the national picture? See how this state compares across base pay, take-home estimates, leave and penalties.
NSW EBA high-yield summary
This page provides a practical NSW Award/EBA summary for common roster and payroll checks.
Instruments referenced: Public Hospital Medical Officers (State) Award 2023 (varied 1 July 2024) and NSW Health Information Bulletin IB2025_003 (rates commencing first full pay period on/after 1 July 2023).
Who this applies to
- Applies to medical officers employed under classifications in the Award in the NSW Health Service/public hospitals (Clause 35(iii)).
- Intern: medical officer serving prior to full registration (Clause 1).
- Resident: medical officer with full registration (Clause 1).
- Registrar: appointed registrar in an approved established position; training criteria apply (Clause 1).
- Senior Registrar: registrar with higher medical qualifications in an approved established position (Clause 1).
Ordinary hours and roster protections
- Ordinary hours are an average 38 hours/week (Clause 6(i)).
- Common structure: 40 hours/7 days or 80 hours/14 days plus one ADO per calendar month (Clause 6(i)); ADO accrual cap is 3 days.
- At least two days free from ordinary duty each week (or four each fortnight if not practicable) (Clause 6(ii)).
- Minimum shift length is 4 hours; no broken/split shifts (Clause 6(iii)-(iv)).
- Overtime starts after 10 hours worked in one shift (Clause 6(v)).
- Rosters require at least 2 weeks' notice; no-notice changes are for emergent situations (Clause 6(vii)).
Penalty rates and overtime
| Item | Rate / rule | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Evening shift | +12.5% (6:00pm to midnight, Mon-Fri) | Clause 8(i) |
| Night shift | +25% (midnight to 7:00am, Sun night to Fri night) | Clause 8(ii) |
| Saturday ordinary hours | +50% | Clause 8(iii) |
| Sunday ordinary hours | +75% | Clause 8(iv) |
| Public holiday work | Time + one half, plus annual leave credit unless time off already granted | Clause 15(ii) |
| Public holiday on rostered day off | 1 day added to annual leave | Clause 15(iii) |
| Overtime | 1.5x first 2 hours, then 2x | Clause 11(i) |
| Sunday overtime | All overtime at 2x | Clause 11(i) |
| Call-back / non-continuous overtime minimum | Minimum 4 hours at overtime rate | Clause 12(iv) |
| Meal allowance (eligible overtime) | $35.65 per meal | Clause 11(iii), Table 1 Item 2 |
On-call and key allowances
| Allowance | Rate | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical on-call (rostered on duty day) | $106.20/day | Table 1 Item 3 |
| Clinical on-call (rostered off duty day) | $213.20/day | Table 1 Item 3 |
| Relief on-call (rostered on duty day) | $35.00/day | Table 1 Item 3 |
| Relief on-call (rostered off duty day) | $50.00/day | Table 1 Item 3 |
| In-charge allowance | $22.80 per 12 hours (or part thereof) | Clause 5, Table 1 Item 1 |
| Uniform allowance | $2.89/week (full uniform) or $2.13/week (other) | Clause 21(iii), Table 1 Item 4 |
| Higher medical qualification allowance | $65.70/week; $32.90/week in 5th+ registrar year where expected | Clause 4, IB2025_003 |
On-call allowances compensate time on-call other than call-back attendance. Call-back attendance is paid as overtime with minimum 4 hours (Clause 12(iv), Clause 12(ix)).
Leave and study entitlements used most by trainees
Annual and personal leave
- Annual leave: 4 calendar weeks per 12 months + 1 day for each public holiday occurring during annual leave (Clause 14(i)).
- Extra annual leave can accrue from Sunday/public holiday work, with payout option once at least one week accrues (Clause 14(ii)).
- Leave should be taken within 6 months of accrual, extendable by agreement for up to a further 6 months (Clause 14(iv)).
- Sick leave: 76 ordinary hours/year; no paid entitlement until 3 months continuous service; max 8 hours per day (Clause 16(i)).
Study, parental, long service
- Study leave (non-intern): up to 4 hours/week under clause rules; exam study accrual up to 7 working days per exam, with higher caps after 1 year service (Clause 25).
- Study leave is not counted as time worked for overtime calculations (Clause 25(v)).
- Paid maternity leave eligibility: 40 weeks continuous service before expected birth (Clause 17A(i)).
- Paid maternity leave quantum: 14 weeks full pay or 28 weeks half pay (Clause 17A(ii)).
- Long service leave applies under the NSW Long Service Leave Act 1955 (Clause 19).
Safe rostering and fatigue rules
- Meal break on day shift is 30 minutes (up to 1 hour by local agreement); if worked through, it must be paid and recorded (Clause 10(iii)-(v)).
- You may refuse unreasonable overtime; factors include WHS risk, personal circumstances, notice, and workplace needs (Clause 32(ii)-(iii)).
- Shift-length protection remains overtime from hour 10 in any one shift (Clause 6(v)).
Worked examples (NSW)
Intern: mostly days, 1 weekend/month
- Roster: 38h/wk, 1 Saturday and Sunday per month, no nights, no overtime, quarter of the year after hours, a few public holidays and four weeks of annual leave.
RMO: mixed shifts including nights and some overtime
- Roster: ~40–44h/wk, some evenings/nights, 2–3 weekend shifts/month, some public holidays.
- Includes: penalties for nights/weekends; occasional overtime, four weeks of leave.
Year 3 Registrar: heavier overtime
- Roster: 45–55h/wk, every second weekend, most public holidays, overtime most weeks.
- Includes: 25% of the year nights, 25% of the year afternoons. Five weeks of leave (4 annual, 1 study).
* After tax and HECs repayments have been deducted
For numbers tailored to you, run the calculator below with your roster assumptions.
FAQ: NSW doctor pay
Can my hospital force me to work overtime in NSW?
You may refuse overtime that is unreasonable. The Award (Clause 32(ii)–(iii)) lists the factors used to assess this: WHS risk, your personal circumstances including family and carer responsibilities, the needs of the workplace, how much notice was given, and any other relevant matter. Overtime is not automatically compulsory — but what counts as unreasonable will depend on the circumstances. Raise concerns with your NUM or the relevant union (HSU NSW / ASMOF) if you believe a request is unreasonable.
What if my roster changes with less than two weeks' notice?
Rosters must be posted with at least two weeks' notice for ordinary hours, and where practicable for overtime hours too (Clause 6(vii)). Changes without notice are only permitted to meet an emergent situation. If your roster is changed at short notice outside a genuine emergency, that may not comply with the Award. Raise it with your NUM or payroll in the first instance.
Do I get paid if I work through my meal break?
Yes. On day shifts (commencing at or after 7:00 am and finishing no later than 7:00 pm) your meal break is 30 minutes, or up to one hour by local agreement. If you are required to work through it, the time must be paid and recorded (Clause 10(iii)–(v)). Your Medical Administrator is required to have simple procedures in place to record this. Do not let a worked meal break go unrecorded.
When does overtime actually start?
There are three separate triggers under the NSW Award (Clauses 6 and 11):
- Per shift: All time worked beyond 10 hours in a single shift is overtime (Clause 6(v)), regardless of your weekly hours.
- Weekly: All time worked beyond 40 ordinary hours in any 7-day period is overtime (Clause 6(i)).
- Fortnightly: All time worked beyond 80 ordinary hours in any 14-day period is overtime (Clause 6(i)).
In practice, rosters are usually built around the 40/80-hour structure, with one additional rostered day off (ADO) per calendar month used to bring the average down to 38 hours per week. The ADO is not overtime — it is how ordinary hours are structured. Overtime begins when you exceed the pools above, or when any single shift runs past 10 hours.
Once triggered: 1.5× for the first two hours, then 2× beyond that. All overtime on Sundays is 2× from the first hour (Clause 11(i)).
What is the minimum shift length in NSW public hospitals?
Four hours (Clause 6(iii)). Broken or split shifts are not permitted (Clause 6(iv)).
If I am called back in after finishing a shift, what am I owed?
A call-back that is not continuous with your previous shift attracts a minimum of four hours' pay at the overtime rate, even if the actual work is shorter (Clause 12(iv)). If you are formally released and then recalled again within that four-hour window, a fresh four-hour minimum applies (Clause 12(viii)). You are also entitled to a meal allowance of $35.65 if the overtime was unrostered and extends past the relevant meal period (Clause 11(iii)).
Can I get study leave as an intern in NSW?
No. Study leave is not available to interns under the NSW Award (Clause 25(i)). Non-intern JMOs can accrue up to four hours of study time per week, or half an hour per hour of compulsory face-to-face attendance. Exam study leave accrues up to seven working days per exam, increasing to 14 calendar days after one year of continuous service (Clause 25(vi)–(vii)). Study leave does not count as time worked for overtime purposes (Clause 25(v)).
Sources and disclaimer
- NSW EBA (IB2025_003)
- NSW Medical Officers Award
- ATO study and training support loans rates and thresholds
Estimates only; confirm with your specific award/EBA, local HR, and roster rules.
Run the NSW calculator
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Estimate my pay (NSW)