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NSW Doctor Pay Overview 2026–27
NSW paid the lowest intern base salary in Australia at $80,638 in 2026–27, between $4,856 and $16,398 below every other state at the same career stage. The gap does not close at registrar level, but the penalty rates and overtime mechanics are competitive.
Straight from the source: every rate below is transcribed from the linked official documents. Primary source: NSW interim salary determination (IB2026_007). The full list, including the underlying award or agreement and any determinations, is under Sources.
By Jacob Stretton, RN & final-year medical student · figures sourced from the public EBAs & the ATO · About & methodology →
Key takeaways
$80,638Intern base salary; about $62,647 take-home after tax and HECS.
$166,025Top of the scale on this page (Senior Registrar Year 1).
×1.75 SundaysSunday ordinary-hours loading; public holidays ×2.5.
38 hrs/weekOrdinary full-time week; 5 weeks annual leave.
- Moving from intern to Resident - Year 1 adds $13,883 before penalties, overtime or packaging.
- No CME cash allowance at any NSW grade; interns are excluded from Clause 25 study leave.
Which NSW 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 NSW 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 NSW Registrar pay →Comparing beyond NSW? See junior doctor salary in Australia: every state's scale, per month, after tax and per hour.
NSW 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 NSW Interns & Residents page or NSW Registrar page for detailed penalty, on-call and callback modelling.
| Loading / penalty | Rate | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Evening ordinary hours | 12.5% loading (112.5% of base) | Adds a smaller after-hours loading before night rates apply. |
| Night ordinary hours | 25% loading (125% of base) | Night-heavy terms can move take-home above the base row. |
| Saturday ordinary hours | 50% loading (time and a half) | Weekend roster mix is one of the main pay variables. |
| Sunday ordinary hours | 75% loading (175% of base) | Sunday work can materially change gross and net pay. |
| Public holiday ordinary hours | 150% loading (250% of base) | Also adds one extra day to annual leave for each public holiday worked (Award Clause 15(ii)). |
| Overtime | 1.5x for first 2 hours, then 2x; Sunday overtime 2x | Shift overruns and rostered overtime can move pay beyond ordinary-hour loadings. |
| Callback | Overtime rates with a 4-hour minimum | Being called back is paid differently from simply being on-call. |
| Clinical on-call | $106.20 rostered duty day; $213.20 rostered off-duty day | Availability allowance is separate from callback attendance. |
NSW salary packaging note: NSW Health takes half of your salary packaging tax saving; in most other states you keep the full benefit. This makes NSW salary packaging materially less valuable than it appears on paper. Full packaging guide →
Salaried doctors vs VMOs: The rates on this page apply to salaried NSW 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 NSW consultant & VMO pay page.
NSW pay extras and entitlements
| Extra / entitlement | Why it matters | Applies mainly to | Where to check / model it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study and exam leave | Clause 25 excludes interns; non-intern doctors can access up to 4 hours/week, with exam-study accrual up to 7 working days. | Non-intern JMOs | See Clause 25 detail |
| Professional development | No NSW Award PDA/CME cash allowance; Qualification Allowance is a Clause 4 salary supplement after higher qualification, not an annual PD budget. | All grades; Qualification Allowance has conditions | See PDA/CME notes |
| Accrued day off (ADO) | Clause 6 uses one additional day off per month to average a full-time 40-hour roster down to 38 hours; ADOs cap at 3 days. | Full-time doctors on 40-hour rosters | See NSW registrar roster detail |
| Salary packaging | Clause 31: salary packaging by agreement, $9,010 of FBT-free benefits a year (a $17,000 grossed-up cap). NSW Health retains half the tax saving; see the packaging note on this page. | Doctors with eligible packaging | HECS/HELP and packaging guide |
| Rural secondment | Clause 28 gives non-interns one incremental step for Part C hospital secondment; interns are excluded. | Non-intern secondments to Part C hospitals | See secondment detail |
| Parental leave | Clause 17 provides 14 weeks paid maternity leave and 1 week paid partner leave after 40 weeks continuous service. | Eligible doctors | See parental leave notes |
| Higher duties (Clause 13) | Relief of a higher classification for 5 or more continuous working days entitles the doctor to at least the minimum pay of that higher classification for the full relief period (Award Clause 13). | All grades relieving a higher classification | Check NSW Award Clause 13 |
NSW pay snapshot by career stage
Rates effective first full pay period on or after 1 July 2025 (no 1 July 2026 increase: the interim deal has 2024 and 2025 legs only) · NSW Public Hospital Medical Officers (State) Award, Determination IB2026_007 (interim rates; NSW IRC arbitration decision reserved as at July 2026) · source.
| Level | Base salary | Estimated take-home | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $80,638 | $62,647 | Open calculator |
| Resident - Year 1 | $94,521 | $70,005 | Open calculator |
| Resident - Year 2 | $103,961 | $75,009 | Open calculator |
| Resident - Year 3 | $117,745 | $82,314 | Open calculator |
| Registrar grades | |||
| Registrar - Year 1 | $117,745 | $82,314 | Open calculator |
| Registrar - Year 2 | $127,827 | $87,658 | Open calculator |
| Registrar - Year 3 | $137,946 | $92,650 | Open calculator |
| Registrar - Year 4 | $147,664 | $96,926 | Open calculator |
| Senior Registrar - Year 1 | $166,025 | $105,005 | 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
- 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.
Gross: $92,007
Net*: $68,673
RMO: mixed shifts with 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.
Gross: $120,189
Net*: $83,609
Registrar: heavier overtime
- Roster: 45–55h/wk, every second weekend, most public holidays, overtime most weeks.
- Includes: 25% of the year nights, 25% afternoons. Uses 4 weeks of annual leave; any extra leave from Sunday/public holiday work and study leave depend on your actual award conditions.
Gross: $211,638
Net*: $125,134
* After income tax and HECS/HELP repayments have been deducted.
Frequently asked questions
Which NSW 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 NSW Interns & Residents page for early-career pay, or the NSW Registrar page for registrar progression, overtime, on-call and callback detail.
Why does NSW 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 NSW award wording?
Use the New South Wales 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.
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