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QLD Doctor Pay Overview 2025–26
Estimate Queensland junior doctor pay (Intern → Registrar) for 2025–26 based on your actual roster. Add your mix of nights, weekends and overtime to see the flow-on effect to take-home pay after tax and HECS/HELP.
QLD Doctor Pay
Public hospital · 2025–26
- Intern base salary
- $94,670
- Ordinary hours
- 38/week
- Saturday loading
- 1.5×
- Sunday loading
- 2.0×
- Public holiday
- 2.5×
- Overtime
- 1.5×
- Annual leave
- 5 weeks
- Sick leave
- 10 days
Takeaways
- QLD intern base salary is $94,670 — the highest of any Australian state on this site for 2025–26.
- Moving from intern to Resident - Year 1 adds $7,389 before penalties, overtime or packaging.
- QLD ordinary-hour penalties include 15% afternoon, 20% night, 150% Saturday and 200% Sunday rates in the current source summary.
- RMO overtime is listed as 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200%; public holiday overtime is 250%.
Which QLD 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 QLD 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 QLD Registrar pay →QLD 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 QLD Interns & Residents page or QLD Registrar page for detailed penalty, on-call and callback modelling.
| Loading / penalty | Rate | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoon ordinary hours | 15% loading | Adds value to shifts where the majority of hours fall between 18:00 and 24:00 and finish by midnight. |
| Night ordinary hours | 20% loading | Night-heavy rotations can lift gross and net pay beyond the base salary row. |
| Saturday ordinary hours | 150% of base | Weekend mix is one of the clearest roster-driven pay variables. |
| Sunday ordinary hours | 200% of base | Sunday ordinary hours are high-impact for both gross and take-home pay. |
| Public holiday overtime | 250% for RMO overtime | Public holiday overtime is a high-impact roster input in the QLD summary. |
| RMO overtime | 150% first 3 hours, then 200%; Sunday 200% | Shift overruns and extra hours can move pay beyond ordinary penalties. |
| Remote on-call | 8% of Salary Level 4 hourly rate per hour | Pays for availability and should be modelled separately from recall. |
| Digital recall | 30-minute minimum at overtime rates | Remote work after being recalled is different from being on-call. |
Salaried doctors vs VMOs: The rates on this page apply to salaried QLD 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 QLD consultant & VMO pay page.
QLD pay extras and entitlements
| Extra / entitlement | Why it matters | Applies mainly to | Where to check / model it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional development | PDA is listed for RMOs who are not interns and not receiving VTS; VTS is a separate vocational training item. | Residents/RMOs and eligible vocational trainees | Check early-career detail |
| Exam leave | The QLD summary includes exam day plus 3 paid days per exam. | Doctors sitting approved exams | See leave notes |
| On-call and recall | Remote/proximate on-call, digital recall and physical recall are different pay concepts. | Mainly registrars and rostered after-hours roles | See registrar detail |
| Meal and travel allowances | Meal allowance and motor vehicle allowance are small but practical payslip items when conditions are met. | Roster-dependent | Check QLD source summary |
| Annual leave | The QLD source summary lists 5 weeks standard and 6 weeks for continuous rotating shift workers. | All levels, depending on roster type | Check leave summary |
| Salary packaging (~$9,010 FBT-free) | QLD Health public hospitals allow salary packaging of up to approximately $9,010 in living expenses FBT-free per year. At a 32% marginal rate this saves approximately $2,500–$3,000/year in tax — a consistent benefit across QLD public hospitals. | Doctors at QLD Health public hospitals | Salary packaging guide |
| Annual leave loading (17.5%) | QLD CB128 2025: a 17.5% loading on ordinary pay is paid on commencement of annual leave — worth approximately $1,300–$3,300/year depending on grade. The calculator includes this; naming it here helps readers understand the gross figures. | All QLD doctors taking annual leave | Check QLD EBA |
QLD pay snapshot by career stage
Rates effective 1 July 2025 · Medical Officers’ (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (MOCA7) — Directive CB128 · source.
| Level | Base salary | Estimated take-home | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $94,670 | $69,437 | Open calculator |
| Resident / RMO | $102,059 to $109,583 | $73,353 to $77,341 | Open calculator |
| Registrar / Senior Registrar | $133,848 to $187,569 | $90,024 to $114,322 | 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: $108,995
Net*: $77,029
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: $132,129
Net*: $89,148
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: $213,958
Net*: $125,864
* After income tax and HECS/HELP repayments have been deducted.
Frequently asked questions
Which QLD 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 QLD Interns & Residents page for early-career pay, or the QLD Registrar page for registrar progression, overtime, on-call and callback detail.
Why does QLD 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 QLD award wording?
Use the Queensland 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.