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QLD Intern & Resident Pay 2026–27

This page is for QLD interns, residents, RMOs, JHOs and SHOs who want the practical pay picture without registrar rows. It focuses on base salary, estimated take-home, the intern-to-resident jump, and the roster inputs that move Queensland payslips most.

By Jacob Stretton — RN & final-year medical student · figures sourced from the public EBAs & the ATO · About & methodology →

QLD Intern & Resident at a glance
Public hospital · 2026–27
  • Included levels: intern, resident, RMO, and house officer style pay lines.
  • Base salary range: $97,036 to $112,322.
  • Ordinary hours: 38 per week.
  • Illustrative take-home: $79,120 for the intern preset and $91,544 for the resident preset.
  • 2.5 public holiday loading in the current state data.
  • Salary packaging may be available depending on employer.

Takeaways

  • QLD intern base salary is $97,036.
  • Resident - Year 1 is $104,610: a $7,574 base increase before roster effects.
  • Early-career penalty settings include 15% afternoon, 20% night, 150% Saturday and 200% Sunday rates.
  • QLD PDA is listed for RMOs who are not interns and not receiving VTS; intern PDA was not added as a separate public claim.

QLD Intern & Resident Pay Levels (Base Salary and Estimated Take-Home)

Filtered to the early-career QLD rows so you can compare intern and resident/RMO-style pay without registrar lines getting in the way.

LevelBase salaryEstimated take-homeCalculator
Intern $97,036 $71,338 Open calculator
Resident - Year 1 $104,610 $75,353 Open calculator
Resident - Year 2 $112,322 $79,440 Open calculator

This page focuses on intern, resident, RMO, and house officer style pay lines drawn from the current Queensland pay table.

Rates effective 1 July 2026 (certified minimums — a capped +0.5% CPI Uplift Adjustment triggered by the March 2026 Brisbane CPI is pending publication by Queensland Health) · Medical Officers’ (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (No. 7) 2025 (MOCA7) — QIRC CB128 of 2025, Schedule 1 Table 1.1 · source.

What changes intern & resident take-home pay in QLD?

  • Classification and year level set the base row before roster effects.
  • Afternoon, night, Saturday, Sunday, public holiday and overtime inputs can move pay beyond ordinary salary.
  • PDA, VTS, meal allowance and vehicle allowance are practical checks when they apply to your appointment or roster.
  • HECS/HELP withholding and salary packaging settings still decide what lands in your bank account.

What changes between intern and resident pay in QLD?

The first QLD pay step is moving off the intern row, then adding the roster features that apply to your term.

  • The base table moves from $97,036 for Intern to $104,610 for Resident - Year 1 — $7,574 more before roster effects.
  • QLD ordinary full-time hours are 76 hours per fortnight in the existing MOCA7 summary.
  • Model afternoon, night, weekend and overtime inputs separately rather than treating the base row as the full pay picture.
  • PDA is listed for RMOs who are not interns and not receiving VTS; VTS is a separate vocational training item.

Early-career penalty-rate table

Use these QLD rates to model the roster you actually work; the base salary row does not include roster-driven additions.

Roster itemQLD rate/loadingWhy it mattersWhere to model/check itCalculator
Afternoon ordinary hours15% loadingMatters for late ordinary shifts that finish by midnight. Open intern calculator
Night ordinary hours20% loadingNight-heavy terms can lift take-home above base salary. Open intern calculator
Saturday ordinary hours150% of baseWeekend ordinary hours are a major payslip driver. Open resident calculator
Sunday ordinary hours200% of baseSunday work is higher value than Saturday in the current QLD settings. Open resident calculator
RMO overtime150% first 3 hours, then 200%Extra hours can change income quickly when shifts run long. Model overtime
Public holiday overtime250%Public holiday overtime is a high-impact roster input. Model public holiday work

Leave and professional development for interns and residents

These are the high-impact QLD leave and development items already present in the site source summary.

  • Annual leave is listed as 5 weeks standard, 6 weeks for continuous rotating shift workers, and 5.5 weeks for weekend roster workers not receiving shift loading.
  • Study leave: No general study leave for interns; exam leave is listed as exam day plus 3 paid days per exam.
  • PDA is listed for RMOs who are not interns and not receiving VTS: $2,719 p.a. from 1 July 2025 in the current QLD summary.
  • VTS is listed separately for eligible vocational trainees, starting at $4,534 p.a. from 1 July 2025.
  • Sick leave is listed as 10 days per year in the current QLD summary.

Allowances and entitlement checks for early-career doctors

These items are not automatic for every roster, but they are useful checks when comparing terms.

  • Overtime meal allowance is listed as $14.10 per occasion in specified overtime circumstances.
  • Motor vehicle allowance is listed as $0.82/km when authorised to use a private vehicle.
  • Remote on-call, proximate on-call and recall have separate rules; do not treat availability and recall work as the same pay item.
  • Meal breaks not provided are paid at overtime rates in the current QLD summary.

Common early-career pay scenarios

These are existing calculator presets, not promises about a usual roster.

ScenarioGradeGross incomeEstimated netCalculatorCalculator
Intern exampleIntern$111,719$79,120 Open preset
Resident exampleResident - Year 1$135,432$91,544 Open preset

Worked examples (QLD)

Intern example

  • Intern
Gross: $111,719
Take-home*: $79,120

Resident example

  • Resident - Year 1
Gross: $135,432
Take-home*: $91,544

* Estimated after tax and HECS/HELP. Your actual payslip will depend on roster mix, allowances, and deductions.

Frequently asked questions

Which QLD grades are included on this page?
This page covers the intern and resident/RMO-style rows in the live Queensland pay table. Use the QLD overview for the full intern-to-senior-registrar spread.
Why can two QLD residents take home different amounts?
Base salary is only the starting point. Take-home changes with afternoon and night work, weekends, public holidays, overtime, HECS/HELP withholding, salary packaging, and eligible allowances.
Where should I check the full QLD pay guide?
Use the main Queensland overview page for the full pay table, award summary, and all-level worked examples.
What QLD professional development item matters early?
The current QLD summary lists PDA for RMOs who are not interns and not receiving VTS, plus a separate VTS item for eligible vocational trainees. Intern PDA was not broadened into a separate claim on this page.
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.