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SA Doctor Pay Overview 2026–27
SA intern base salary of $91,757 sits above NSW, VIC and WA at the same career stage. Overtime is fortnightly-based (>76 hours at +50%, >110 hours at +100%), and weekend rostered hours attract +50%, rising to +75% for Sunday hours past the eighth.
Straight from the source: every rate below is transcribed from the linked official documents. Primary source: SA EBA 2025. 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
$91,757Intern base salary; about $68,540 take-home after tax and HECS.
$169,648Top of the scale on this page (Senior Registrar Year 2).
×1.5 SundaysSunday ordinary-hours loading; public holidays ×2.5.
38 hrs/weekOrdinary full-time week; 4 weeks annual leave (35 calendar days if regularly rostered or on call across 7 days).
- Moving from intern to Resident - Year 1 adds $7,950 before penalties, overtime or packaging.
- SA public hospital doctors can access salary packaging up to ~$9,010 FBT-free; annual leave loading adds a further 17.5% on ordinary pay during leave.
Which SA 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 SA 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 SA Registrar pay →Comparing beyond SA? See junior doctor salary in Australia: every state's scale, per month, after tax and per hour.
SA 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 SA Interns & Residents page or SA Registrar page for detailed penalty, on-call and callback modelling.
| Loading / penalty | Rate | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday rostered duty | +50% loading (150% of base) | All rostered Saturday hours carry the weekend loading. |
| Sunday rostered duty | +50% (150% of base); +75% (175%) past 8 hours | Sunday hours carry the same +50% weekend loading as Saturday, and each hour past the eighth on a Sunday is paid at +75% instead. |
| Afternoon/evening duty | +15% | Applies to eligible shifts starting from midday and finishing after 18:00. |
| Night duty | +25% | Night duty can move practical take-home beyond the base salary row. |
| Public holiday work | +150% for time worked | Public holiday work is a high-impact roster item and replaces other penalties for that time. |
| Overtime above 76 hours per fortnight | +50% | Full-time overtime is mainly driven by total fortnightly hours. |
| Overtime above 110 hours per fortnight | +100% | Very heavy fortnights move pay differently from ordinary roster penalties. |
| Recall | 3-hour minimum | Recall is separate from remote/proximate call availability. |
Salaried doctors vs VMOs: The rates on this page apply to salaried SA 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 SA consultant & VMO pay page.
SA pay extras and entitlements
| Extra / entitlement | Why it matters | Applies mainly to | Where to check / model it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional development | Accredited trainees have 5 paid professional development days and up to $10,000 reimbursement per year. | Mainly accredited trainees | See registrar detail |
| Remote and proximate call | Availability payments are separate from recall after being called in. | Rostered on-call roles | See on-call detail |
| Recall and travel | Recall has a 3-hour minimum and includes travel time from home and back. | Doctors recalled after release from duty | Check recall context |
| Annual and parental leave | Annual leave can be 28 or 35 calendar days, and paid parental leave can affect job value. | All eligible SA Health doctors | See leave notes |
| Regional incentives | Eligible Modified Monash Model 4-7 locations have listed incentive amounts that are not base salary. | Eligible regional roles | Check SA agreement notes |
| Annual leave loading (17.5%) | SA EBA 2025: a 17.5% loading on ordinary pay is paid on commencement of annual leave, worth approximately $1,200–$3,200/year depending on grade. The calculator models this; it is a real payslip item. | All SA doctors taking annual leave | Check SA EBA |
| Salary packaging (~$9,010 FBT-free) | SA Health public hospitals sit under the public hospital FBT exemption cap; SA doctors can package 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. | SA doctors at SA Health public hospitals | Salary packaging guide |
SA pay snapshot by career stage
Rates effective first full pay period on or after 14 April 2026 · SA Health Salaried Medical Officers Enterprise Agreement 2025 (Schedule 1) · source.
| Level | Base salary | Estimated take-home | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $91,757 | $68,540 | Open calculator |
| Resident / RMO | $99,707 | $72,754 | Open calculator |
| Registrar / Senior Registrar | $107,655 to $169,648 | $76,966 to $106,599 | 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: $103,078
Net*: $74,541
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: $124,725
Net*: $86,013
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: $197,534
Net*: $119,070
* After income tax and HECS/HELP repayments have been deducted.
Frequently asked questions
Which SA 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 SA Interns & Residents page for early-career pay, or the SA Registrar page for registrar progression, overtime, on-call and callback detail.
Why does SA 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 SA award wording?
Use the South Australia 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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