SA Intern & Resident Pay 2025–26
This page is for SA interns, residents and early-career medical practitioners who want the practical pay picture without registrar rows. It focuses on base salary, estimated take-home, the intern-to-resident jump, weekend penalties, overtime and leave items that affect real payslips.
Takeaways
- SA intern base salary is $88,869.
- Resident - Year 1 is $96,569: a $7,700 base increase before roster effects.
- Weekend rostered duty is +50%, with an extra +75% rule for Sunday rostered duty over 8 hours.
- Annual leave is 28 calendar days, or 35 days for eligible seven-day roster patterns.
SA Intern & Resident Pay Levels (Base Salary and Estimated Take-Home)
Filtered to the early-career SA rows so you can compare intern and resident pay without registrar lines getting in the way.
| Level | Base salary | Estimated take-home |
|---|---|---|
| Intern | $88,869 | $66,363 |
| Resident - Year 1 | $96,569 | $70,444 |
This page focuses on intern, resident, RMO, and house officer style pay lines drawn from the current South Australia pay table.
What changes intern & resident take-home pay in SA?
- Classification and year level set the base row before roster effects.
- Weekend work, Sunday extra-hours, public holidays and overtime can move pay beyond ordinary salary.
- Remote call, recall, meal-break penalties and regional incentives are practical checks when they apply.
- Higher Education Contribution Scheme/Higher Education Loan Program (HECS/HELP) withholding and salary packaging settings still decide what lands in your bank account.
What changes between intern and resident pay in SA?
The first SA pay step is moving off the intern row, then adding the roster and entitlement items that apply to the term.
- The base table moves from $88,869 for Intern to $96,569 for Resident - Year 1 — $7,700 more before roster effects.
- Ordinary hours average 38 per week, and rostered duty excludes remote call, proximate call and recall duty.
- Model weekends, Sunday extra-hours, public holidays and overtime separately rather than treating the base row as the full pay picture.
- Professional development reimbursement depends on whether the doctor is in accredited training.
Early-career penalty-rate table
Use these SA rates to model the roster you actually work; the base salary row does not include roster-driven additions.
| Roster item | SA rate/loading | Why it matters | Where to model/check it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday ordinary hours | +50% loading (150% of base) | Saturday ordinary hours add 50% to base pay — separate from Sunday which is higher. | Model SA Saturday |
| Sunday ordinary hours | +75% loading (175% of base) | Sunday ordinary hours attract a higher loading than Saturday — worth modelling separately. | Model SA Sunday |
| Afternoon/evening duty | +15% | Eligible evening-finishing shifts add a separate loading. | Check roster inputs |
| Night duty | +25% | Night-heavy rotations can change take-home quickly. | Model night work |
| Public holiday work | +150% for time worked | Public holiday work can materially change the value of a term. | Model public holidays |
| Overtime above 76 hours per fortnight | +50% | Extra fortnightly hours can matter even before registrar-level pay. | Model overtime |
Leave and professional development for interns and residents
These items affect job value alongside base salary.
- Annual leave is listed as 28 calendar days per year, or 35 days if regularly rostered or required across seven days including Sundays and public holidays.
- Exam leave for accredited trainees is handled through the South Australian Medical Officers Award.
- Accredited trainees have 5 paid professional development days per year and up to $10,000 reimbursement per year.
- Doctors not in accredited training have 1 week of professional development leave and up to $4,500 reimbursement per year.
- Paid maternity, adoption or surrogacy leave is listed as 16 weeks after 12 months continuous service, or 20 weeks with 5 years SA public sector service.
Allowances and entitlement checks for early-career doctors
These are practical payslip checks when the relevant appointment, roster or location condition applies.
- Remote call allowance is listed for night/part-day and full-day periods.
- Recall has a 3-hour minimum and includes travel time from home and back.
- Worked-through meal breaks can attract an additional 50% until the break is taken or completed.
- Regional incentives are listed for eligible Modified Monash Model 4-7 locations and are not base salary.
- Fatigue facilities or taxi home can apply where it is unsafe to drive due to fatigue.
Common early-career pay scenarios
These are existing calculator presets, not promises about a usual roster.
| Scenario | Grade | Gross income | Estimated net | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intern example | Intern | $100,859 | $72,717 | Open preset |
| Resident example | Resident - Year 1 | $122,793 | $84,342 | Open preset |
Worked examples (SA)
* Estimated after tax and HECS/HELP. Your actual payslip will depend on roster mix, allowances, and deductions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which SA grades are included on this page?
This page covers the intern and resident-style rows in the South Australian pay table. Use the SA overview for the full intern-to-senior-registrar spread.
Why can two SA residents take home different amounts?
Base salary is only the starting point. Take-home changes with weekends, Sunday extra-hours, public holidays, overtime, HECS/HELP withholding, salary packaging and eligible allowances.
Where should I check the full SA pay guide?
Use the main South Australia overview page for the full pay table, award summary, and all-level worked examples.
Which SA professional development item matters early?
Accredited trainees have 5 paid professional development days and up to $10,000 reimbursement per year. Doctors not in accredited training have a separate professional development leave and reimbursement setting.