Home › Doctor pay › Western Australia
WA Doctor Pay Overview 2025–26
WA interns start at $90,864 on a 40-hour ordinary week — a different baseline from most states that affects how hourly rates calculate. PDA is $6,503 for interns/residents and $11,380 for registrars. The extra leave accrual formula (Clauses 34(3)–(4)) and recall rate breakdown are the two features most worth understanding before comparing WA to other states.
WA Doctor Pay
Public hospital · 2025–26
- Intern base salary
- $90,864
- Ordinary hours
- 40/week
- Saturday loading
- 1.5×
- Sunday loading
- 1.75×
- Public holiday
- 2.5×
- Overtime
- 1.5×
- Annual leave
- 4 weeks
- Sick leave
- 10 days
Takeaways
- WA intern base salary is $90,864, based on a 40-hour ordinary week.
- Moving from intern to Resident - Year 1 adds $8,531 before penalties, overtime or packaging.
- WA doctors accrue extra annual leave for every 7 Sunday or public holiday shifts worked, and for every 120 on-call hours — capped at 40 extra hours per year (Agreement Clauses 34(3)–(4)).
- Professional Development Allowance (PDA) is listed as $6,503 per year for Intern/Resident Medical Officer rows and $11,380 per year for Registrar rows.
Which WA 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 WA 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 WA Registrar pay →WA 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 WA Interns & Residents page or WA Registrar page for detailed penalty, on-call and callback modelling.
| Loading / penalty | Rate | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Evening shift | +20% | Eligible weekday evening work can lift pay above the base row. |
| Night shift | +25% | Night-heavy terms can materially change take-home pay. |
| Saturday ordinary hours | +50% | Weekend mix is one of the clearest roster-driven pay variables. |
| Sunday ordinary hours | +75% | Sunday ordinary hours have a larger loading than Saturday. |
| Public holiday work | 2.5x total pay | Public holidays are high-impact roster inputs. |
| Extended shift overtime | After 10 hours: 150% first 3 hours, then 200% | Long shifts can trigger overtime even before fortnightly totals are considered. |
| Fortnight overtime trigger | >80 paid hours = 150%; >120 paid hours = 200% | WA also uses a pay-cycle trigger, not only a per-shift trigger. |
| Recall / call-back | 3-hour minimum; 150% first 3h (Mon–Sat), 175% for late-night, 200% on Sunday/PH — WA Agreement Clause 33(2)(b) | Recall is separate from being rostered on-call. |
Salaried doctors vs VMOs: The rates on this page apply to salaried WA 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 WA consultant & VMO pay page.
WA pay extras and entitlements
| Extra / entitlement | Why it matters | Applies mainly to | Where to check / model it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Development Allowance (PDA) | The WA agreement lists separate annual PDA amounts for Intern/Resident Medical Officer and Registrar classifications. | Interns, Resident Medical Officers and registrars | See early-career detail |
| Study and exam leave | WA lists 3 weeks paid professional development leave and 4 paid exam days plus 3 clear days before the exam. | Doctors using approved study or exams | See leave notes |
| On-call and recall | On-call availability and recall/call-back are separate pay concepts. | Rostered on-call roles | See registrar detail |
| Meal, travel and higher duties | Meal allowances, eligible travel reimbursement and higher duties can add practical payslip value. | Roster and appointment dependent | Check WA agreement notes |
| Extra leave accrual | WA Agreement Clauses 34(3)–(4): doctors accrue +8 hours of additional annual leave for every 120 hours of on-call duty, OR for every 7 Sunday or public holiday shifts worked — capped at 40 extra hours per year. This is the most distinctive WA feature. | All WA doctors doing on-call or Sunday/PH work | Check WA Agreement |
| Annual leave loading (annualised) | WA Agreement Clause 34(17): the 17.5% annual leave loading is annualised and incorporated into the base salary rather than paid as a separate lump sum on commencement of leave. This means the leave-loading benefit is already reflected in the base salary figures shown on this site. | All WA doctors | Check WA Agreement |
WA pay snapshot by career stage
Rates effective 3 September 2025 · WA Health System Medical Practitioners — AMA Industrial Agreement 2024 (Schedule 1) · source.
| Level | Base salary | Estimated take-home | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $90,864 | $67,420 | Open calculator |
| Resident / RMO | $99,395 to $119,165 | $71,941 to $82,419 | Open calculator |
| Registrar / Senior Registrar | $125,010 to $192,371 | $85,517 to $116,582 | 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: $103,515
Net*: $74,125
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: $126,136
Net*: $86,091
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: $208,944
Net*: $123,708
* After income tax and HECS/HELP repayments have been deducted.
Frequently asked questions
Which WA 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 WA Interns & Residents page for early-career pay, or the WA Registrar page for registrar progression, overtime, on-call and callback detail.
Why does WA 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 WA award wording?
Use the Western 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.
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.