Your psychiatrist salary guide: what changes the fortnight

Your psychiatrist salary: what changes the fortnight

When you work as a psychiatrist in Australia, your take-home pay depends on more than just your annual salary. The amount that lands in your bank account each fortnight is shaped by income tax brackets, the Medicare levy, and superannuation. This guide explains how those factors affect your psychiatrist salary and what you can expect after tax.

What the latest data shows

According to the Mental Health Workforce Hub, psychiatrist salaries in Australia range from $135,000 for entry-level positions to $230,000 for experienced practitioners. The official median full-time earnings are not published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics because of high standard error, as noted in the Jobs and Skills Australia profile. That means the range is your best guide.

Most psychiatrists work in capital cities, and the median age is 46 years. About 52% of psychiatrists are female, and 66% work full-time, averaging 44 hours per week.

How tax brackets affect your take-home pay

Your psychiatrist salary falls into the top marginal tax bracket. For the 2026–27 tax year, the resident tax rates are:

• $0 – $18,200: Nil
• $18,201 – $45,000: 15c per $1 over $18,200
• $45,001 – $135,000: $4,020 plus 30c per $1 over $45,000
• $135,001 – $190,000: $31,020 plus 37c per $1 over $135,000
• $190,001 and above: $51,370 plus 45c per $1 over $190,000

A Low Income Tax Offset (LITO) of up to $700 may apply, but it phases out above $37,500 and is fully gone by $66,667. For a psychiatrist earning $150,000, the LITO is already zero.

Medicare levy and thresholds

The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income. The latest published single-person thresholds are $28,011 and $35,013. If your taxable income is below $28,011, you pay no levy. Between $28,011 and $35,013, the levy is 10c per $1 over the lower threshold. Above $35,013, you pay the full 2%. For a psychiatrist earning $150,000, that’s $3,000 per year, or about $115 per fortnight.

There is no Medicare levy surcharge unless you do not have private hospital cover and your income exceeds the threshold, but most psychiatrists typically have cover.

Superannuation and the fortnightly difference

Superannuation is not deducted from your salary; it is paid on top. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee rate is 12% of your ordinary time earnings, up to a maximum contribution base of $270,830. So if your psychiatrist salary is $150,000, your employer adds $18,000 per year to your super account. That does not reduce your take-home pay.

However, when comparing salary offers, check whether the figure is “plus super” or “including super”. Most advertised psychiatrist salaries are plus super.

Example: take-home pay for a psychiatrist earning $150,000

Assume you earn $150,000 per year, paid fortnightly (26 pays). No salary sacrifice, no HELP debt, no Medicare levy surcharge.

• Gross fortnightly: $5,769.23
• Tax on $150,000: Using the 2026–27 rates, tax = $31,020 + 0.37 × ($150,000 – $135,000) = $31,020 + $5,550 = $36,570. Fortnightly tax: $1,406.54
• Medicare levy: $150,000 × 2% = $3,000 per year, $115.38 per fortnight
• Net fortnightly: $5,769.23 – $1,406.54 – $115.38 = $4,247.31

Your take-home pay is about $4,247 per fortnight. This estimate is a guide only and is not a tax assessment.

Further reading

For more tools and benchmarks, see our [Take-home pay](/topics/take-home] and Tax and Medicare guides. You can also check the [Minimum wage](/topics/minimum-wage] for the national minimum wage of $26.44 per hour and $1,004.90 per week.