Accountant Salary and Take-Home Pay in Australia
Published accountant salaries disagree by about $30,156 depending on the source. The ABS puts the median at $104,156, PayScale and Glassdoor nearer $74,000. Neither is wrong. This page explains what each one is counting and what each pays after tax for 2026-27.
Australian Take-Home Pay Calculator 2026-27
Tax bracket progress
Where your money goes
Income vs deductions
Your pay, every way
| Component | Daily | Weekly | Fortnightly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $346 | $1,731 | $3,462 | $7,500 | $90,000 |
| Income tax | −$67 | −$337 | −$674 | −$1,460 | −$17,520 |
| Medicare levy | −$7 | −$35 | −$69 | −$150 | −$1,800 |
| Super (12%) | +$42 | +$208 | +$415 | +$900 | +$10,800 |
| Take-home pay | $272 | $1,359 | $2,718 | $5,890 | $70,680 |
Three Sources, Three Different Answers, 2026-27
Each row is a real published benchmark. They differ because they survey different people, not because one is more accurate than another.
| Source | Figure | Income tax | Medicare levy | Take-home pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABS via Jobs and Skills Australia Representative median. Full-time adult ordinary time earnings, employees only, May 2025 | $104,156 | $21,767 | $2,083 | $80,306 |
| SEEK advertised band Advertised range. Midpoint of the $80,000 to $95,000 advertised range, July 2026 | $87,500 | $16,770 | $1,750 | $68,980 |
| PayScale and Glassdoor Self-reported average. Midpoint of roughly $69,000 to $79,000. Self-reported, includes early-career and part-time | $74,000 | $12,720 | $1,480 | $59,800 |
Australian resident, super paid on top of salary, no HECS-HELP debt, private hospital cover assumed so no Medicare levy surcharge. SEEK and aggregator figures are midpoints of published ranges and are shown as single values only so the after-tax comparison is possible. Sources: ABS SEEH May 2025 via Jobs and Skills Australia; SEEK advertised band July 2026; PayScale and Glassdoor self-reported averages, per research/salaries-professions.md.
Why the Surveys Disagree
Three different sampling methods produce three different numbers, and each is internally consistent.
The ABS measures full-time adult ordinary time earnings for employees. That definition excludes part-time workers, excludes anyone on junior rates, and excludes the self-employed. It also excludes overtime. What remains is a relatively senior, relatively full-time population, which pushes the median up to $104,156.
Aggregators rely on self-reported data. People who look up and submit their salary skew early-career, and part-time roles are included without adjustment. Both effects pull the average down toward the $74,000 range.
SEEK reflects advertised roles. That is a different thing again: it is what employers are currently offering to attract applicants, not what the existing workforce is paid, and it lands in between at around $87,500.
On the ABS median the marginal rate is 30% against an average rate of 22.9%. See marginal vs average tax rate, or run a specific offer through the salary calculator.
Take-Home on $104,156
Accountants Are Usually Award-Free
Unlike nursing, construction or aged care, there is no modern award setting a minimum rate for a qualified accountant.
Qualified accountants are generally treated as award-free professional employees, with pay and conditions set by individual contract. There is no accountant award minimum, no award penalty rates and no award overtime entitlement. The national minimum wage still applies as an absolute floor, but at these salary levels it is not a meaningful constraint.
The Clerks Private Sector Award 2020 (MA000002) can cover junior and clerical accounting support roles, such as accounts payable, bookkeeping support and administrative finance positions. Coverage turns on the actual duties performed rather than the job title, so an assistant accountant doing largely clerical work may be covered where a qualified accountant is not.
Being award-free does not remove the National Employment Standards. Annual leave, personal and carer’s leave, notice of termination, maximum weekly hours and the other NES entitlements apply to every employee regardless of award coverage. What changes is that your contract, not an award, sets the rate and any overtime arrangement. See award rates for how modern award minimums work where they do apply, and annual leave entitlements for the NES baseline.
Package Versus Salary Plus Super
Accounting job offers are frequently quoted as a total package, which is where a good-looking number quietly shrinks.
If an offer says $104,156 plus super, your salary is $104,156 and your employer pays $12,499 into your fund on top. If the same offer says $104,156 package including super, your actual salary is lower, because the 12% has to come out of that figure rather than sit on top of it.
Two offers with the same headline number can therefore differ by thousands in take-home. The wording is the whole difference, and it is worth confirming in writing before comparing. Use super versus take-home to see the split on a specific figure, or the superannuation guarantee explained for how the 12% is calculated.
Common Mistakes With Accountant Pay
Where the published figures get misread.
Averaging the sources together
They measure different populations. A blended figure of the ABS median and a self-reported average describes nobody in particular.
Quoting the ABS median as an early-career benchmark
$104,156 is a full-time employee median across all experience levels. Early-career pay sits well below it.
Looking for an accountant award rate
Qualified accountants are generally award-free. Only clerical accounting support roles may fall under MA000002.
Missing the package wording
A $104,156 package including super is a materially lower salary than $104,156 plus super.
Assuming award-free means no entitlements
The National Employment Standards apply to every employee. Award-free changes the rate-setting mechanism, not your leave or notice.
Expecting award overtime
Without award coverage there is no award overtime entitlement. Whether extra hours are paid is a contract question.
Accountant Pay FAQ
Common questions about accountant salaries and take-home pay in Australia.
Sources
The documents behind every figure on this page.
- ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025 (catalogue 6306.0), via Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2211 Accountants: representative full-time median $2,003 a week, about $104,156 a year, median hourly about $53. Measures full-time adult ordinary time earnings for employees, excluding overtime and the self-employed. JSA occupation profile.
- SEEK advertised salary band for accountants, approximately $80,000 to $95,000, July 2026. Reflects roles currently advertised rather than the pay of the existing workforce.
- PayScale and Glassdoor self-reported averages, approximately $69,000 to $79,000. Self-reported samples skew toward early-career respondents and include part-time roles, per research/salaries-professions.md.
- Fair Work Ombudsman: qualified accountants are generally award-free professional employees. Clerks Private Sector Award 2020 (MA000002) can cover junior and clerical accounting support roles depending on actual duties.
- Fair Work Ombudsman, National Employment Standards, which apply to all employees regardless of award coverage.
- Australian Taxation Office, Superannuation Guarantee, 12% from 1 July 2025, and individual income tax rates and the 2% Medicare levy for 2026-27.
Take-home figures are calculated live on published ATO rates for 2026-27. The SEEK and aggregator rows use the midpoint of a published range so that an after-tax comparison is possible; treat them as range indicators, not point estimates. The three sources are not directly comparable to one another because each surveys a different population, which is the subject of this page. Last verified 31 July 2026.