Carpenter Salary and Take-Home Pay in Australia
See what carpenters earn in Australia, from the general labourer floor through to a qualified tradesperson, and what that really pays after income tax, the 2% Medicare levy and 12% super for the 2026-27 financial year. Enter your own salary or subcontract rate to see your exact take-home.
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 |
Carpenter Pay and Take-Home, 2026-27
Award floors from the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (MA000020), CW1 to CW4, and the typical carpenter median from the ABS, with income tax and the 2% Medicare levy for an Australian resident. Super is paid on top and is not counted in take-home.
| Carpenter pay level | Annual salary | Income tax | Medicare levy | Take-home pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General labourer, CW1(a) Construction Award floor, $1,067.22/week | $55,495 | $7,001 | $1,110 | $47,384 |
| Competent worker, CW2 Construction Award floor, $1,141.22/week | $59,343 | $8,213 | $1,187 | $49,943 |
| Carpenter and joiner, CW3 (qualified) Construction Award floor, $1,202.08/week | $62,508 | $9,210 | $1,250 | $52,048 |
| Qualified tradesperson, CW4 Construction Award floor, $1,218.01/week | $63,337 | $9,471 | $1,267 | $52,599 |
| Carpenter, typical (ABS / JSA) Median full-time, $1,760/week | $91,520 | $17,976 | $1,830 | $71,714 |
Australian resident, super paid on top of salary, no HECS-HELP debt, private hospital cover assumed so no Medicare levy surcharge. Award rates operative from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 (Construction Award MA000020, pay guide published 2 July 2026). Median from ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (May 2025) via Jobs and Skills Australia. Sources: Fair Work Ombudsman; ABS; Australian Taxation Office.
Award Floor vs What Carpenters Actually Earn
The Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (MA000020) sets the legal minimum for a qualified carpenter and joiner at CW3, $1,202.08 a week, about $62,508 a year, operative from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
Almost nobody in the trade is actually paid the bare award. The ABS/JSA representative median sits at $91,520, a gap of about $29,012 above the CW3 floor. Enterprise agreements, site conditions, overtime and a self-employed carpenter's own subcontracting margin all sit on top of the award, and most working carpenters see one or more of them.
Whatever your actual pay is built from, award wage, agreement or subcontract rate, the tax works the same way. Enter it in the salary calculator, or read marginal vs average tax rate to see why the gap between those two rates matters.
Take-Home on $91,520
Self-Employment and Contracting
A large share of carpentry work is not paid as a wage at all.
Carpentry has a high rate of self-employment, particularly in residential framing, decking, fit-out and renovation work. A carpenter in this position typically subcontracts to a builder or head contractor on a per-job or per-house basis, invoicing for the work rather than being paid a wage under MA000020, which covers employees only.
That distinction matters more than it looks. A subcontract quote is a business figure, before the carpenter's own tools, vehicle, insurance and GST are deducted, and before they pay their own tax as a sole trader rather than having PAYG withheld. It is not the same number as an equivalent award wage or salary, and comparing the two directly overstates what a subcontract rate is actually worth in the hand.
If you are weighing up a subcontract rate against an employee wage for similar carpentry work, run both through the contractor vs employee calculator, which puts them on the same basis. If you already have an ABN day rate or job price and want to know what it is worth after tax as a sole trader, the contractor pay calculator converts it to a comparable take-home figure.
Overtime, Penalty Rates and Allowances
Base award pay is rarely the whole story on a construction site.
Casual carpenters receive a 25% loading on top of the base hourly rate, the standard casual loading applied across modern awards, paid instead of paid leave, notice and redundancy entitlements. Saturday, Sunday and public holiday work commonly attracts a penalty rate on top of the base under MA000020, and overtime beyond ordinary hours is paid at a higher multiple again. This research did not itemise the exact overtime and penalty multiples specific to MA000020, so treat any general figure as indicative and check the current pay guide or your enterprise agreement for the exact rate that applies to your shift.
The award also provides for tool allowances on some classifications, since tradespeople on site typically supply their own tools. This research could not confirm a current, specific tool allowance figure for the carpentry classification, so check the current MA000020 pay guide or your enterprise agreement rather than assuming a fixed amount. Work out what your own overtime or penalty hours actually add with the overtime calculator, or see the full loading on a casual rate with the casual loading calculator.
Common Mistakes With Carpenter Pay
Where people misjudge what a carpenter's pay is actually worth.
Quoting the award as the market rate
The CW3 award floor is $62,508 a year. The ABS/JSA median is $91,520. Compare an offer to the median, not the bare award.
Treating "CW3" as a carpenter-specific rate
CW3 also covers bricklayers, plasterers, tilelayers and stonemasons. A payslip showing that code does not tell you which trade it is paying.
Comparing a subcontract quote to a wage
A subcontract job price is a business figure before expenses, insurance and GST. It is not directly comparable to an award wage or salary without adjusting for those costs.
Assuming a fixed tool allowance
MA000020 provides for tool allowances on some classifications, but this research could not confirm a specific carpentry figure. Check the current pay guide.
Forgetting the HECS-HELP step
A carpenter income at or above the median sits above the 2026-27 repayment threshold, so a study loan takes a further slice from every pay. The HECS-HELP repayment calculator shows how much.
Budgeting on the marginal rate
At $91,520 the marginal rate is 30%, but the average rate is 21.6%. People quote the first and budget with the second.
Carpenter Pay FAQ
Common questions about carpenter salaries and take-home pay in Australia.
Sources
The documents behind every figure on this page.
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Carpenters and Joiners (3312) occupation profile, sourced from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (May 2025): representative full-time median $1,760/week, about $91,520 a year.
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (MA000020) pay guide, published 2 July 2026: CW1(a) $1,067.22/week, CW2 $1,141.22/week, CW3 (carpenter and joiner) $1,202.08/week ($31.63/hour), CW4 $1,218.01/week. Rates reflect the Annual Wage Review 2026 (4.75%), operative from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- SEEK Career Advice, Carpenter salary page (accessed 19 July 2026): indicative advertised band roughly $65,000 to $150,000 (SEEK band about $80,000 to $90,000), used as a cross-check only.
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 (MA000025), for the award-sharing comparison.
- Australian Taxation Office, individual income tax rates and the 2% Medicare levy for 2026-27, including the 15% first marginal rate.
Take-home figures are calculated live on published ATO rates for 2026-27. Award and median figures are gross and exclude the 12% super paid on top. Awards set a floor; many carpenters are paid above them through an enterprise agreement or their own subcontract rate. Last verified 30 July 2026.