Occupational Therapist Salary in Australia (2026)
Salary is one of the first things most OTs look at when they read a job ad, and it can be surprisingly hard to find a reliable answer. Pay changes with the state, the setting and the number of years you have been practising, and many of the figures online are averages that hide as much as they show.
The good news is that there is now a reasonable amount of public information to work from. In this post I have pulled together two sources, explained why they do not match, and set out a few questions that help when you are comparing offers.
What advertised jobs show
SEEK's salary page for occupational therapists gives an average of between $90,000 and $100,000 (as at September 2026). It is built from job ads where the employer has stated the pay, so it shows what is being offered rather than what people end up earning. SEEK also notes that some advertised figures include superannuation and others do not.
By industry, the averages on that page were:
- • Government and Defence: $93,872
- • Healthcare and Medical: $87,229
- • Community Services and Development: $85,850
The highest-paying regions were all regional or remote. Far West and North Central NSW averaged $118,790, Katherine and Northern Australia $115,990, and Mildura and Murray $112,500. Alice Springs and Central Australia ($110,800) and Broome and Kimberley ($107,500) completed the top five.
What a salary guide shows
The Healthcare Australia 2026 Salary Guide, published in April 2026, breaks pay down by experience. It lists $74,000 to $80,000 for graduate OTs and $97,000 to $125,000 for senior OTs, as annual base rates before superannuation. For senior OTs it puts the ACT and NSW highest at $125,000, in both acute and private practice settings, and Tasmania lowest at $97,000. The guide says its figures come from its own survey data, and I could not check how many OTs that covers.
Why the two do not match
At first glance the SEEK average looks lower than the senior figures in the guide, but that is largely what you would expect. SEEK's page does not split its average by seniority, while the guide's higher range covers senior OTs only. Neither source is the whole picture. Advertised pay is what an employer is offering, and a survey only reflects the people it manages to reach.
Pay in private practice
Many OTs who work in private practice are covered by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award, which sets the minimum an employer can pay. Employers are free to pay more than the award rate. The rates in the award change over time, so it is worth checking the current figures on the Fair Work Ombudsman website rather than relying on a number in any blog post, including this one.
Questions to ask when you are comparing offers
Two jobs with the same headline salary can be worth quite different amounts once everything else is counted, so it helps to ask a few things before you decide.
- • Is the figure a base salary, or does it include superannuation?
- • Is it a full-time rate, and what would it be for the days you actually want to work?
- • Are there extras such as a vehicle allowance, salary packaging or paid time for professional development?
- • Is paid supervision time built into the week?
Location matters too. On the SEEK figures, regional and remote roles sit well above the averages, which may suit you if you are open to moving.
If you are just starting out, my post on graduate occupational therapist salaries goes into more detail on that stage. When you are ready to see what is on offer right now, the Jobs page on OT Jobs Australia lists current roles across the country, and I wish you well with the search.