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Clinical Psychologist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a clinical psychologist is $101,400 per annum, before tax, up $21,400 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Your income depends on your setting and how you are employed.
- Clinical psychologists in state health services sit on public sector awards, which often include salary packaging and paid supervision time, while those in private practice earn session fees, and the Medicare rebate caps what clients can be charged.
- Ask how much non-billable work, such as reports, phone calls and supervision, the salary covers, because in private practice that time usually comes out of your own evenings.
The median salary rose by $21,400 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than clinical psychologist
The largest typical pay rise is $13,200 a year, moving into Psychologist.
- Psychologist+$13,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher clinical psychologist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time clinical psychologist salary is $101,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Clinical Psychologists are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Clinical assessment and treatment and Counselling and support work tend to command a premium over general clinical psychologist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Psychologist pays a typical $13,200 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Clinical Psychologist salary questions
How much do clinical psychologists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a clinical psychologist is $101,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is clinical psychologist pay rising or falling?
The median clinical psychologist salary is up $21,400 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than clinical psychologist?
Psychologist pays a typical $13,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to clinical psychologist.
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Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.