Doula salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a doula is $54,600 per annum, before tax, up $11,500 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Most doulas are self-employed and charge a package fee per birth, so yearly income depends on how many clients you take on and what you charge each one.
- A smaller number work for wages in community health, Aboriginal health services or hospital programs, where the hours and income are steadier.
- Prenatal visits, travel and the weeks you spend on call are rarely billed separately, which shapes what a full-time year actually looks like.
The median salary rose by $11,500 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 doula
The largest typical pay rise is $23,400 a year, moving into Art Therapist.
- Art Therapist+$23,400/yr
- Nutritionist+$20,800/yr
- Hypnotherapist+$7,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher doula salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time doula salary is $54,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Care planning and coordination and Counselling and support work tend to command a premium over general doula experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Art Therapist pays a typical $23,400 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."
Doula salary questions
How much do doulas earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a doula is $54,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is doula pay rising or falling?
The median doula salary is up $11,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than doula?
Art Therapist pays a typical $23,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to doula.
Related salaries
- Hypnotherapist salary
- Reflexologist salary
- Naturopath salary
- Art Therapist salary
- Nutritionist salary
- Disability Support Worker salary
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.