Embalmer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an embalmer is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,500 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay depends more on the employer than on the qualification: private funeral companies, hospital mortuaries and public sector facilities each set their own rates, and the large funeral groups generally pay more than small family firms.
- Experience lifts it further, particularly for people who take on after-hours and on-call work or handle complex reconstruction cases.
- Casual and relief positions are common in this field, so it is worth asking whether a role is permanent and how often you would be rostered on call.
The median salary rose by $13,500 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 embalmer
The largest typical pay rise is $5,700 a year, moving into Mortuary Technician.
- Mortuary Technician+$5,700/yr
- Funeral Director+$3,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher embalmer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time embalmer salary is $65,000; 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 Infection control and hygiene and Regulatory compliance tend to command a premium over general embalmer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Mortuary Technician pays a typical $5,700 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."
Embalmer salary questions
How much do embalmers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an embalmer is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is embalmer pay rising or falling?
The median embalmer salary is up $13,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than embalmer?
Mortuary Technician pays a typical $5,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to embalmer.
Related salaries
- Funeral Director salary
- Mortuary Technician salary
- Beauty Therapist salary
- Body Piercer salary
- Aromatherapist salary
- Eyelash Technician 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.