Home Housekeeper Salary
Housekeeper salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a housekeeper is $64,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,200 since 2018.
- Pay is usually set by an award or a site enterprise agreement rather than negotiated one job at a time, so penalty rates for weekends, public holidays and early starts are where the weekly figure moves most.
- The sector matters as well: hotel, hospital, aged care and private household work sit under different agreements and pay structures.
- Live-in arrangements and contract cleaning for a household are priced differently again, often as an hourly rate plus expenses.
The median salary rose by $13,200 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 housekeeper
The largest typical pay rise is $27,600 a year, moving into Aged Care Worker.
- Aged Care Worker+$27,600/yr
- Disability Support Worker+$27,600/yr
- Hotel Service Manager+$9,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher housekeeper salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time housekeeper salary is $64,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Housekeepers are on the skills shortage list for regional areas, 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 Cleaning and grounds maintenance and Infection control and hygiene tend to command a premium over general housekeeper experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Aged Care Worker pays a typical $27,600 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."
Housekeeper salary questions
How much do housekeepers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a housekeeper is $64,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is housekeeper pay rising or falling?
The median housekeeper salary is up $13,200 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than housekeeper?
Aged Care Worker pays a typical $27,600 a year more and draws on similar skills to housekeeper.
Related salaries
- Aged Care Worker salary
- Disability Support Worker salary
- Assistant in Nursing salary
- Hotel Service Manager salary
- Waiter salary
- Kitchen Hand 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.