Home Import Export Clerk Salary
Import Export Clerk salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an import export clerk is $75,400 per annum, before tax, up $16,000 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay rises with experience and with the systems you can run, so clerks fluent in CargoWise One or customs entry software tend to earn more than those doing general documentation.
- Working for a customs brokerage or a large freight forwarder usually pays better than in-house documentation for a single importer, and holding a customs broker licence moves you into a different band again.
- Overtime around vessel schedules can add to earnings in some operations.
The median salary rose by $16,000 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 import export clerk
The largest typical pay rise is $21,400 a year, moving into Customs Officer.
- Customs Officer+$21,400/yr
- Importer and Exporter+$14,600/yr
- Shipping Clerk+$13,400/yr
How to negotiate a higher import export clerk salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time import export clerk salary is $75,400; 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 Regulatory compliance and Operations management tend to command a premium over general import export clerk experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Customs Officer pays a typical $21,400 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."
Import Export Clerk salary questions
How much do import export clerks earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an import export clerk is $75,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is import export clerk pay rising or falling?
The median import export clerk salary is up $16,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than import export clerk?
Customs Officer pays a typical $21,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to import export clerk.
Related salaries
- Customs Officer salary
- Shipping Clerk salary
- Customs Broker salary
- Importer and Exporter salary
- Purchasing Officer salary
- Administration Officer 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.