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Occupational Therapist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an occupational therapist is $99,500 per annum, before tax, up $21,000 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on where the job sits: public hospital and health service roles follow state awards and enterprise agreements with set increments, while private practice and NDIS-funded work varies with caseload and how the practice bills. Senior clinical roles, team leadership and specialisations such as hand therapy or paediatrics tend to attract higher rates, and rural and remote positions often carry allowances or other incentives. Part-time work is common in this field, so a full-time figure is not what every occupational therapist takes home.
Roles that pay more than occupational therapist
The largest typical pay rise is $52,500 a year, moving into University Lecturer.
- University Lecturer+$52,500/yr
- Work Health and Safety Officer+$19,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher occupational therapist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time occupational therapist salary is $99,500; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Occupational Therapists 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 Care planning and coordination tend to command a premium over general occupational therapist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. University Lecturer pays a typical $52,500 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."
Occupational Therapist salary questions
How much do occupational therapists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an occupational therapist is $99,500 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is occupational therapist pay rising or falling?
The median occupational therapist salary is up $21,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than occupational therapist?
University Lecturer pays a typical $52,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to occupational therapist.