Home Occupational Therapist Salary
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.
- Full-time pay for occupational therapists is set mostly by the agreement you're employed under.
- Public hospital and health department jobs follow enterprise agreements with defined increments, while private practice and NDIS-funded providers vary more from one employer to the next.
- If you're comparing two private practice jobs, ask how billings are split, whether travel between clients is paid, and whether your professional development allowance sits on top of the salary.
The median salary rose by $21,000 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 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.
Related salaries
- Work Health and Safety Officer salary
- Injury Management Coordinator salary
- Art Therapist salary
- Play Therapist salary
- University Lecturer 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.