Home Panel Beater Salary
Panel Beater salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a panel beater is $96,100 per annum, before tax, up $20,300 since 2018.
- Most panel beaters are paid under the vehicle repair industry award or a shop enterprise agreement, so the rate depends heavily on the business you work for.
- Overtime and weekend work lift the annual figure, and shops that specialise in prestige, heavy or fleet vehicles tend to pay above the ordinary crash repair rate.
- If you run your own shop or take contract work, what you earn comes down to the jobs you quote and win.
The median salary rose by $20,300 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 panel beater
The largest typical pay rise is $1,700 a year, moving into Vehicle Spray Painter.
- Vehicle Spray Painter+$1,700/yr
How to negotiate a higher panel beater salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time panel beater salary is $96,100; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Panel Beaters 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 Hand and power tool work and Reading plans and specifications tend to command a premium over general panel beater experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Vehicle Spray Painter pays a typical $1,700 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."
Panel Beater salary questions
How much do panel beaters earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a panel beater is $96,100 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is panel beater pay rising or falling?
The median panel beater salary is up $20,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than panel beater?
Vehicle Spray Painter pays a typical $1,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to panel beater.
Related salaries
- Vehicle Spray Painter salary
- Motor Mechanic salary
- Vehicle Body Builder salary
- Industrial Spray Painter salary
- Auto Electrician salary
- Exhaust Fitter 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.