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Personal Trainer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a personal trainer is $78,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,600 since 2018.
- Most trainers are paid per session, so your income follows the hours you actually fill.
- If you work as a contractor in a gym, find out who takes what from each session fee, whether you rent floor space or pay a percentage, and whether super, insurance and public liability cover come out of your share.
- When you are shown a figure, ask whether it is an employee rate or a contractor's share of an established client book.
The median salary rose by $16,600 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 personal trainer
The largest typical pay rise is $18,100 a year, moving into Exercise Physiologist.
- Exercise Physiologist+$18,100/yr
- Strength and Conditioning Coach+$12,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher personal trainer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time personal trainer salary is $78,000; 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 Fitness coaching and instruction and Health education and advice tend to command a premium over general personal trainer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Exercise Physiologist pays a typical $18,100 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."
Personal Trainer salary questions
How much do personal trainers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a personal trainer is $78,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is personal trainer pay rising or falling?
The median personal trainer salary is up $16,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than personal trainer?
Exercise Physiologist pays a typical $18,100 a year more and draws on similar skills to personal trainer.
Related salaries
- Gym Manager salary
- Strength and Conditioning Coach salary
- Sports Coach salary
- Exercise Physiologist salary
- Pilates Instructor salary
- Fitness Instructor 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.