Home Solar Installer Salary
Solar Installer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a solar installer is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,600 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay depends on the licence you hold and how you are engaged.
- Installers on a company payroll are usually covered by the electrical or construction award, with penalty rates for weekend and after-hours jobs and allowances for travel and working at heights, while many experienced installers subcontract and are paid per installation, so income moves with the number of jobs they get through.
- Accreditation for battery storage and larger commercial systems opens up work that carries more responsibility.
The median salary rose by $13,600 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 solar installer
The largest typical pay rise is $77,000 a year, moving into Powerline Worker.
- Powerline Worker+$77,000/yr
- Electrician+$48,900/yr
- Cable Jointer+$36,400/yr
How to negotiate a higher solar installer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time solar installer salary is $65,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Solar Installers 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 Installation and maintenance and Worksite safety management tend to command a premium over general solar installer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Powerline Worker pays a typical $77,000 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."
Solar Installer salary questions
How much do solar installers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a solar installer is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is solar installer pay rising or falling?
The median solar installer salary is up $13,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than solar installer?
Powerline Worker pays a typical $77,000 a year more and draws on similar skills to solar installer.
Related salaries
- Electrician salary
- Powerline Worker salary
- Cable Jointer salary
- Electrical Fitter salary
- Data Cabler salary
- Electrical Trades Assistant 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.