Income · ATO 2023–24
Income by specialty
Why this matters. The tax office publishes an average and a median taxable income for an occupation. Those figures are for the year on the table, not this year’s contract. They are not split into public and private work.
Taxable income from the tax office, not a salary and not a public award. Average, median and how many people lodged. The mix tag is our label, not an ATO split. Intern / registrar award base by state →
34 rows. Click a specialty. ATO ATO Taxation statistics 2023–24, Individuals Table 15A, taxable income, Total, by occupation (ANZSCO 6-digit). Returns processed by 31 Oct 2025.
| Specialty | Mix | Group | Subspecialty | Average2023–24 | Median2023–24 | Taxpayers | Avg − median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Neurosurgery ATO 253513 | Mixed | Surgery | Cranial & spinal | $678,611 | $537,049 | 176 | $141,562 |
2Plastic & reconstructive ATO 253517 | Private | Surgery | Incl. cosmetic | $660,492 | $525,793 | 352 | $134,699 |
3Ophthalmology ATO 253914 | Private | Surgery | Cataract / retina / glaucoma | $655,245 | $497,095 | 618 | $158,150 |
4ENT / OHNS ATO 253515 | Private | Surgery | Otolaryngology | $631,559 | $539,017 | 133 | $92,542 |
5Cardiothoracic surgery ATO 253512 | Mixed | Surgery | Cardiac & thoracic | $607,511 | $425,275 | 143 | $182,236 |
6Urology ATO 253518 | Private | Surgery | Oncology / stones / robotics | $586,462 | $526,801 | 340 | $59,661 |
7Vascular surgery ATO 253521 | Mixed | Surgery | Open & endovascular | $574,393 | $504,690 | 146 | $69,703 |
8Orthopaedic surgery ATO 253514 | Private | Surgery | Arthroplasty / spine / sports | $554,839 | $434,435 | 981 | $120,404 |
9Cardiology ATO 253312 | Private | Physician | Interventional / EP / imaging | $552,812 | $490,520 | 1,065 | $62,292 |
10Radiology ATO 253917 | Private | Imaging | Diagnostic & interventional | $500,262 | $430,250 | 2,525 | $70,012 |
11Gastroenterology ATO 253316 | Private | Physician | Endoscopy / IBD / hepatology | $490,488 | $448,402 | 589 | $42,086 |
12Anaesthesia ATO 253211 | Mixed | Critical care | OT / pain / ICU cross-cover | $475,455 | $457,287 | 3,735 | $18,168 |
13General surgery ATO 253511 | Mixed | Surgery | Colorectal / breast / upper GI / bariatric | $438,505 | $335,144 | 1,900 | $103,361 |
14Gynaecologist (ATO 253913) — includes obstetricians ATO 253913 | Mixed | O&G | Obstetrics / gynae oncology / fertility | $436,019 | $358,017 | 1,448 | $78,002 |
15Radiation oncology ATO 253918 | Mixed | Imaging | Linear accelerator | $412,937 | $347,443 | 614 | $65,494 |
16Intensive care ATO 253317 | Public | Critical care | Adult ICU | $387,254 | $354,689 | 740 | $32,565 |
17Paediatric surgery ATO 253516 | Public | Surgery | General paediatric | $386,014 | $328,980 | 109 | $57,034 |
18Medical oncology ATO 253314 | Mixed | Physician | Systemic therapy | $366,096 | $335,811 | 600 | $30,285 |
19Nephrology ATO 253322 | Mixed | Physician | Dialysis / transplant | $352,110 | $325,260 | 223 | $26,850 |
20Respiratory ATO 253324 | Mixed | Physician | Sleep / ILD / interventional | $350,907 | $345,444 | 144 | $5,463 |
21Emergency medicine ATO 253912 | Public | Critical care | FACEM | $347,306 | $344,198 | 2,270 | $3,108 |
22Neurology ATO 253318 | Mixed | Physician | Stroke / epilepsy / NCS | $343,525 | $320,990 | 536 | $22,535 |
23Specialist physician — other ATO 253399 | Mixed | Physician | ID / immuno / geriatrics / palliative / rehab | $343,479 | $304,555 | 1,975 | $38,924 |
24General medicine ATO 253311 | Public | Physician | Acute / peri-operative | $342,444 | $309,588 | 2,012 | $32,856 |
25Dermatology ATO 253911 | Private | Physician | Medical / surgical / cosmetic | $330,967 | $234,005 | 525 | $96,962 |
26Haematology ATO 253313 | Mixed | Physician | Malignant / clotting | $321,156 | $294,518 | 422 | $26,638 |
27Psychiatry ATO 253411 | Mixed | Psychiatry | Adult / child / addictions | $305,282 | $276,453 | 3,335 | $28,829 |
28Endocrinology ATO 253315 | Mixed | Physician | Diabetes / thyroid / bone | $298,077 | $261,407 | 461 | $36,670 |
29Paediatrics ATO 253321 | Public | Physician | General / neonatology / subspecialty | $286,020 | $263,420 | 1,927 | $22,600 |
30Rheumatology ATO 253323 | Mixed | Physician | Inflammatory / procedures | $282,868 | $255,365 | 202 | $27,503 |
31Medical practitioner — other ATO 253999 | Mixed | Other | Sports / occ med / admin / mixed | $226,423 | $163,920 | 21,338 | $62,503 |
32Pathology ATO 253915 | Mixed | Pathology | Anatomical / chemical / micro / haem | $205,492 | $81,090 | 2,749 | $124,402 |
33General practice ATO 253111 | Private | GP | Non-procedural / skin / obstetrics | $196,060 | $156,733 | 27,776 | $39,327 |
34Resident medical officer ATO 253112 | Public | Junior | Intern / RMO / registrar | $140,129 | $123,992 | 21,380 | $16,137 |
ATO Taxation statistics 2023–24, Individuals Table 15A, taxable income, Total, by occupation (ANZSCO 6-digit). Returns processed by 31 Oct 2025. Table 15 XLSX ↗
Next: Income tax calculator — Run that median through this year’s tax.
What doctors often miss
The average and median are taxable income for 2023–24, from the ATO occupation table. They are not this year’s salary, and they are not split into public and private.
Included / Not included
Included
- ATO taxation statistics, individuals Table 15A, average and median taxable income by occupation ↗ · 2023–24 income year
Not included
- Percentiles. They are not in that table
- A split of public and private income
- This year’s income. The table is the year on the card
- Tax. The links open the tax tool. They are not part of this table
- Fees, insurance, stamp duty, brokerage and inflation. The table is taxable income
Assumptions you can edit are the inputs on this page. This is a model, not a prediction, a tax assessment, or a recommendation.
A rough figure — not advice. Terms
Also
This month
What's left this month
Median pay, then what’s left after rent or a mortgage.
Jobs · 9 Oct 2026
Jobs
Current ads in that specialty.
Public hospital · 2026–27
Salary packaging
A public staff-specialist band versus a private mix.
Pay · Sep 2026
Award pay by state
Junior award pay is a different list from taxable income.
Advertisement — labelled, never inside the number.