How childcare educator pay sits against the national line
The national full-time adult ordinary-time average is $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 a year (ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026). This is the line that Average line uses as a benchmark. For a childcare educator, actual pay can vary widely depending on qualification, employer, and award coverage. Many educators earn below this average, making it a useful reference point for understanding where the role sits in the broader pay landscape.
Reading the same pay as a year, a week and an hour
Average line shows any salary as an annual figure, a weekly figure (based on a 38-hour week), and an hourly rate. This helps you compare roles on the same basis. For example, the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, and about $52,255 per year. The full-time median (from ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025) is about $90,532 per year, or $1,741 per week. A childcare educator's pay can be assessed against these benchmarks.
Award minimums for early childhood teachers
According to the Fair Work Ombudsman's Educational Services (Teachers) Award pay guide, effective from 1 July 2026, teachers in long day care centres have these minimum weekly rates:
- Level 1: $1,513.60 ($39.83 per hour, about $78,707 per year)
- Level 2: $1,654.40 ($43.54 per hour, about $86,029 per year)
- Level 3: $1,801.00 ($47.39 per hour, about $93,652 per year)
- Level 4: $1,947.70 ($51.26 per hour, about $101,280 per year)
- Level 5: $2,094.30 ($55.11 per hour, about $108,904 per year)
Even the top Level 5 rate is only just above the national full-time average of $108,352. Most early childhood teachers are below that line. For teachers in preschools and schools, rates are slightly lower (Level 1 $1,455.40 per week).
Industry and occupation context
The ABS industry data for May 2026 shows average weekly ordinary-time earnings for full-time adults in Education and Training at $2,197.90 (about $114,291 per year) and in Health Care and Social Assistance at $2,037.20 (about $105,934 per year). Childcare services often sit within social assistance. These industry averages include a wide range of roles, so they don't directly represent a childcare educator's typical pay, but they give a sense of the sector.
For a more tailored comparison, you can explore job medians or industry medians on this site. The all-employees median (including part-time and casual) is about $74,100 per year, which many childcare educators may be closer to, especially if working part-time.
State and territory differences
The national average masks significant variation across Australia. The ABS reports state full-time averages (May 2026) that range from $96,008 in Tasmania to $119,090 in the ACT. A childcare educator's pay may also vary by state, especially if state-based awards or enterprise agreements apply. See the states and territories page for more detail.
How the figures are set
The national full-time average comes from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey, released twice a year (May and November). The minimum wage and award rates are set by the Fair Work Commission and updated each July. The 2026 increase was 4.75% for award minimums. The tax rates shown on this site are for 2026–27: nil up to $18,200, then 15%, 30%, 37%, and 45% plus the 2% Medicare levy. How the figures are set explains the sources in more detail.
Putting your salary on the line
If you're a childcare educator, you can enter your annual salary into the tool to see where it sits relative to the national full-time average. The tool will show your weekly and hourly equivalents and the distance from the line. This can help you negotiate or simply understand your position. Place a salary on the line to get started.
Guides and further reading
For more on understanding pay in Australia, including award coverage and how to read salary data, visit the Guides section. The site also has an About this site page that explains the methodology and limitations of the data.