Understanding EML Salary Packaging and the National Average
What is EML Salary Packaging?
EML (Employers Mutual Limited) is a major Australian provider of workers’ compensation and injury management services. Salary packaging is a common employee benefit that allows you to exchange part of your pre-tax salary for certain goods or services, such as a car (via a novated lease), additional superannuation contributions, or other approved fringe benefits. The key effect is that your taxable income is reduced, which can lower the amount of tax you pay and increase your net (take-home) pay.
Salary packaging does not change your gross salary—the figure your employer reports to the ATO and that appears on your payslip before any deductions. That gross figure is what the Average line site uses to compare your pay against the national full-time average. So whether you package $5,000 or $15,000 of your salary, your gross annual salary remains the same for the purpose of this comparison.
How Salary Packaging Affects Your Pay Position
The national full-time adult ordinary-time average, as published by the ABS in its Average Weekly Earnings series for May 2026, is $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year (multiplied by 52). This is the line on the site. The full-time median (from ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025) is about $90,532, and the all-employees median is about $74,100. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, or about $52,255 per year on a 38-hour week.
When you enter your gross salary into the site’s tool, it shows your weekly and hourly equivalents (based on a 38-hour week) and how far you are from the full-time average. Salary packaging does not alter that gross entry. However, it can affect your perception of where you sit: a packaged salary may feel more comfortable because you keep more of what you earn, but the benchmark remains the gross figure.
Where Does an EML Salary Sit Against the Average?
EML does not publicly disclose the typical salaries of its employees. Without a published figure, we cannot say definitively whether an EML employee’s pay is above or below the national full-time average. However, we can look at the industry context. EML operates in the insurance and workers’ compensation sector. The site’s Industry medians page may provide a median for the insurance industry, but that data is not reproduced here. If you are an EML employee, you can compare your own gross salary using the tool.
As a general guide, if your gross salary is above $108,352, you are above the national full-time average. If it is between $90,532 and $108,352, you are above the full-time median but below the average. If it is below $90,532, you are below both the average and the median. Remember that salary packaging does not change these thresholds.
Factors That Move Pay Above or Below the Line
Several factors can push an EML employee’s gross salary above or below the national average:
- Role and seniority: Executive and specialist roles (e.g., claims managers, underwriters) typically pay more than entry-level or administrative positions. The site’s Job medians page can help you see where specific roles sit.
- Location: State averages vary. For example, the full-time average in New South Wales is about $109,658; in Victoria about $106,137; in Queensland about $106,064; in South Australia about $102,450; in Western Australia about $115,825; in Tasmania about $96,008; in the Northern Territory about $103,173; and in the Australian Capital Territory about $119,090. If you work in a higher-paying state like the ACT or WA, your salary may be more likely to exceed the national average.
- Experience and qualifications: More experienced employees or those with professional certifications often earn more.
- Industry: The insurance industry may have its own median, which you can explore on the Industry medians page. If EML’s pay is typical of the industry, that median could be a useful benchmark.
- Salary packaging itself: While packaging does not change gross pay, it can influence your net income. A well-packaged salary can effectively increase your disposable income, making a below-average gross salary feel closer to average after tax.
Using the Site to Place Your Salary on the Line
If you are an EML employee (or considering a role there), you can use the site’s tool to see where your gross salary stands. Simply enter your annual salary before tax into Place a salary on the line. The tool will calculate your weekly and hourly rates on a 38-hour week and show the distance from the national full-time average. You can also compare your salary to state averages or medians using the States and territories page.
Remember that the figures on this site are based on official ABS, Fair Work, and ATO data. The national full-time average is updated twice a year (May and November). The medians are from August 2025, and the minimum wage is from 1 July 2026. For more details on how these figures are set, see How the figures are set.
The Bottom Line
EML salary packaging is a benefit that can improve your net pay, but it does not change the gross salary that determines your position relative to the national full-time average. Without a published EML salary figure, we cannot say where the typical employee sits. However, by considering your role, location, and industry, you can get a good sense of whether your pay is above or below the line. Use the site’s tools to find out exactly where you stand.