How a financial accountant salary compares with the national line
A financial accountant's pay is influenced by the same forces that move any professional salary: the state you work in, the type of employer, and whether you are covered by an award, a collective agreement, or an individual contract. The national full-time adult ordinary-time average, as measured by the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026, sits at $2,083.70 a week – about $108,352 a year on a 38-hour week. That is the line this site draws. But a financial accountant's typical pay often sits a little below that line, because the average is pulled up by very high earners in management and finance.
Jobs and Skills Australia, using ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours data from May 2025, reports that the median full-time earnings for accountants (the occupation group that includes financial accountants) is $2,003 per week, or roughly $104,156 a year. That is about $4,200 a year less than the national full-time average. The median hourly earnings for accountants are $53, compared with $47 for all occupations. So while financial accountants earn more than the typical worker, they are not quite at the national full-time average.
Place a salary on the line to see how your own pay compares.
Why state matters
The ABS publishes full-time adult ordinary-time averages for each state and territory. These are the averages for all full-time workers, not just accountants, but they show the broad pattern of where pay is highest and lowest. For May 2026:
- Australian Capital Territory: $2,290.20 a week ($119,090 a year)
- Western Australia: $2,227.40 a week ($115,825 a year)
- New South Wales: $2,108.80 a week ($109,658 a year)
- Victoria: $2,041.10 a week ($106,137 a year)
- Queensland: $2,039.70 a week ($106,064 a year)
- Northern Territory: $1,984.10 a week ($103,173 a year)
- South Australia: $1,970.20 a week ($102,450 a year)
- Tasmania: $1,846.30 a week ($96,008 a year)
A financial accountant working in the ACT or WA can expect a higher salary than one in Tasmania or SA, partly because of the cost of living and the mix of industries. The ACT has a large public sector and professional services, while WA's mining and resources sector lifts wages across the board. In Tasmania, the economy is smaller and wages are lower across most occupations.
States and territories has more detail on how each region compares with the national line.
Award, agreement or individual arrangement?
How your pay is set also matters. The ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey for August 2025 shows that for all employees, those on individual arrangements earn the most on average ($1,876.50 a week), followed by collective agreements ($1,746.10) and award-only ($922.20). Financial accountants are typically professionals and are often covered by individual contracts or enterprise agreements, not by awards. However, the Professional Employees Award 2020 does cover some accountants, and its minimum rates rose by 4.75% from 1 July 2026, in line with the Fair Work Commission's annual wage review.
The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week for a 38-hour week – about $52,255 a year. That is the floor, but financial accountants are almost always paid well above it. The median for accountants is more than double that.
Tax and take-home pay
For the 2026–27 financial year, the resident tax rates are:
- Nil on the first $18,200
- 15% on income from $18,201 to $45,000
- 30% on income from $45,001 to $135,000
- 37% on income from $135,001 to $190,000
- 45% on income above $190,000
Plus a 2% Medicare levy (before any reductions). A financial accountant earning the median $104,156 would fall in the 30% bracket, with a marginal rate of 32% including Medicare. The average tax rate would be lower because of the tax-free threshold and lower brackets.
What this means for you
The national full-time average is a useful benchmark, but your own financial accountant salary will depend on your experience, your employer, and where you live. The median figure from Jobs and Skills Australia gives a realistic target for a typical full-time financial accountant. If you are above that, you are doing well; if you are below, it may be time to check whether your state or industry is pulling you down, or whether you are covered by an award that sets lower minimums.
Guides has more on how to negotiate your salary and understand your pay packet.
How the figures are set explains the difference between averages and medians, and why the ABS publishes both.