NRL referee salary and the national full-time average
If you are wondering where the NRL referee salary sits against the Australian full-time average, the short answer is that no official figure is published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Fair Work, or the Australian Tax Office (ATO). The NRL is a private sporting organisation and does not disclose referee pay rates in government surveys or awards. However, you can use the national full-time average as a benchmark to understand where such a role might fall.
The national full-time average
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026 reports that full-time adult ordinary time earnings (seasonally adjusted) are $2,083.70 per week. Multiplied by 52 weeks, that is about $108,352 per year. This is the figure used by Place a salary on the line as the reference line. It represents the average across all industries and occupations for full-time employees.
For context, the median full-time weekly earnings (from the ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025) are $1,741 per week, or about $90,532 per year. The median for all employees (including part-time) is $1,425 per week, about $74,100 per year. These medians are lower than the average because the average is pulled up by higher earners.
How the NRL referee salary might compare
While we cannot give a precise NRL referee salary, we can note that professional sports officials in Australia are typically paid well above the national average. The NRL referees are employed by the NRL and are likely covered by a collective agreement or individual contracts. Their pay would reflect the specialised skills, physical demands, and public scrutiny of the role. Without official data, any specific figure would be speculation.
If you are an NRL referee or considering the role, you can use the Place a salary on the line tool to see how your actual salary compares to the national full-time average. The tool shows your weekly and hourly equivalents (based on a 38-hour week) and the distance from the $2,083.70 weekly line.
State and territory averages
Full-time average earnings vary across Australia. The ABS data for May 2026 shows the following state full-time ordinary time averages (annualised):
- New South Wales: $2,108.80 per week (~$109,658 per year)
- Victoria: $2,041.10 per week (~$106,137 per year)
- Queensland: $2,039.70 per week (~$106,064 per year)
- South Australia: $1,970.20 per week (~$102,450 per year)
- Western Australia: $2,227.40 per week (~$115,825 per year)
- Tasmania: $1,846.30 per week (~$96,008 per year)
- Northern Territory: $1,984.10 per week (~$103,173 per year)
- Australian Capital Territory: $2,290.20 per week (~$119,090 per year)
If an NRL referee is based in Sydney (NSW) or Brisbane (Queensland), the local average is slightly above or near the national figure. For more detail, see States and territories.
Minimum wage and award rates
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 (Fair Work). This is the floor for employees not covered by an award. NRL referees are not covered by a modern award; they are likely on individual contracts. The Fair Work Commission’s 2026 annual wage review increased award minimums by 4.75%, but that does not directly apply to NRL referees.
A resident take-home sketch
If an NRL referee earned exactly the national full-time average of $108,352 per year, their 2026–27 resident tax would be:
- $0 on the first $18,200
- 15% on the next $26,800 (to $45,000) = $4,020
- 30% on the next $63,352 (to $108,352) = $19,005.60
- Plus 2% Medicare levy = $2,167.04
- Total tax and Medicare: approximately $25,192.64
- Take-home pay: about $83,159.36 per year, or $1,599.22 per week.
This is a rough estimate. Actual tax depends on deductions, offsets, and whether the referee has private health insurance (which may reduce the Medicare levy surcharge). The ATO provides the tax brackets; the Medicare levy is 2% for most residents.
Where to find more information
For official earnings data, refer to the ABS Average Weekly Earnings and Employee Earnings releases. For minimum wage and award information, see Fair Work. For tax rates, the ATO publishes annual tables. This site provides a simple way to Place a salary on the line and compare it to the national average. You can also explore Job medians and Industry medians for more context.
Summary
The NRL referee salary is not publicly available from official Australian sources. The best benchmark is the national full-time average of $108,352 per year. If you have a specific salary figure, use the tool on this site to see where it sits relative to the line. Remember that averages and medians are different: the average is higher than the median for full-time workers. The minimum wage is much lower, at about $52,255 per year. For more guidance, see Guides and How the figures are set.