Roof plumber salary: year, week and hour
If you're looking at a career as a roof plumber or want to know how your pay stacks up, the key figure to know is the median weekly earnings of $1,990, according to Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA). That works out to roughly $103,000 per year before tax, based on a 52-week year. But how does that compare to the national average, award minimums, and what does it look like as an hourly rate?
Reading the same pay as a year, a week and an hour
Let's break down the roof plumber salary into the three formats our site uses: yearly, weekly and hourly.
- Yearly: $103,000 (median, full-time)
- Weekly: $1,990
- Hourly: About $52.37 (based on a 38-hour week)
This hourly figure is well above the national minimum wage of $26.44 per hour (from 1 July 2026) and also above the typical award rate for a Level 3 building and construction worker, which is around $30.96 per hour for ordinary time. The difference reflects the specialised skills and demand for roof plumbers.
How the roof plumber median compares to the national full-time average
The national full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings, as measured by the ABS in May 2026, is $2,083.70 per week – that's about $108,352 per year. The roof plumber median of $1,990 per week is about $94 less per week, or roughly 4.5% below the national average. This puts roof plumbers slightly below the typical Australian full-time worker, but still well above the all-employees median of about $74,100 per year (which includes part-time and casual workers).
For context, the full-time median across all occupations is about $90,532 per year, so roof plumbers earn about $12,500 more than that. It's a solid middle-income trade.
Award minimums and the Building and Construction award
Roof plumbers are typically covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award. The award sets minimum hourly rates for different classifications. For example, a Level 3 employee (which includes roof tilers and fixers) earns $30.96 per hour for ordinary time, or about $1,176.48 per week for a 38-hour week. However, roof plumbers may be classified at a higher level (e.g., Level 4 or 5) depending on their skills and the work they do, which would increase the minimum. The award also provides for penalty rates, overtime, and allowances that can significantly boost actual earnings.
It's important to note that the JSA median of $1,990 per week is a market rate, not a minimum. Many roof plumbers earn above the award, especially those with experience, specialised skills, or working in high-demand regions.
State-by-state variations
Earnings for roof plumbers vary across Australia, just like the national averages. The ABS provides full-time average weekly earnings by state (for all occupations), which gives a sense of regional pay levels:
- New South Wales: $2,109/week ($109,658/year)
- Victoria: $2,041/week ($106,137/year)
- Queensland: $2,040/week ($106,064/year)
- South Australia: $1,970/week ($102,450/year)
- Western Australia: $2,227/week ($115,825/year)
- Tasmania: $1,846/week ($96,008/year)
- Northern Territory: $1,984/week ($103,173/year)
- Australian Capital Territory: $2,290/week ($119,090/year)
Roof plumbers in Western Australia and the ACT may earn above the national median, while those in Tasmania and South Australia may earn less. The JSA data doesn't break down roof plumber pay by state, but the general pattern likely holds.
Where to find more information
If you want to see how your own salary compares, you can place a salary on the line to see where it sits relative to the national average. For a broader view of how different trades stack up, check our job medians page. And if you're curious about how these figures are calculated, read our guide on how the figures are set.
The bottom line
The roof plumber salary in Australia sits at a median of about $103,000 per year – a solid trade income that's slightly below the national full-time average but above the all-employees median. With the occupation in national shortage, there may be opportunities for higher earnings through overtime, specialised work, or moving to higher-paying states.