Where the social work salary sits on the line
The national full-time adult ordinary-time average, as measured by the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026, is $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year. That is the line on this site. For social workers, the most current published median full-time weekly earnings is $2,172, based on the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours from May 2025, reported by Jobs and Skills Australia. That median is about $112,944 per year – roughly $4,600 above the national average. So the typical social worker earns above the line.
But the median is not the whole story. The same source shows a median hourly rate of $57 for social workers, compared to $47 for all occupations. Social workers also tend to work slightly fewer hours per week on average (40 hours versus 44 for all occupations), and 84 per cent of social workers are women. The gender pay gap in the profession is narrower than the national gap, but women’s full-time average earnings across all occupations ($100,594 per year) are still below men’s ($113,412).
Award rates set a floor
Many social workers are covered by the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award. Fair Work publishes the award rates, which apply from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026. The award has eight classification levels, each with multiple pay points. The lowest full-time weekly rate is $1,046.90 (Level 1 pay point 1), and the highest is $2,602.75 (Level 8 pay point 1). A typical qualified social worker might be classified at Level 3 or Level 4, where weekly rates range from $1,538.59 to $1,909.51. Those rates are below the national average, but the median social work salary is higher, suggesting many social workers are paid above the award minimum – especially in government roles or through enterprise agreements.
The award also includes penalty rates for Saturday, Sunday, public holidays, and shift work, which can lift weekly earnings for those who work non-standard hours. For example, a Level 3 pay point 1 employee working a Sunday would earn $80.98 per hour, more than double the ordinary rate.
What pushes pay above the average
Social workers in the public sector tend to earn more. The ABS reports that public sector full-time adult average weekly total earnings are $2,331.70, compared to $2,108.10 in the private sector. Public administration and safety, which includes many social work roles, has an average weekly ordinary time earnings of $2,179.80. Health care and social assistance, the broader industry, averages $2,037.20 – slightly below the national average, but still above the all-employees average of $1,579.20.
Experience and specialisation also matter. Social workers in senior or managerial roles (Level 7 or 8 under the award) can earn well above the line. The award’s Level 8 pay point 1 rate of $2,602.75 per week translates to about $135,343 per year, which is above the 30 per cent tax bracket threshold of $135,000. At that level, the marginal tax rate (including Medicare levy) is 39 per cent.
What pulls pay below the average
Part-time work is common in social work – only 68 per cent of social workers work full-time, according to the ABS. Part-time earnings are naturally lower on a weekly basis. Even among full-time workers, those at entry-level award classifications (Level 1 or 2) earn well below the national average. For instance, a Level 2 pay point 1 employee earns $1,376.49 per week, about $71,577 per year – roughly $36,000 below the national full-time average.
Location also plays a role. State full-time averages vary: Tasmania’s average is $96,008 per year, while the Australian Capital Territory’s is $119,090. Social workers in lower-paying states may find their pay closer to or below the national line. The Northern Territory average is $103,173, and South Australia’s is $102,450.
How the figures compare
It is important to keep the different benchmarks distinct. The national full-time average ($2,083.70 per week) is an average of ordinary time earnings for full-time adults. The full-time median for all occupations is about $90,532 per year, and the all-employees median (including part-time) is about $74,100. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, or $52,255 per year on a 38-hour week. Award minimums rose by 4.75 per cent in the latest wage review.
For a social worker earning the median of $2,172 per week, the annual before-tax income is about $112,944. After tax (using 2026–27 rates), that would be roughly $83,000, including the Medicare levy. That is a comfortable income, but it is also close to the threshold where the 30 per cent rate applies up to $135,000.
What this means for your pay
If you are a social worker, your pay relative to the national average depends on your classification, sector, hours, and location. The median suggests most full-time social workers are above the line, but award rates show that many start below it. To see where your own salary sits, you can place a salary on the line and compare it to the national average, state averages, and industry medians. You can also explore job medians for other occupations or industry medians to see how social work compares to similar fields.
A note on the data
The national average used on this site is the ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026, for full-time adult ordinary time earnings. The social work median comes from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, as reported by Jobs and Skills Australia. Award rates are from Fair Work’s pay guide for the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award, effective from 1 December 2026. All figures are before tax. For more detail on how the figures are set, see How the figures are set.