What is the average software engineer salary in Australia?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics does not publish a dedicated figure for software engineers. Software engineers are classified under the Professionals occupation, which had average weekly total cash earnings of $2,049.60 for all employees in May 2025 (ABS Employee Earnings and Hours). Full-time professionals typically earn more, but a precise software engineer average is not available from official sources.

How does a software engineer salary compare to the national full-time average?

The national full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings is $2,083.70 ($108,352 per year) as of May 2026 (ABS Average Weekly Earnings). The Professionals average of $2,049.60 per week is slightly below that, but many software engineers earn above the Professionals average, especially in senior roles or in high-paying states like the ACT or Western Australia.

What is the estimated take-home pay for a software engineer earning the national average?

For a salary of $108,352 per year, using 2026–27 tax rates and the 2% Medicare levy, the estimated take-home pay is about $82,500 per year (roughly $6,875 per month). This is a rough estimate; actual take-home depends on deductions, HELP repayments, and other factors.

Software Engineer Salary in Australia: How It Compares to the National Average

Software engineer salary in Australia: where does it sit?

If you are a software engineer in Australia, you might wonder how your pay compares with the national benchmark. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) does not publish a separate figure for software engineers, but the occupation falls under the broad Professionals category. According to the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey for May 2025, the average weekly total cash earnings for all employees in the Professionals occupation was $2,049.60. That is for full-time and part-time workers combined. For full-time professionals, the average is higher, but the ABS does not break that out separately.

The national full-time average as a reference

The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026 reports that full-time adult ordinary time earnings averaged $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year (multiplied by 52). This is the line that Place a salary on the line uses as its reference point. The Professionals average of $2,049.60 is about 1.6% below that national full-time average. However, many software engineers earn above the Professionals average, especially those in senior roles, at large tech companies, or in high-paying regions.

How state averages compare

Software engineer salaries vary by location. The ABS Average Weekly Earnings data for May 2026 gives full-time adult ordinary time earnings by state and territory. Here are the annualised figures (×52):

New South Wales: $109,658
Victoria: $106,137
Queensland: $106,064
South Australia: $102,450
Western Australia: $115,825
Tasmania: $96,008
Northern Territory: $103,173
Australian Capital Territory: $119,090

If you work in the ACT or Western Australia, you are likely to earn above the national average. The States and territories page lets you compare your salary against these benchmarks.

Medians and the minimum wage

It is also useful to know the medians. The ABS Employee Earnings survey (May 2025) reports that the median weekly earnings for all employees was $1,436 ($74,672 per year), and for full-time employees it was $1,887 ($98,124 per year). The full-time median of about $90,532 (on-site notes) is lower than the average, reflecting that higher earners pull the average up.

At the bottom end, the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week on a 38-hour week, which works out to about $52,255 per year. Award minimums rose by 4.75% in the 2026 Annual Wage Review. Most software engineers earn well above the minimum, but those on entry-level or trainee roles might be covered by an award. Fair Work’s Modern Awards Pay Database contains the minimum rates for classifications in the IT industry, but the exact rates depend on the award and classification level.

A take-home pay sketch

Using the national full-time average of $108,352 as a hypothetical software engineer salary, here is a rough take-home calculation for the 2026–27 financial year:

Taxable income: $108,352
Tax on $18,200: $0
Tax on next $26,800 (15%): $4,020
Tax on next $90,000 (30%): $27,000 (but only $63,352 falls in this bracket after the first $45,000? Let’s recalc properly.)

Better to use the brackets: nil up to $18,200; 15% from $18,201 to $45,000; 30% from $45,001 to $135,000; 37% from $135,001 to $190,000; 45% above $190,000. For $108,352:

$0 on first $18,200
15% on $26,800 ($45,000 - $18,200) = $4,020
30% on $63,352 ($108,352 - $45,000) = $19,005.60
Total tax = $23,025.60
Medicare levy (2%) = $2,167.04
Total deductions = $25,192.64
Take-home pay ≈ $83,159 per year (about $6,927 per month).

This is a rough estimate. Actual take-home can be lower if you have a HELP debt (an extra 2% to 4% repayment) or other deductions. You can Place a salary on the line to see your own comparison.

Where to find more detail

For a deeper look at how different occupations compare, the Job medians page shows median earnings for various roles. The ABS does not list software engineer separately, but you can see the Professionals as a proxy. The Industry medians also give industry-level averages, such as Information Media and Telecommunications or Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

Final note

Because the ABS does not publish a specific software engineer salary, the best official proxy is the Professionals average of $2,049.60 per week. If you earn around that or above, you are in line with or ahead of the national full-time average. Use the tools on this site to see exactly where your salary sits on the line.