Software Engineer Salary Australia: Beyond the National Average
If you search for a software engineer salary in Australia, you won’t find a single official figure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publishes broad occupation groups, not individual job titles. The closest category, Professionals, had average weekly total cash earnings of $2,049.60 in May 2025 – about $106,579 a year. But software engineers often earn more, and where you live and how you are paid can push that number well above or below the national line.
The National Line: Full-Time Average and Medians
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026 gives the national full-time adult ordinary-time average at $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 a year. That is the line this site uses. The full-time median is lower at about $90,532, and the all-employees median is about $74,100 (ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025). These figures cover all occupations and industries, so a software engineer’s pay is usually above the median but may sit above or below the average depending on experience and location.
State Differences: Where You Work Matters
State full-time averages vary significantly. The Australian Capital Territory leads at about $119,090 a year, followed by Western Australia at $115,825. New South Wales is $109,658, Victoria $106,137, and Queensland $106,064. South Australia ($102,450), the Northern Territory ($103,173), and Tasmania ($96,008) trail. These are averages across all full-time workers, not just software engineers, but they reflect local labour market conditions. A software engineer in Sydney or Canberra is likely to earn more than one in Hobart, partly because of demand and cost of living.
States and territories shows how each state’s full-time average compares to the national line.
Method of Setting Pay: Individual Arrangements Dominate
The ABS Employee Earnings survey breaks down earnings by how pay is set. For all employees, those on individual arrangements earned an average of $1,876.50 per week in May 2025, while those on collective agreements earned $1,746.10 and award-only workers earned just $922.20. Software engineers are almost always on individual contracts or enterprise agreements, not awards. That puts them in the highest-earning category. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour ($52,255 a year on 38 hours), but it has little relevance to software engineers, who earn multiples of that.
The Professionals Category: A Proxy for Software Engineers
Because the ABS does not break out software engineers separately, the Professionals group is the best available proxy. In May 2025, Professionals had average weekly total cash earnings of $2,049.60, with average hourly earnings of $64.50. That annualises to about $106,579 – slightly below the national full-time average of $108,352. But remember: Professionals includes many roles (doctors, lawyers, teachers) that pull the average down. Software engineers, especially senior ones, often earn above $120,000. The ATO publishes taxable income data by occupation, but that is not included in this search.
Place a salary on the line to see how your pay compares to the national full-time average.
Why Awards Don’t Move the Needle for Software Engineers
Award coverage is low among software engineers. The Fair Work Commission increased award minimums by 4.75% from 1 July 2026, but that affects hospitality, retail, and other award-reliant industries. Software engineers are typically covered by individual contracts or enterprise agreements negotiated at the company level. Their salaries are driven by market demand, skills shortages, and company size, not by award rates. The national minimum wage increase of 4.75% (to $26.44 per hour) is irrelevant for this profession.
Putting It All Together
A software engineer salary in Australia is not a fixed number. It depends on state, experience, industry, and how pay is set. The national full-time average of $108,352 is a useful benchmark, but many software engineers will be above it, especially in the ACT, NSW, or WA. The Professionals average of $106,579 is a closer guide, but still a broad average. To see where a specific salary sits, you can use the line tool on this site, which compares any yearly figure to the ABS national full-time average.
How the figures are set explains the sources and methodology behind the averages and medians.
Key Takeaways
- The ABS does not publish a separate software engineer salary; use Professionals ($106,579 a year average) as a proxy.
- State full-time averages range from $96,008 (Tasmania) to $119,090 (ACT).
- Software engineers are almost always on individual arrangements, which pay more than awards or collective agreements.
- The national minimum wage and award increases have little effect on software engineer pay.
- The national full-time average of $108,352 is the line this site uses for comparison.