GP Salary Australia – Find out what your GP income will be

How much do GPs earn in Australia?

You may be thinking about relocating to Australia and want to know more about your GP salary in Australia. We discuss General Practitioner salaries and give you some guidance on what you can expect.

GPs in Australia generally earn a good income and can afford a comfortable lifestyle. In the majority of cases, GPs relocating from the UK earn at least the same for doing less hours per week. One of our doctors has described working in Australia

‘I have found the working conditions, flexibility, capacity for earning and, above all, lifestyle for my family and I to be far superior to my experience in the UK’

Australia GP Salary

Rather than being paid a fixed GP salary, you will earn a percentage of billings.  The income you receive will very much depend on the number of patients you see but also upon the complexity of the consultations.

Factors which will affect your GP salary

  • The percentage of billings you receive
  • The number of hours you work
  • The number of patients you see
  • How many weeks annual leave you take
  • The type of patient you are treating ie which Medicare Billing item number you use

General practices in Australia operate as private businesses, either owned by a single GP, GP Partners or larger companies.

Australia Bulk Billing

A bulk billing clinic is one where the practice bills Medicare for the full payment of the patient consultation. The patient presents a Medicare card and is not required to pay towards the consultation.

Medicare is a public health insurance scheme funded by the Australian Government, which provides all Australians, and those with eligible Medicare cards, with access to free or subsidised healthcare.

 

Private Billing GP Practice

A privately billing GP practice is one where the majority, if not all, patients are billed privately and the patient pays the fee directly to the practice. These practices are more rare as most offer some bulk billing to patients such as young children or health care card holders.

Mixed Billing

This is where the practice accepts bulk billing consultations as above but will also charge patients for consultations. Usually, patients who are under 16, over 65 and hold health cards are bulk billed and everyone else is private billed. The standard consultation fee for the practice will remain the same. The proportion of fully bulk billed patients has fallen from 66% in 2018 to just over 64% in 2022.

Operating as a private business, GPs are free to determine reasonable fees that are reflective of the services they provide. Most GP practices in Australia now offer mixed billing as standard.

GP Percentage of Billings

As a GP you will be offered somewhere in the region of 60 – 70% of the total billings you generate for the practice. The private consultation fee for the practice will remain the same however the bulk billing fee will vary dependent on the type of consultation.  A standard bulk billing consultation is currently $41.20 AUD however any additional treatment you provide above this is charged as an add on. Minor surgery, chronic disease management, dermatology and skin and health assessments will substantially increase the billings you achieve.

If you are working full time and seeing 4-6 patients per hour you can expect to earn a GP salary upwards of $250K AUD per year. The potential income is really high with some of our GPs easily earning between $300 – $400K AUD and upwards.

It can take 3-6 months to build up your patient base and become fully booked. It may be much quicker but practices offer you a minimum guarantee for the first 3 months whilst you build your patient base. This guarantee is usually $120 – $150 per hour.

GPs we’ve placed in Australia find that their GP salary is far higher than what they earn in the UK and have much more control over what they earn.

GP Tax Rate Australia

Working in Australia, you are classed as a resident for tax purposes.

The following rates for 2023 – 2024

Taxable income                      Tax on this income
0 – $18,200                                   Nil
$18,201 – $45,000                      19%
$45,001 – $120,000                    32.5%
$120,001 – $180,000                  37%
$180,001 and over                        45%

Further Reading

GP Tax System in Australia

Is there an Age Limit for GPs?

Useful websites
Medicare
Medicare Benefits Schedule
Australian Tax Office