Cardiologist salary: What to expect from a job ad and how to compare offers

Reading a cardiologist job ad

When you see a job advertisement for a cardiologist in Australia, the advertised salary is often expressed as a total package or a base rate. Because cardiologists are highly specialised medical practitioners, their pay is not as straightforward as a typical award classification. The cardiologist salary you see in a job ad might include superannuation, allowances, and on-call penalties. To compare offers fairly, you need to strip away extras and look at the base annual salary.

Where the data comes from

Official earnings data for cardiologists is scarce. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) does not publish median weekly earnings for this occupation because the sample size is too small to be reliable. Jobs and Skills Australia reports that there are about 1,100 cardiologists employed nationally, with a median age of 47 and a female share of 19%. Most work full-time (82%) and average 49 hours per week. But what they earn is not publicly recorded in a single figure.

What we do have is the minimum pay set by the Medical Practitioners Award 2020 (MA000031). The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes a pay guide that shows the minimum weekly and hourly rates for specialists and senior specialists. These rates are updated each year – the latest apply from 1 July 2026.

Award minimums as a floor

Under the award, a specialist must be paid at least $2,570.93 per week, or $67.66 per hour. That works out to an annualised salary of $133,688 (based on 52 weeks). Using the Salary Index, where 100 is the national full-time adult ordinary-time earnings of $108,352 per year, that specialist minimum sits at index 123.4. That means it is 23.4% above the national line.

For a senior specialist, the award has five pay points. Pay point 1 is $2,749.01 per week ($142,948 per year, index 131.9). Pay point 5 is $3,193.92 per week ($166,084 per year, index 153.3). A principal specialist earns $3,259.00 per week ($169,468 per year, index 156.4), and a senior principal specialist earns $3,374.36 per week ($175,467 per year, index 162.0).

These are the legal minimums. Most cardiologists are employed under enterprise agreements or individual contracts that pay significantly more, especially in private hospitals or private practice. The award rates are a useful benchmark for the lowest you should expect.

Comparing offers with the Salary Index

The Salary Index helps you compare any salary figure to the national average. Suppose one job offers $180,000 per year and another offers $200,000. Divide each by the national line ($108,352) and multiply by 100. The first gives an index of 166.1, the second 184.6. You can see at a glance how they stack up against the typical full-time worker.

You can also compare across states. For example, the same job in Western Australia (state index 106.9) might have a higher cost of living than in Tasmania (state index 88.6). A cardiologist in WA earning $180,000 would have an index of 166.1 nationally, but relative to the WA average of $115,825, the local index is 155.4. That still puts you well above the state line.

What about super and tax?

Superannuation is on top of the base salary. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee is 12% of ordinary time earnings, up to a maximum contribution base of $270,830. If your cardiologist salary is $180,000, your employer must contribute $21,600 to super. That is not part of your take-home pay, but it is part of your total remuneration.

For tax, a resident cardiologist earning $180,000 in 2026–27 will pay:

• Nil on the first $18,200
• 15% on the next $26,800 (to $45,000)
• 30% on the next $90,000 (to $135,000)
• 37% on the remaining $45,000 (to $180,000) Plus a 2% Medicare levy on the entire taxable income. That works out to roughly $47,000 in tax and Medicare, leaving about $133,000 take-home. But this ignores HELP repayments, salary sacrifice, or the Medicare levy surcharge.

How to read a job ad

When you see a cardiologist salary in an ad, check whether it includes super. Some ads quote a total package (base plus super), others quote base only. Always ask for the base annual salary before super. Then compare it to the award minimums. If the base is below $133,688, something is wrong – that is the legal floor for a specialist.

Also look at the hours. Cardiologists often work more than 38 hours per week. The award requires overtime rates for hours beyond 38, but many contracts bundle on-call and overtime into a higher base. The average full-time cardiologist works 49 hours per week, according to the 2021 Census. A job that pays $180,000 for 49 hours is effectively $70.66 per hour, which is above the specialist minimum hourly rate of $67.66. But if you are working 60 hours, the effective rate drops.

Industries and settings

Almost all cardiologists work in Health Care and Social Assistance. Within that, you might work in a public hospital, a private hospital, or a private practice. Public hospital salaries are often set by state enterprise agreements, which can be higher than the award. Private practice earnings depend on patient volume and billing arrangements. Some cardiologists earn well over $300,000 per year, but those figures are not captured in official surveys.

For context, the health care and social assistance industry index is 97.8, slightly below the national average. But cardiologists are a high-earning sub-group within that industry, so their personal index is much higher.

Putting it together

If you are comparing job offers, start with the base salary. Use the Salary Index to see where it sits relative to the national line. Check the award minimums to ensure the offer is legal. Factor in super, hours, and location. A cardiologist salary of $180,000 gives an index of 166.1, which is excellent. But if you are offered $150,000, that is still above the specialist minimum (index 138.4) but below the senior specialist pay point 1 (index 131.9? Actually $150,000 is index 138.4, which is above senior specialist pay point 1 of $142,948 index 131.9). So it depends on your experience level.

For more detail on how the index works, see how the index works. You can also browse topics related to medical practitioner pay.

The bottom line

There is no single official cardiologist salary figure, but the award provides a clear floor. Actual earnings vary widely, but even the minimum puts you well above the average Australian worker. When reading a job ad, always compare the base salary to the award rates and use the Salary Index to normalise across different offers and locations.