Social worker: salary vs cost of living
Median full-time earnings for Social Workers are $1,850 a week before tax ($96,200 a year). After 2026-27 income tax, the Medicare levy and a $4,001 HELP repayment, that is about $1,363 a week. Median unit rent would take 41% of it in Adelaide and 59% in Gold Coast.
From gross to take-home
| Median full-time earnings | Per year | Per week |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $96,200 | $1,850 |
| Income tax (2026-27 resident rates) | -$19,380 | -$373 |
| Medicare levy | -$1,924 | -$37 |
| HELP compulsory repayment (2026-27) | -$4,001 | -$77 |
| Take-home pay | $70,895 | $1,363 |
| Graduate starting salary | Per year | Per week |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $85,300 | $1,640 |
| Income tax (2026-27 resident rates) | -$16,110 | -$310 |
| Medicare levy | -$1,706 | -$33 |
| HELP compulsory repayment (2026-27) | -$2,366 | -$45 |
| Take-home pay | $65,118 | $1,252 |
HELP at the median: 15c for each $1 over $69,528 (($96,200 - $69,528) x 15% = $4,000.80). Without a HELP debt, take-home at the median is $1,440 a week. At the graduate starting salary the repayment is $2,366 a year (($85,300 - $69,528) x 15% = $2,365.80).
How long a HELP debt would take to repay
The usual entry degree for this career is a 4-year bachelor degree (for example the Bachelor of Social Work). Most of its units fall in the 2026 student contribution group for allied and other health, science, engineering, computing, built environment, visual and performing arts, and professional pathway psychology and social work, where the maximum is $9,537 per full-time year. If every unit were charged at that maximum, a 4-year degree would leave a HELP debt of about $38,148 at 2026 rates.
- Graduate starting salary ($85,300): compulsory repayments of $2,366 a year would clear it in about 16.1 years.
- Median full-time earnings ($96,200): compulsory repayments of $4,001 a year would clear it in about 9.5 years.
A simple guide, not a forecast: it ignores indexation (2.8% on 1 June 2026), pay rises (which increase repayments), voluntary repayments and units charged at a different rate.
Rent as a share of median take-home pay
Rent above 30% of take-home pay is a common marker of rental stress. On median earnings for this career, median unit rent is at or under 30% in 0 of 10 cities.
Sources
- Median weekly earnings: yourcareer.gov.au (sourced 2026-09-23)
- Graduate starting salary: qilt.edu.au
- ATO: tax rates for Australian residents and study and training loan repayment thresholds
- Study Assist: 2026 student contribution amounts