GP earnings & billings calculator

What this calculator estimates

The tool above gives an indicative view of what a GP can earn in Australian general practice, built from the levers that actually drive income here: your average fee per consultation, how many patients you see, the days and weeks you work, and the share of billings you keep. It then converts the result to pounds so UK and Irish GPs can compare it with what they already know. The point is not a single magic number but a way to test scenarios, from a conservative week to a stretch one.

Earnings are one of the first questions GPs ask about Australia, and also one of the most misreported, because headline figures circulate without the assumptions behind them. The honest approach is to start from gross billings, apply your contractor split, then account for your own tax and superannuation. The fuller picture sits in our guide to what you can expect to earn and the complete guide for UK and Irish GPs moving to Australia.

How GP pay works in Australia

Australian general practice runs on a different financial model from the NHS. Rather than a salaried post, most GPs work as contractors paid a percentage of their billings. You bill the Medicare Benefits Schedule for the consultations and services you provide, the practice retains a service fee for premises, staff and systems, and you keep the rest. A common arrangement sees the GP keep the larger share, but the exact percentage is a contract term you negotiate, so it varies between practices.

Because pay follows billings, two GPs in the same town can earn very differently depending on how they work. The drivers are your fee per consultation, the number of patients you see safely in a day, the days and weeks you work across the year, and your percentage split. Whether you are a contractor or an employee also changes your tax and superannuation position, which we cover in contractor versus employee. The mechanics of Medicare itself are in the MBS explained and Medicare provider numbers for overseas GPs.

Bulk, mixed and private billing

The billing model is the single biggest lever in the calculator, because it sets your average fee per consultation. Under bulk billing the practice bills Medicare directly and accepts the rebate as full payment, so the patient pays nothing at the point of care. That tends to mean a lower fee per consultation and higher patient volume. Under mixed or private billing the patient pays a gap above the rebate, or a full private fee, so the average fee is higher and there is often more time per patient. Most practices blend the two. Our billing models guide goes through the trade-offs in detail.

What the estimate leaves out

The figure the calculator shows is gross and before income tax and superannuation. As a contractor you are generally responsible for your own tax and super rather than having them deducted at source, so your real take-home will be lower than the headline. The model also cannot know things that are specific to you and the role: actual patient demand, the exact terms of your contract, any guarantee in your early months, and any rural loading. Treat the output as a way to compare scenarios, not as a salary you can bank on.

For the parts the calculator cannot capture, the tax and super position is in contractor versus employee, the everyday cost comparison is in cost of living in Australia versus the UK, and the contract itself is in negotiating your first GP contract. Knowing what a good job looks like helps you read an offer with the right expectations.

What really drives your earnings

Once you have played with the inputs, a few drivers stand out. Your billing percentage and your fee per consultation matter most, followed by how many patients you can see safely and sustainably. Location is the quiet multiplier: rural and remote roles often carry loadings and incentives, and the patient mix can lift your average billing. Location also interacts with the rules on where you can work, so the calculator pairs naturally with the Distribution Priority Area atlas and the guides to rural incentives, where overseas GPs can work and the 10-year moratorium.

How to use the calculator

Start from one of the billing-model presets, then adjust the fee, patient numbers, hours and your percentage split to build three versions: a conservative week, a realistic target, and a stretch. Compare the billing models against each other to see how much the approach changes the outcome, and use the pounds view to sanity-check it against your current income. Then treat the result as the basis for a conversation, not a conclusion.

When you are ready to turn a figure into a plan, the sequencing guides help: the timeline, the relocation checklist, the cost of relocating, and the registration routes in the pathways guide and the expedited specialist pathway. For the visa side, see the visa options overview.

How this differs from the NHS salary model

For UK and Irish GPs the biggest mental adjustment is moving from a salary to a billings model. In the NHS you are paid a defined sum for a defined role. In Australian general practice you are usually paid for what you bill, so your income rises and falls with how you work. That is unfamiliar at first, but it is also more transparent once you understand it: the link between the work you do, the items you bill and the money you take home is direct. It rewards efficiency and continuity of care, and it means two GPs in the same practice can earn differently for honest reasons. The trade-off is that you carry more of the variability yourself, which is why a guarantee in your first months, where a practice offers one, can be valuable while you find your feet. The day-to-day contrasts beyond pay are covered in how general practice differs, and the prescribing differences in PBS prescribing explained.

Superannuation, tax and the contractor reality

Because most GPs are contractors, you are generally responsible for your own income tax and superannuation rather than having them deducted at source. Superannuation is Australia's compulsory retirement saving system, and as a contractor you typically arrange your own contributions, so it needs to come out of the gross figure the calculator shows, not out of thin air. Income tax works on a progressive scale, and many contractor GPs set money aside through the year and work with an accountant on structure and deductions. None of this makes Australian general practice less rewarding than the NHS, but it does mean the headline billings number is not your take-home, and planning for tax and super from day one avoids an unpleasant surprise at the end of the first year.

The structure you work under also affects your obligations and entitlements, which is the difference between being a genuine contractor and an employee. We set that out in contractor versus employee, with the authoritative detail on the Australian Taxation Office site. It is also worth budgeting for medical indemnity insurance and the everyday cost of living compared with the UK, since both shape what your income actually buys.

Questions to ask a practice about pay

A figure from the calculator is most useful as the basis for a conversation. When you talk to a practice, the numbers behind the offer matter more than the headline percentage, so it is worth asking specific questions and writing the answers down before you compare roles.

Knowing what a good Australian GP job looks like and how to approach your first contract turns these answers into a decision. If you are weighing several offers in different places, the choosing a state or territory guide and a good recruiter help you compare like with like.

A worked example, in principle

It helps to see the method rather than a single number. Start with your fee per consultation and multiply it by the patients you see in a day, then by the days you work in a week, then by the weeks you work in a year. That gives your gross annual billings. Apply your percentage split to get your share, add any guarantee or loading, then set aside your own tax and superannuation to reach take-home. Changing any one input shows you how sensitive the result is: a few more patients a day, a higher average fee from a different billing model, or a better split each move the figure noticeably, which is exactly why the calculator lets you vary them rather than handing you a fixed answer. Model a conservative version and a realistic one, sanity-check both in pounds, and use the range, not the midpoint, when you plan.

Putting the figure in context

A number on its own can mislead in either direction, so it helps to put it next to the things that surround it. A higher gross in a private-billing city practice may come with a higher cost of living and a metro location that does not give you a provider number early on; a slightly lower gross in a regional DPA role may come with a loading, a guarantee, cheaper housing and moratorium scaling that shortens your obligation. The right comparison is not which headline figure is bigger, but which overall package leaves you better off once tax, super, location and your registration pathway are all in view. That is why this calculator sits alongside the Distribution Priority Area atlas and the wider library rather than standing alone.

It also pays to remember that your earnings usually grow as you settle. Your billing efficiency improves, your patient list builds, and many contracts step your percentage up after an initial period. A first-year estimate is a floor to plan around, not a ceiling, so model conservatively for the move itself and revisit the numbers once you are established. The earnings guide and the complete guide give the fuller context behind the figure.

Finally, weigh the things money does not capture. Many UK and Irish GPs move as much for the work and the life as for the pay: longer appointments in some models, a broader scope in rural roles, more sunshine and, for a lot of families, a calmer pace. Those are real parts of the return on the move even though no calculator can total them. So treat the figure here as one input among several. Get it roughly right, understand what sits behind it, and then judge a role on the whole picture rather than a single line. When you are ready to compare specific offers, the guides on what a good job looks like and your first contract turn that judgement into a checklist you can actually use.

Sources

These are the official sources behind this tool. Read them directly and confirm anything time-sensitive on the day.

Frequently asked questions