They say money can’t buy happiness, but it definitely buys you freedom to live a comfortable, stress-free life. If your finances are feeling tight or you’re considering a career change, it’s time to study up. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) recently released a list of the highest-paying jobs in Australia – and the top gig is pulling in almost half a million a year on average.
The ranking is based on data from millions of Aussie tax returns, collected by the ATO during the 2022–2023 financial year. While the figures are slightly dated, it’s still fascinating to take a sticky beak at what some people are raking in. Plus, the top ten spots haven't changed in recent years – so it’s safe to say the highest-earning jobs in Australia are much the same in 2025.
It’s no surprise that medical professionals dominated the top ten, with surgeons once again claiming the number one spot. During the 2022-23 financial year, Australia’s 4,247 surgeons took home a whopping average of $472,475 a year – up $12,119 from the previous 12-month period. To put it in perspective, that’s more than six times the national average taxable income of $74,240 across the same time frame. (The average full-time Aussie income soared past $100,000 in late 2024).
The second-highest earners in Australia are anaesthetists, with the 3,658 surveyed earning an average of $447,193 annually. They saw the biggest year-on-year increase of $16,000 and are hot on the heels of our top-earning surgeons. Other medical professionals included in the top ten were internal medicine specialists in fourth place ($342,457), psychiatrists in fifth ($286,146) and other medical practitioners in sixth ($259,802).
Financial dealers were the highest earners outside the medical field, ranking third overall with an average yearly income of $355,233. During the 12-month period, only 5,147 Aussies held this role – which, in simple terms, involves managing the finances of other wealthy individuals.
The highest-paying job with the largest number of Aussies in the role was chief executive officers and managing directors, who earned an average of $194,987 per year. Interestingly, this was one of only three jobs that saw a drop in average income compared to the previous year’s tax data, along with financial dealers (down $18,500) and mining engineers (down $7,942). You can see the full summary below.
These are the 10 highest-paying jobs in Australia
- Surgeon – $472,475 (up $12,119)
- Anaesthetists – $447,193 (up $16,000)
- Financial dealer – $355,233 (down $18,500)
- Internal medicine specialist – $342,457 (up $1,728)
- Psychiatrist – $286,146 (up $9,601)
- Other medical practitioners – $259,802 (up $4,048)
- Mining engineer – $206,423 (down $7,942)
- Judicial or other legal professional – $206,408 (up $1,474)
- Chief executive officer or managing director – $194,987 (down $2,733)
- Financial investment advisor or manager – $191,986 (up $6,152)
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