Locum physiotherapist
Low $55.00Typical $80.00High $183.99
Rate benchmark
Locum physiotherapist rates Australia 2026
$80.00typical per hour
Indicative pay ranges for Australian locum physiotherapists in the current financial year. What's typical, what drives variance, and how to benchmark your own rate against the market.
Ledger | Indicative 2026 range
Low, typical, and high.
Employee locum SEEK postings cluster $50 to $80/hr plus super. Weekend work loads 50 to 75% under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020. NDIS participants pay up to the 2026-27 price limit of $183.99/hr, though that is the billed ceiling not take-home. APA Nous modelling put the sustainable self-pay rate at $261/hr general or $313/hr titled, which only applies to direct private billing.
| Rangeper hour | LowIndicative | TypicalIndicative | HighIndicative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative 2026 range (per hour) | $55.00 | $80.00 | $183.99 |
Indicative 2026 range (per hour)
Figures are educated estimates. Sources include: Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) member surveys; APA recommended fees schedule; NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27 (ndis.gov.au); Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020; SEEK 2025 physiotherapist postings. Real rates vary by individual contract and market conditions. Sessional doesn't guarantee any specific rate and your individual outcome depends on your negotiation and the workplaces you work with.
01 | Market context
05Rate driversWhat drives the variance
Geography: Regional and remote postings (higher MMM areas) often run 10 to 30% above metro rates to attract cover. Capital-city metros sit near the national mean; rates compress where supply is deepest.
Urgency: Last-minute cover pays more. Workplaces covering a sudden gap often pay 20 to 30% above their standard rate.
Specialty: Out-of-hours, unplanned care, specialist wards, and complex caseload all uplift the base rate.
Volume: Regular weekly bookings are usually offered at a lower rate than ad-hoc shifts in exchange for certainty.
Route to market: Direct bookings pay more than agency routes because no one takes a cut.
02 | Your ledger
04Benchmarking stepsHow to benchmark your own rate
Write down the last ten bookings you accepted and the rate you charged or received.
Break them down by region, urgency, and duration.
Compare each against the typical range above. If you are consistently at or below the low end on standard bookings, you are probably underpriced.
Next time you are asked for your rate on a standard booking at a regional or hard-to-fill workplace, quote the typical figure from the headline above and see what happens. A refusal tells you about the booking, not your rate.
03 | 40 cities
Look up your city
01Locum physiotherapist in Sydney02Locum physiotherapist in Melbourne03Locum physiotherapist in Brisbane04Locum physiotherapist in Perth05Locum physiotherapist in Adelaide06Locum physiotherapist in Canberra07Locum physiotherapist in Gold Coast08Locum physiotherapist in Newcastle09Locum physiotherapist in Sunshine Coast10Locum physiotherapist in Wollongong11Locum physiotherapist in Geelong12Locum physiotherapist in Hobart13Locum physiotherapist in Cairns14Locum physiotherapist in Townsville15Locum physiotherapist in Darwin16Locum physiotherapist in Ballarat17Locum physiotherapist in Bendigo18Locum physiotherapist in Toowoomba19Locum physiotherapist in Launceston20Locum physiotherapist in Albury-Wodonga21Locum physiotherapist in Orange22Locum physiotherapist in Rockhampton23Locum physiotherapist in Mackay24Locum physiotherapist in Pilbara25Locum physiotherapist in Far North Queensland26Locum physiotherapist in Regional Northern Territory27Locum physiotherapist in Central Coast28Locum physiotherapist in Wagga Wagga29Locum physiotherapist in Dubbo30Locum physiotherapist in Tamworth31Locum physiotherapist in Port Macquarie32Locum physiotherapist in Coffs Harbour33Locum physiotherapist in Lismore34Locum physiotherapist in Mildura35Locum physiotherapist in Shepparton36Locum physiotherapist in Warrnambool37Locum physiotherapist in Bundaberg38Locum physiotherapist in Mount Gambier39Locum physiotherapist in Alice Springs40Locum physiotherapist in Broome
Last revised 24 April 2026
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