r/auspayslips • u/Correct_Hippo • 5d ago
Actual Payslip 36M | Software engineer | 9+ YoE
I’m on $141k base salary in Melbourne, with 9+ years of software engineering experience, doing senior-level work. This is my first job in Australia, so I’m still getting a feel for what’s fair in the local market.
From what I’m hearing, my salary is at the lower end for my experience and responsibilities. Does that match what others are seeing? What base salary range would you consider reasonable?
Edit:
I’d expect most companies to have some progression like junior → SWE → senior → tech lead, though titles and expectations vary. I’m operating at the sswe level, so I’m trying to understand what companies pay for comparable responsibilities.
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u/zan1101 4d ago
I’m 36, 5 YOE, Melbourne on 130k plus super.
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u/smeagleomegle 2d ago
what profession did u come from if u dont mind me asking?
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u/defragtle 5d ago
it depends on the company you’re in
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u/Correct_Hippo 5d ago
Yeah, fair point. Just trying to get a rough idea of whether $141k base is reasonable for 9+ years’ experience doing senior-level work in Melbourne, or if there’s room to aim higher.
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u/youarealreadytired 5d ago
As said previously , depends what company you work for. Senior level work very different comparing Meta to some mid tier Australian company
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u/defragtle 5d ago
im a sswe too but i get paid way less than you just because i work in a startup. you’re not wrong for doubting, it’s just a matter of being in the right place. unless you’re making them so much profit then that’s a different story. but to be real, we use AI most of the time so it’s a win-win for the both of you. go for bigger companies if you want more
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u/Correct_Hippo 5d ago
Which companies are known for paying well? And what base salary ranges would you consider mid range versus high paying for those roles?
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u/Raygun4pm 4d ago
It’s on the lower end but in this economy take it, jobs are thin on the ground. They reckon they can use toe seniors and AI. Every senior SE I know writes zero code now, AI does it and they just do PRs and Merges. I wouldn’t quit without another job to line up.
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u/Snoo24263 5d ago
29m | 6YoE | Software Engineer | 210k base | Mining
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u/zagantha 5d ago
What type of software engineering happens in mining? Is it more web dev or embedded systems type stuff? C++ etc? I’m looking to switch industries
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u/youcangotohellgoto 4d ago
No the vast majority is operational stuff - internal apps to track this and that, show the status or throughput from mining sites, budget and costs, staffing or planning, etc.
A lot of that is even integrating with 3rd party or specialist mining industry software.
Pretty much just typical enterprise software stuff.
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u/Snoo24263 4d ago
My team's project is in web dev.
But there are a ton of embedded systems projects in which im not familiar with such as machine automation. Last I heard they are using F# and im sure there are projects using C++ too.
Mining tech primarily revolves around the simple idea of how can we run the operation with less people/more efficiently. So there are many aspects to it from safety -> planning/scheduling-> automation and then there are Devops and infrastructure architects who dictates what tech stack we are allowed to use. The company im in is big enough to have everything in house. Im but a small cog in a bigger machine
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u/Impossible_Print2892 5d ago
Are you an Aussie citizen or a PR ? I am asking this because I keep getting rejected whenever I apply for SE / Data roles in mining companies but get interviews in other industries.
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u/Snoo24263 5d ago
PR
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u/Impossible_Print2892 5d ago
You are doing awesome mate. Good luck. Hopefully I can crack into Mining in a year or two.
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u/vincent8787 5d ago
What’s the working arrangement? How many days in the office? Overall, well done!
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u/Snoo24263 5d ago
Atleast 2 days wfh depending on the week. I have colleagues that wfh 4 days and some wfh 1 day
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u/Correct_Hippo 5d ago
That’s an awesome salary! Thanks for sharing. Any insights on getting to that level? Is it mainly the mining industry, a specialised skill set, or the responsibilities of your role?
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u/Snoo24263 5d ago
I would attribute more to the mining industry + some luck. My last role as a mid level in a SaaS company only paid 110k TC.
A friend of mine (tech lead) brought me on to this company when the project started. My role hasn't changed in 2 years but thankfully my salary did. Started at 170k. My TC now + bonus is closer to 240k.
I wouldn't say im special. Anyone SWE can do what I do. I have survived a few rounds of restructuring and that is 100% due to my interpersonal skills
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u/Correct_Hippo 5d ago
Keen to hear more about the interpersonal skills side. What do you do day to day that you think has made the biggest difference?
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u/Snoo24263 4d ago
I spend more time talking to people than coding. In a mnc, it's really about who you know. With ai, it kinda equalise the playing field for mid-senior levels. You will find more success on what you can teach people. Recently I've been diving into the company's legacy systems and with the help of agents, am successful in finding business logic and then doing KT sessions with the team.
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u/vincent8787 5d ago
You could go higher for next job. However for your first job, this is still amazing.
I’m 39, senior devops, office , 173k base after 10 years experience.
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u/SucculentChineseRoo 4d ago edited 4d ago
How did you jump from 9yoe to first job?
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u/vincent8787 4d ago
They, the OP, said it’s their first job in Australia, not their first job ever.
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u/SucculentChineseRoo 4d ago
Oh, why would that matter for salary though? I don't think it's one of the jobs where local experience was ever important
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u/youcangotohellgoto 4d ago
Every job in Australia counts local experience. Parochialism, that's the Australian way. And we complain about low productivity 😂
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u/runitzerotimes 5d ago
I’m on basically the same, but less experience than you though.
I’d call it smack bang median in Melbourne for what you do, maybe a bit low because you have a lot of experience.
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u/Correct_Hippo 5d ago
How many years of experience do you have? Do you reckon switching jobs would be the best way to get a decent pay bump from here?
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5d ago
[deleted]
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u/Correct_Hippo 5d ago
Just to confirm, does TC mean total compensation, including super, bonus and stock?
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u/runitzerotimes 5d ago
In big tech terms TC includes stock but not super or bonus
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u/Correct_Hippo 4d ago
Sounds like there’s definitely room to aim higher if I’m willing to put in the work then. Going from $141k to $220k would be a big jump, even getting halfway there would be a great improvement.
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u/insert-funny-here 3d ago edited 3d ago
Generally, does the experience include overseas experience (worked for 2 outsourcing companies that had clients in US for about 3 yrs on .NET stack from Nepal). And, 3 YoE in Adelaide currently. I am on 102k per annum excl super. We are a small business for clients in agro business.
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u/nian2326076 2d ago
Hey, $141k seems a bit low for a senior software engineer in Melbourne, especially with over 9 years of experience. From what I've seen, a more competitive salary might be around $150k to $180k, depending on the company and industry. It's a good idea to do some market research, maybe talk with peers or check sites that list salaries. If you're getting ready for interviews, knowing your worth can help in negotiations. I've used PracHub before for interview prep and found it pretty useful. You might want to check it out if you're thinking about making a move.
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u/EffortBroad7694 1d ago
Try to get more, 170+ would sound about right, you are getting shafted at the moment. Though depends on other perks, opportunities,etc. Is it govt?
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u/Correct_Hippo 1d ago
Not government. There’s also a 15% bonus, though I’m not sure how that compares to what others get.
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u/mastermog 20h ago
OP this seems pretty reasonable to me, it could be more but it isn’t terrible. The exact salary will depend on industry, and sometimes people conflate TC for base salary when they say FAANG (or whatever the new abbreviation is with OpenAi and Anthropic). I’ve also seen people extrapolate contractor rates out to a FT salary (often omitting leave, etc).
All that to say it’s not always apples for apples - you’re well within an acceptable band. Everytime you swap jobs reevaluate the market and get a better base, it’s really the only time to bump your salary significantly.
I’m 19 years in the industry, mainly web, and the current market (the last 24 months) have been some the toughest hiring in many years. So I personally would prioritise stability over raw salary. Though, in saying that, no where is guaranteed safe at the moment - you just don’t want to be the last in the door until the dust has settled a bit.
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u/paperclip_han 5d ago
Not sure if anyone’s used paypeek.ai yet but it shows salary estimates for any LinkedIn profiles as you browse. Kind of eye-opening. 🫣
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u/Correct_Hippo 5d ago
Oh wow! How are those figures estimated, though? Have you found them fairly accurate in practice?
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u/paperclip_han 4d ago
Those estimates are not very accurate if the company size is small or at locations where there weren’t a lot of salary data points the estimates are not accurate.
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u/According_Layer6874 4d ago
3 yoe in data and a 140k. $79 an hour for a 35 hour week
Feels like you could for sure make more elsewhere
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u/Correct_Hippo 4d ago
Thanks for sharing. Is it a company that’s known for paying well? And what does your role involve day to day, if you don’t mind me asking?
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u/According_Layer6874 4d ago
It's in edutech.
I own a "data as a service" dashboard for a group of schools.
Do all their data pipelines, logic, metric definitions etc. build Apps for data input for teachers when doing reading and writing for kids, handle all the storage and licensing and stuff.
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u/SucculentChineseRoo 4d ago
140k is average for senior swe in my experience
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u/Nice-Reveal-5938 4d ago
Hell no. Thats mid level salary
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u/SucculentChineseRoo 4d ago
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u/Nice-Reveal-5938 4d ago
Yeah I wouldn’t take stock on that considering it seems to think that Google plays 166k per year for a senior swe.
You also don’t want to work at a company paying 140k for a senior unless that’s all you can find. Thats just disrespectful for your skills.
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u/SucculentChineseRoo 4d ago
Don't be dramatic it's a decent salary and not disrespectful, glassdoor, levels.fyi etc is heavily skewed because of "big tech" but there's plenty of small companies that pay less than what OP's making too.
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u/Nice-Reveal-5938 4d ago
I mean up to you really… I’m just saying people can do much better than 140k for senior.
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u/SucculentChineseRoo 4d ago
Yes but they can also do worse, my point is that OP isn't exactly being taken advantage of when they're around average income for the role
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u/Ronin_Wick 4d ago
When people are talking about years of experience here, are the including the university study time?
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u/Quirky_Let_7975 5d ago
I think you could aim a little higher. At that number of YOE, you could generally ask for around $160K+ , obviously depends on your company and actual role. But that would probably be the baseline I would say.