FIFO salary: what workers really take home

There is no single FIFO salary, because FIFO is a way of working, not a job. A camp cleaner, a truck operator and an electrician all fly in and out, on very different pay. What the official figures do show is that full-time mining pay sits well above the national average: $3,224.20 a week before tax in May 2026, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, against $2,083.70 across all industries. After income tax and the Medicare levy, a worker on that mining average keeps about 72 cents of each dollar.

This guide sets out the official numbers, what comes off them, and what is left once you have paid for a home you are only in part of the time. Figures were checked in October 2026. It is general information, not financial or tax advice.

How much do FIFO workers earn?

No official body publishes a "FIFO salary". The statistics are collected by industry and by occupation, and most FIFO work in WA falls under mining. Three official figures give you the range.

Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026 (Australian Bureau of Statistics)abs.gov.au

Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers (Jobs and Skills Australia)jobsandskills.gov.au

Read those numbers with care.

• The ABS figure is an average for the whole industry. It includes engineers, supervisors and managers as well as operators and trades, and it covers everyone in mining, whether they fly in or live locally. It is ordinary time only, so it leaves out overtime. Mining had the highest figure of any industry in that release.
• The Jobs and Skills Australia figure is a median for one occupation group. Half earn more, half earn less. It is the largest occupation in mining.
• The award figure is a legal floor, not a typical wage. It is the minimum for ordinary hours at the entry level classification, before the award's industry allowance, penalty rates and overtime. Your contract or your site's enterprise agreement sets what you are actually paid.

None of these is an entry-level figure. If you are looking at your first job, the ad will state the rate, and that is the number to use.

Why is FIFO pay higher than average?

Mostly because of the hours and when they are worked.

Jobs and Skills Australia puts average full-time hours for drillers, miners and shot firers at 64 a week, against 44 for all occupations (2021 Census). The median hourly figure for the same group is $65, against $47 for all occupations. So the weekly gap is wider than the hourly gap: part of the pay is simply more hours.

The Mining Industry Award shows how the rest is built. Ordinary hours for a full-time employee average 38 a week. Work beyond that, at night or on weekends attracts penalty rates and overtime, an industry allowance is paid on top of the minimum rate, and casual employees get a 25% loading in place of paid leave.

Mining Industry Award (Fair Work Ombudsman)awards.fairwork.gov.au

When you compare two offers, ask what the figure includes. An annual "package" can include superannuation and allowances. An hourly rate can be flat, with everything rolled in, or a base rate with penalties on top. Two offers that look the same can be far apart.

What comes off before you are paid?

Two things come off every pay, and one goes on top.

Income tax. These are the Australian Taxation Office's rates for residents for 2026-27.

Tax rates for Australian residents (Australian Taxation Office)ato.gov.au

The Medicare levy. The ATO notes that those rates do not include the Medicare levy of 2%.

Superannuation, on top. The super guarantee rate is 12% for 2026-27. Your employer pays it into your super fund. It is not part of your take-home pay, so check whether a quoted salary is "plus super" or "including super".

What does a FIFO worker take home?

Here is the arithmetic, using the 2026-27 resident rates and the 2% Medicare levy and nothing else. It assumes you are an Australian resident for tax purposes with no other income. It leaves out tax offsets, study loan repayments, the Medicare levy surcharge, salary packaging and deductions, any of which can move your own figure.

Applied to the official figures: the mining average of $3,224.20 a week is about $167,658 a year, which leaves about $2,331 a week. The $2,908 median for drillers, miners and shot firers is about $151,216 a year, which leaves about $2,138 a week.

These are estimates worked from the published rates, not a quote. Your payslip will differ. To work out your own withholding, use the ATO's tax withheld calculator.

Tax withheld calculator (Australian Taxation Office)ato.gov.au

Do FIFO workers get tax breaks?

Fewer than people expect. Three points come up again and again, and the ATO answers each one.

• The zone tax offset. It is for people who live in a remote zone. The ATO bases eligibility on your usual place of residence and says you are not eligible if you work in a remote area but do not live there, giving a fly-in fly-out worker as its example. If you live in Perth and work in the Pilbara, you do not get it.
• Travel between home and work. The ATO says you cannot claim trips between your home and your regular place of work, even if you live a long way from it.
• Living away from home allowance. It is not a tax-free top-up for every FIFO worker. It is a specific allowance governed by fringe benefits tax rules, and a worker whose employer provides the camp and the flights directly is not being paid one. See living away from home allowance (LAFHA) for FIFO workers.

Zone tax offset (Australian Taxation Office)ato.gov.au

Trips you can and can't claim (Australian Taxation Office)ato.gov.au

For your own return, talk to a registered tax agent or the ATO.

What does it cost to live as a FIFO worker?

On site, your employer provides the accommodation (camp life is described in what does FIFO mean?). The costs are at home, and they do not stop while you are away.

• Rent. You pay for your room for the whole cycle, including the nights you are in camp. On a 2:1 roster you sleep at home at most one night in three. The numbers for each roster are in FIFO rosters explained.
• Getting to the plane. Employers fly from set airports. Fortescue, for example, says that if you live outside its pick-up locations, you arrange your own flights to one of them at your own cost. Living in the wrong city is an expense that repeats every swing. FIFO jobs in Perth lists who flies from where.
• The car. It sits somewhere for a week or two at a time. A room with parking saves you paying for it elsewhere.
• The gap before the first pay. Hiring takes weeks, and a new room usually means bond and rent in advance. Budget for both before the first payslip arrives. The WA rules on bond and rent in advance are in the moving to Perth checklist.

This is why the room matters to the take-home figure. Some Perth hosts offer FIFO workers a lower rent, and say so in their ads: "because you're barely home". Others do not, and your room is still yours while you are on site. It is fair to ask. Suburbs next to the airport, such as Redcliffe, Belmont and Cloverdale, also cut the cost and time of every fly-out day. They are compared in where to live in Perth as a FIFO worker.

Kipmates is a room-share marketplace launching in Perth. Listings show the rent per week and the move-in date, your roster sits on your profile, and hosts can mark a household as FIFO-friendly. You can browse rooms and compare a weekly rent with a weekly take-home figure, like for like.

Is FIFO worth it for the money?

Only you can answer that, but compare the right things.

• Compare hourly, not just weekly. If the weekly pay is high because the week is 64 hours long, work out what you earn per hour away from home.
• Count the time. A roster with more time on site means more paid hours and fewer nights at home. WA's FIFO code of practice links even-time and shorter rosters to better mental health and wellbeing outcomes.
• Count the costs. Rent, flights to the pick-up point and a car that sits idle all come out of the take-home figure.
• Weigh security. Under the award, casual employees get a 25% loading in place of paid leave, notice and redundancy pay. The rate is higher because the job is less secure.

If you are still working out how to get the job, start with how to get a FIFO job with no experience.

FAQ

What is the average FIFO salary?

There is no official FIFO average, because FIFO is a work arrangement and not an occupation. The closest official figure is for the mining industry: average ordinary time earnings for full-time adults were $3,224.20 a week before tax in May 2026, according to the ABS. That average includes professionals and managers and is not an entry-level figure.

How much do FIFO workers take home after tax?

It depends on the salary. Using the ATO's 2026-27 resident rates and the 2% Medicare levy alone, $100,000 a year leaves about $77,480, or about $1,490 a week, and $150,000 leaves about $110,430, or about $2,124 a week. Offsets, study loans and salary packaging change the result.

What is the minimum wage for a FIFO mining job?

Under the Mining Industry Award, the minimum for a full-time adult at entry level is $1,004.90 a week, or $26.44 an hour, for ordinary hours from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. The industry allowance, penalty rates and overtime are on top. Enterprise agreements and contracts can pay more.

Do FIFO workers pay less tax?

No. FIFO workers pay income tax at the same rates as everyone else. The ATO says the zone tax offset is based on where you live, not where you work, so a fly-in fly-out worker who lives outside a zone is not eligible.

Is super included in a FIFO salary?

It depends on the offer. The super guarantee is 12% for 2026-27 and is paid by your employer into your fund. Ask whether the figure you were quoted is plus super or including super.

Do FIFO workers pay rent while they are away?

Yes, unless you have agreed otherwise with your host. Your room is yours for the whole cycle. Some Perth hosts offer a lower rent to FIFO workers because they use the house less, and many do not.

Sources

Checked October 2026.

• Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, May 2026 (released 13 August 2026), Australian Bureau of Statistics.
• Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers occupation profile and Mining industry profile, Jobs and Skills Australia.
• Mining Industry Award 2020 (MA000011), Fair Work Ombudsman, clauses 11, 12, 15 and 18, incorporating amendments up to 1 July 2026.
• Tax rates: Australian residents, Australian Taxation Office, last updated 13 August 2026.
• Super guarantee, Australian Taxation Office.
• Zone tax offset, Australian Taxation Office, last updated 8 June 2026.
• Trips you can and can't claim, Australian Taxation Office.
• Tax withheld calculator, Australian Taxation Office.
• Careers FAQ, Fortescue.
• Mentally healthy workplaces for FIFO workers in the resources and construction sectors: code of practice, WA Commission for Occupational Safety and Health, 2019.