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2026 finance salary guide

Base salary ranges for accounting, finance, analyst and AI finance roles in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, pulled together from the published 2026 guides so you can compare them in one place.

Sydney

RoleBase salarySource
Accounting
Graduate accountant$70k to $80kRW
Newly qualified accountant$90k to $120kRW
Senior financial accountant3 to 5 years post-qualified$110k to $130kRW
Management accountantSydney figure$109k to $131kRH
Systems accountant$140k to $170kRW
Finance leadership
Finance manager$150k to $180kRW
Financial controller, SME$180k to $220kRW
Financial controller, large business$225k to $250kRW
CFO, SME$300k to $350kRW
Analysis
Commercial or FP&A analyst$110k to $125kRW
Senior commercial or FP&A analyst3 to 5 years post-qualified$125k to $150kRW
AI and data
Analytics engineerClosest published match for AI commercial analyst$140k to $165kRW
AI engineerClosest published match for AI finance engineer$150k to $170k+RW
Generative AI engineer$170k to $200k+RW

Base salary excluding super. RW: Robert Walters Salary Guide 2026 (mid-year), state figures, base excluding super (NSW figures used for the city). RH: Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide, Finance and Accounting, base excluding super. AI finance job titles are new and not yet in any published guide, so the closest published roles are shown. Ranges vary with company size, industry and experience. Brief us on your role and we will benchmark it.

Melbourne

RoleBase salarySource
Accounting
Graduate accountant$65k to $70kRW
Newly qualified accountant$90k to $100kRW
Financial accountant$110k to $135kRW
Management accountant$110k to $135kRW
Systems accountant$120k to $140kRW
Finance leadership
Finance manager$135k to $165kRW
Financial controller$160k to $220kRW
CFO, SME$180k to $270kRW
Analysis
Finance or commercial analyst$110k to $140kRW
AI and data
Data engineerClosest published match for finance automation roles$130k to $155kRW
AI engineerClosest published match for AI finance engineer$130k to $160kRW
Generative AI engineer$130k to $160kRW

Base salary excluding super. RW: Robert Walters Salary Guide 2026 (mid-year), state figures, base excluding super (VIC figures used for the city). RH: Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide, Finance and Accounting, base excluding super. AI finance job titles are new and not yet in any published guide, so the closest published roles are shown. Ranges vary with company size, industry and experience. Brief us on your role and we will benchmark it.

Brisbane

RoleBase salarySource
Accounting
Assistant accountant$80k to $100kRW
Management or financial accountant$100k to $130kRW
Senior management or financial accountant$120k to $145kRW
Systems accountant$120k to $150kRW
Finance leadership
Finance manager$130k to $170kRW
Financial controller$190k to $220kRW
CFO, SME$280k to $315kRW
Analysis
Business or finance analyst$110k to $130kRW
Senior business or finance analyst$120k to $150kRW
AI and data
Data engineerClosest published match for finance automation roles$120k to $150kRW
AI engineerClosest published match for AI finance engineer$140k to $170kRW
Generative AI engineer$170k to $200kRW

Base salary excluding super. RW: Robert Walters Salary Guide 2026 (mid-year), state figures, base excluding super (QLD figures used for the city). RH: Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide, Finance and Accounting, base excluding super. AI finance job titles are new and not yet in any published guide, so the closest published roles are shown. Ranges vary with company size, industry and experience. Brief us on your role and we will benchmark it.

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