Average Assistant Financial Controller Salary in Australia for 2026
An assistant financial controller in Australia earns about 86,800 AUD a year. That's 6% below the national average of 91,900 AUD.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Australia sit around 38,900 AUD a year, while the very top stretches to 142,100 AUD. Everything on this page is in Australian dollar (AUD, symbol $), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Australia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does an assistant financial controller make in Australia?
A typical assistant financial controller working in Australia brings home around 7,233 AUD a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 38,900 AUD, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 142,100 AUD for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior assistant financial controller working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How assistant financial controller pay ranges in Australia
A good way to think about salary in Australia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all assistant financial controllers in Australia earn less than 94,400 AUD a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 62,100 AUD (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 128,200 AUD (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of assistant financial controllers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 38,900 AUD. The highest stretch to 142,100 AUD, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Assistant financial controller pay by experience in Australia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an assistant financial controller in Australia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical assistant financial controller salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years46,700 AUD
- 2-5 Years+35% from previous63,200 AUD
- 5-10 Years+43% from previous90,600 AUD
- 10-15 Years+23% from previous111,700 AUD
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous121,800 AUD
- 20+ Years+7% from previous130,500 AUD
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 43%. That is the point at which a assistant financial controller typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Assistant financial controller pay by education in Australia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving assistant financial controller pay in Australia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average assistant financial controller salary in Australia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School57,200 AUD
- Certificate or Diploma+16% from previous66,100 AUD
- Bachelor's Degree+46% from previous96,500 AUD
- Master's Degree+33% from previous128,200 AUD
Assistant financial controller gender pay gap in Australia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Australia is no exception. Male assistant financial controllers in Australia earn an average of 92,400 AUD a year, while female assistant financial controllers earn around 86,800 AUD. That works out to a 6% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Assistant Financial Controller gender pay gap
6%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Australia.
Pay raises for an assistant financial controller in Australia
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Australia sees a raise of about 11% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Australia, the national average raise is around 8% every 16 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Australia:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel2%
- Construction
- Education1%
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Assistant financial controller bonus rates in Australia
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
60% of assistant financial controllers in Australia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an assistant financial controller a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 40% of assistant financial controllers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Australia
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Assistant financial controller: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Australia is about 5% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
5%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Australia on average.
Assistant financial controller salary by city in Australia
Assistant financial controller pay is not even across Australia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Melbourne
- Sydney
- Brisbane
- Perth
- Canberra-Queanbeyan
- Gold Coast-Tweed
- Adelaide
- Newcastle
- Sunshine Coast
- Wollongong
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | City | 99,700 AUD | 109,000 AUD | 46,700-158,700 AUD |
| Sydney | City | 99,700 AUD | 109,000 AUD | 45,000-160,700 AUD |
| Brisbane | City | 92,300 AUD | 97,400 AUD | 42,500-142,300 AUD |
| Perth | City | 92,300 AUD | 98,000 AUD | 42,500-142,300 AUD |
| Canberra-Queanbeyan | City | 91,600 AUD | 97,300 AUD | 42,700-147,900 AUD |
| Gold Coast-Tweed | City | 89,400 AUD | 96,800 AUD | 40,300-142,300 AUD |
| Adelaide | City | 88,700 AUD | 99,100 AUD | 40,300-142,300 AUD |
| Newcastle | City | 88,000 AUD | 94,400 AUD | 42,000-141,000 AUD |
| Sunshine Coast | City | 84,200 AUD | 90,000 AUD | 36,900-130,500 AUD |
| Wollongong | City | 81,200 AUD | 86,600 AUD | 35,000-127,700 AUD |
| Gosford | City | 79,600 AUD | 86,300 AUD | 35,400-127,600 AUD |
Assistant Financial Controller in Australia: FAQs
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How much does an assistant financial controller make per month in Australia?
An assistant financial controller in Australia earns about 7,233 AUD a month before tax, based on an annual average of 86,800 AUD.
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What's the salary range for an assistant financial controller in Australia?
Entry-level assistant financial controllers in Australia start near 38,900 AUD. Top-end pay reaches around 142,100 AUD. The middle 50% of earners sit between 62,100 and 128,200 AUD.
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Is the median assistant financial controller salary in Australia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 94,400 AUD, higher than the average of 86,800 AUD. Half of assistant financial controllers in Australia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for assistant financial controllers in Australia?
Men working as an assistant financial controller in Australia earn around 6% more than women on average (92,400 vs 86,800 AUD a year).
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Do assistant financial controllers in Australia get bonuses?
About 60% of assistant financial controllers in Australia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.
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Do assistant financial controllers earn more in the public or private sector in Australia?
In Australia, the public sector pays an assistant financial controller about 5% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do assistant financial controllers in Australia get a pay raise?
An assistant financial controller in Australia sees a raise of around 11% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.