Doctor Salary in Austria by Specialty: What Physicians Earn Doctor salary in Austria: from €4,700 for interns to €110,000+ for specialists. Compare pay by specialty, hospital KV per state, self-employed income, and career outlook. Topics: Work, Salary & Taxes, Healthcare.

Medicine is one of the most prestigious and best-paid professions in Austria. The doctor salary in Austria sits far above the national average and grows steadily with every career step. A young trainee (Turnusarzt) earns around €4,700–5,000 gross per month, an experienced hospital specialist (Facharzt) reaches €7,000–9,000, and a physician in private practice can earn well over €100,000 a year.

This guide explains how doctor pay works, how earnings differ by specialty, what minimums the collective agreements (KV) of each state set, how much self-employed doctors make, and what the career outlook looks like. The figures come from Statistik Austria, the Austrian Medical Chamber (Ärztekammer), an IHS study, and kununu salary reports.

How doctor pay works in Austria

The Austrian salary system for doctors is more complex than a simple “monthly wage × 12”. Here employees receive 14 salaries a year: twelve monthly payments plus two extra ones, the Christmas and holiday pay (Weihnachts- and Urlaubsgeld). That is why monthly figures hide how much doctors really earn over a full year.

Hospital doctors work under a collective agreement (Kollektivvertrag, KV) or under the state hospital-physician law (Spitalsärztegesetz). Crucially, there is no single national wage. Each federal state (Vienna, Styria, Upper Austria and others) and each type of hospital — public, church-run (Ordensspital), or private — sets its own pay tables.

On top of the base salary, doctors earn on-call allowances (roughly €200–300 per night shift), weekend and holiday bonuses, and in some hospitals a premium for “Sonderklasse” (special conditions in private wards). This is why the real income can be 20–40% higher than the base rate.

The career ladder: from trainee to department head

To understand the doctor salary in Austria by specialty, you first need the career steps. Each step brings a clear jump in income:

• Turnusarzt (trainee / doctor in basic training) — the most junior level, required before doctors can practise independently. Earns on average €4,700–5,400 per month, depending on the state.
• Assistenzarzt (junior / assistant doctor) — a doctor doing specialty training (Facharztausbildung). According to kununu, the average is around €72,000 a year (about €5,100 a month over 14 salaries).
• Facharzt (specialist doctor) — has completed residency and holds the specialist title. The average yearly income per kununu is €110,000–116,000.
• Oberarzt (senior doctor) — an experienced specialist with more responsibility. In Vienna the base rate is about €7,490 a month (roughly €90,000 a year).
• Primararzt / Abteilungsleiter (department head) — the top of the hospital career. In Vienna this is about €9,441 a month (roughly €113,000 a year).

As Die Presse reports, the higher the step, the wider the income spread: at the Facharzt and Oberarzt level, differences between states and hospitals can reach tens of thousands of euros a year.

Which specialties pay the most

The question “how much does a doctor earn in Austria by specialty” is one of the most common among people entering medicine. According to an IHS study (an analysis of insurance-fund data for 2022), earnings differ sharply among doctors in private practice:

Specialty	Median income per year
Laboratory medicine / pathology	about €591,000
Radiology	about €386,000
Internal medicine	about €307,000
Ophthalmology	about €305,000
Urology	about €290,000
Orthopaedics	about €286,000
Pulmonology	about €260,000
Surgery	about €242,000
Dermatology	about €210,000
Psychiatry / neurology	about €202,000
Paediatrics	about €199,000
Gynaecology	about €178,000
Dentistry	about €166,000
General practice (Allgemeinmedizin)	about €192,000

These figures reflect the taxable personal income of self-employed doctors (Kassenärzte) — earnings before tax but after professional deductions. They show the general picture: technical and procedure-based specialties such as radiology, laboratory medicine and surgery tend to earn more than “talking” fields like psychiatry or general practice.

Hospital doctor salaries: collective agreements by state

For doctors in public hospitals, the base rate is set in collective agreements. Here are benchmarks for the main states (gross per month, excluding on-call allowances):

• Vienna (WIGEV) — doctor in training: €4,834/month; Facharzt after residency: about €9,131/month with allowances, per MedUni Vienna / WIGEV.
• Church hospitals (Ordensspitäler, national KV since 01.03.2025) — Turnusarzt €4,699/month, ward doctor (Stationsarzt) €7,150/month, Facharzt €7,582/month, per the collective agreement.
• Styria (since 01.07.2026) — trainee/assistant €5,368/month, Allgemeinmediziner €6,477/month, Facharzt €8,752/month, per KAGes.
• Upper Austria (since 01.01.2025) — basic training €3,744/month, assistant €4,313/month, Allgemeinmediziner €4,622/month, Facharzt €5,746/month, per Ärztekammer Upper Austria.
• Tyrol — basic training €3,873/month, Allgemeinmediziner €5,216/month, Facharzt €5,641/month.
• Lower Austria (since 01.01.2025) — a young Facharzt with four night shifts: €9,219/month; a Facharzt with six years of experience: €9,920/month, with each shift adding €200.

Remember that the doctor salary in Austria by specialty within one hospital depends not only on the job title but also on allowances. Night shifts and on-call duty can add €800–1,200 a month or more to the base rate.

The gap between a doctor’s base salary and real income in an Austrian hospital can reach 30–40% — night shifts and special-condition allowances play the decisive role.

— Physician salary review, Austrian Medical Chamber

How much a self-employed doctor earns: Kassenarzt and Wahlarzt

Many Austrian doctors do not work in a hospital at all — they run their own practice (Ordination). Here, two statuses matter:

• Kassenarzt — a doctor with a contract with the health insurance fund (Gebietskrankenkasse). Patients come by referral and the fund pays for treatment at set rates. According to the IHS study, the median income of a Kassenarzt is €201,306 a year.
• Wahlarzt — a doctor without a fund contract; patients pay out of pocket (partly reimbursed by insurance). The median income is €100,849 a year.

As Der Standard notes, Kassenärzte on average earn about twice as much as Wahlärzte, because they have a steady stream of patients. Income also depends heavily on region and specialty: rural family doctors often run a Hausapotheke (in-house pharmacy), which can push income up to €263,000 a year.

How doctors compare with other professions

To put doctor pay in perspective, compare it with the national figures. According to Statistik Austria, in 2024 the median yearly gross income of full-time workers was €55,678, and the median income of all non-self-employed workers was €38,043.

Against this backdrop, even a junior doctor (Turnusarzt) earning about €50,000–60,000 a year is ahead of the average Austrian. An experienced hospital Facharzt (€110,000+) and especially a private-practice physician (€150,000–300,000+) are in the top 5–10% of earners in the country. That is one reason the competition for medical schools in Austria is among the toughest in Europe.

If you are comparing incomes across fields, also read our breakdown of teacher salaries in Austria — the same 14-salary system, but with very different numbers. For more in this salary-by-profession series, see ÖBB conductor pay and AMS advisor pay.

Taxes and social contributions: what is left

A doctor’s salary in Austria is quoted gross — before taxes. Income tax (Lohnsteuer) and social contributions (pension, health, unemployment insurance) are deducted automatically, together amounting to roughly 30–45% depending on income.

For a doctor earning €80,000–120,000 a year, the tax rate is high. That is why many doctors look for ways to optimise — for example, the status of a self-employed doctor (freier Dienstvertrag) or professional-development expenses. If you plan to work in medicine, it helps to understand how the Austrian health insurance system works.

One important point for immigrants: doctors with foreign diplomas must go through nostrification (recognition of the degree) and usually language certification. Until recognition is complete, they cannot practise fully, so earnings only begin after all the bureaucratic steps are done.

What drives a doctor’s final income

Beyond the specialty and the state, several factors shape the doctor salary in Austria and are worth considering when planning a career:

• Type of employer. Public hospitals, church hospitals and private clinics pay differently. Private and church-run hospitals often have their own, more generous KV.
• Region. Competition is lower in rural areas, and Kassen contracts for general practice (Allgemeinmedizin) can come faster. Vienna has higher base rates but more competitors.
• On-call duty and overtime. Night shifts, weekend and holiday work increase income substantially. In Lower Austria, one night shift is worth +€200.
• Employment form. A self-employed Kassenarzt on average earns more than a salaried specialist, but also carries more risk: practice rent, staff and equipment.
• Demand for the specialty. Radiology, laboratory medicine, anaesthesia and surgery are traditionally well paid and in demand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a junior doctor (trainee) earn in Austria? A trainee (Turnusarzt) in a public hospital earns about €4,700–5,400 gross per month, depending on the state. With on-call allowances, the real income can be higher.

How much does a specialist doctor (Facharzt) earn a year? According to kununu, the average yearly income of a Facharzt in Austria is €110,000–116,000 gross. In public hospitals the base Facharzt rate is €5,700–9,000 per month, depending on the state.

Which medical specialty pays the most in Austria? Among doctors in private practice, laboratory medicine and pathology earn the most (median about €591,000 a year), followed by radiology (€386,000) and internal medicine (€307,000).

Who earns more — Kassenarzt or Wahlarzt? According to the IHS study, a Kassenarzt earns on average about twice as much as a Wahlarzt: a median of roughly €201,000 vs €101,000 a year.

How much tax do doctors pay in Austria? Income tax and social contributions amount to roughly 30–45% of a doctor’s gross income, depending on the amount. All salaries are quoted before tax.

What is next: career prospects for doctors in Austria

The doctor salary in Austria by specialty is among the highest in Europe, and demand for physicians keeps growing. The Austrian healthcare system faces a shortage of staff, especially in rural areas and in fields such as general practice and psychiatry. For those willing to complete diploma nostrification and prove their language skills, this opens real opportunities.

Key takeaways:

• A trainee’s base rate is €4,700–5,400/month, a specialist’s €7,000–9,000/month, and a department head’s €9,000+/month.
• Technical and procedure-based specialties (radiology, laboratory medicine, surgery) pay more than “talking” ones.
• Self-employed Kassenärzte earn an average of €200,000+ a year — twice as much as Wahlärzte.
• Night shifts and allowances add 30–40% to the base salary.

If you are considering a medical career in Austria, start by checking the recognition of your degree and the language requirements. To keep up with new material on incomes, moving and working in Austria, subscribe to our newsletter.