What is the typical strata manager salary?
Our best national figure for a full-time strata manager is about $80,700 a year. It comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Employee Earnings and Hours survey for May 2025, moved to 2026 with a wage index. The data gives the same value at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles. So treat it as a single typical salary. It tells you nothing about the spread between a new manager and a senior one. For the floor, use the award. For the ceiling, use real job ads.
Read the figure with one caveat. The May 2025 survey uses the older ANZSCO classification, and strata work sat inside Property Manager (612112). The national Certificate IV in Strata Community Management is mapped to that code, and Body Corporate Manager is listed as one of its job titles. That means the figure blends strata managers with residential property managers and sales staff. The new OSCA classification gives Strata Manager its own code, 599937. That should produce cleaner strata pay data over time.
The workforce is small. Jobs and Skills Australia counts about 5,100 strata managers, based on the 2021 Census. Of those, 81.2% work full-time, 61% are women and the median age is 41. Most of them, 76.8%, work in rental, hiring and real estate services.
What does the award guarantee?
The Real Estate Industry Award 2020 (MA000106) covers strata management staff. Its definition of an operational employee includes a property or strata management classification. From 1 July 2026, the full-time adult minimums for a 38-hour week are: Level 1 first year $1,010.60 ($52,551 a year), Level 1 after first year $1,063.90 ($55,323), Level 2 $1,119.10 ($58,193), Level 3 $1,231.00 ($64,012) and Level 4 $1,287.30 ($66,940).
Juniors get a percentage of the adult rate: 60% under 19, 70% at 19, 80% at 20 and the full rate from 21. The award's commission-only clause (16.7) applies only to property sales staff and to commercial, industrial or retail leasing staff at Level 2 or above. Strata management is not on that list. In practice, typical strata salaries sit well above the award, and the award works as the legal floor.
How do portfolio size and lot count change pay?
Employers set strata pay around the portfolio. Before you compare salaries, ask how many schemes and lots you will manage, how many AGMs and evening committee meetings you will run, and what mix of buildings you will get. Large mixed-use or commercial schemes with lifts, defects and big capital works budgets are harder to run than small walk-up blocks, so they pay more. For example, Whittles advertised a Darwin strata manager role at $85,000 to $110,000 plus super, depending on experience. That role managed a mix of residential and commercial complexes.
Books have been getting bigger. An industry article on the Strata Community Association's Inside Strata site found that strata businesses managed 4,906 lots on average in 2019, up from 3,275 in 2015. A higher salary for a much heavier book may not be a better deal. Ask for the lot count, the meeting load and the after-hours expectations in writing. In NSW, also watch how manager commissions are treated. A release from the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission estimated that ending strata manager commissions could save NSW $333 million over 15 years.
How does pay differ by state?
On our modelled figures, Western Australia pays the most at about $88,400. Next are the ACT at $88,000, the Northern Territory at $83,000, NSW at $81,200, Queensland at $79,900, Victoria at $79,600, South Australia at $76,200 and Tasmania at $71,400. These state figures are estimates built from the national data. They are not separate surveys of strata managers.
The jobs are concentrated in two states. NSW holds 44.5% of strata managers (about 2,300) and Queensland holds 21.9% (about 1,100). Victoria has 16.2% and WA has 9.3%, and each other state or territory has under 5%. A slightly lower figure in a big market can still mean more openings, more employers bidding for staff and more room to move into larger portfolios.
Pay
AUD a year, before tax. The typical salary rows are modelled from ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, indexed to 2026, for the wider property manager group, and the state figures are modelled estimates. The award rows are the official Real Estate Industry Award 2020 minimums from 1 July 2026, and the Darwin row is a single advertised salary. Refer to the Strata & Body Corporate salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Strata qualificationThe national strata qualification is CPP40521 Certificate IV in Strata Community Management. The Strata Community Association in Victoria also promotes the Diploma of Property (Agency Management – Strata), which has 12 units of competency.
- Skill levelJobs and Skills Australia rates strata manager at skill level 2, the equivalent of a Diploma or Advanced Diploma. Experience on the job can count towards that level.
- Licence or registrationJobs and Skills Australia notes that registration or licensing may be required, and the rules differ by state. In WA, paid strata managers must meet legal requirements under the Strata Titles Act 1985, including educational qualifications and criminal record checks, and must lodge a periodic return with Landgate.
- Meeting and governance skillsEmployers want you to set agendas, chair or run committee meetings and general meetings, take minutes and act on the decisions. These skills also decide how big a portfolio you can handle.
- Financial and contractor managementThe job includes collecting levies, setting budgets for common property, and managing contractors for roofs, lifts and building services. The more confident you are with budgets, the more complex schemes you will be given.
State by state
| New South Wales | Modelled typical salary is about $81,200. NSW is the largest market, with about 2,300 strata managers (44.5% of the national total). |
|---|---|
| Victoria | Modelled typical salary is about $79,600. Victoria has about 830 strata managers (16.2%). |
| Queensland | Modelled typical salary is about $79,900. Queensland is the second-largest market, with about 1,100 strata managers (21.9%). |
| Western Australia | Modelled typical salary is about $88,400, the highest in the country. WA has about 480 strata managers (9.3%). |
| South Australia | Modelled typical salary is about $76,200. SA has about 210 strata managers (4.0%). |
| Tasmania | Modelled typical salary is about $71,400, the lowest in the country. Tasmania has about 50 strata managers. |
| Australian Capital Territory | Modelled typical salary is about $88,000. The ACT has about 130 strata managers (2.5%). |
| Northern Territory | Modelled typical salary is about $83,000. One advertised Darwin role offered $85,000 to $110,000 plus super. |
How to get there
- EntryAssistant strata managerThis is the usual starting role. You prepare and coordinate meetings, notices and records for a strata manager while you learn the legislation.
- Early careerFormal strata studyComplete CPP40521 Certificate IV in Strata Community Management, or a strata-stream Diploma of Property, alongside the job.
- Once qualifiedStrata manager with own portfolioYou run your own book of schemes. That means meetings, levies, budgets, contractors and disputes. Pay is set around the size and complexity of the portfolio.
- Mid-careerSenior or complex-portfolio managerYou take on large mixed-use, commercial or high-rise schemes with bigger capital works budgets. Advertised pay can reach six figures.
- SeniorTeam leader or branch managerYou manage other strata managers, client retention and branch results, usually at a larger strata firm.
Open now on PropertyRoles.com.au
Questions people ask
Is the $80,700 figure specific to strata managers?
No. It comes from ABS earnings data that grouped strata managers with property managers and other real estate staff under the older ANZSCO codes. Use it as a typical full-time salary for the wider group, and use job ads to see what strata portfolios really pay.
What is the minimum a strata manager can be paid?
The Real Estate Industry Award 2020 covers strata management classifications. From 1 July 2026, a full-time adult at Level 1 in their first year must get at least $1,010.60 a week, or $52,551 a year. Juniors get a set percentage of that rate until they turn 21.
Can strata managers be paid commission only?
Not under the award's commission-only clause. Clause 16.7 covers only property sales staff and commercial, industrial or retail leasing staff at Level 2 or above. Strata management is not included.
Which state pays strata managers the most?
On modelled figures, Western Australia pays the most at about $88,400 a year, just ahead of the ACT at $88,000. Tasmania pays the least at about $71,400. Most strata jobs are in NSW and Queensland.
Does managing more lots mean higher pay?
Usually, yes. Employers set salaries around the number of schemes, the total lot count, the number of meetings and how complex the buildings are. Before you compare offers, get the portfolio details in writing, because a higher salary can come with a much heavier workload.
How many strata managers are there in Australia?
Jobs and Skills Australia counts about 5,100, based on the 2021 Census. About 81% work full-time, and the median age is 41.
Sources
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Strata Manager (OSCA 599937) occupation profile
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Real Estate Industry Award 2020 [MA000106]
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Real Estate Award summary
- National Training Register: CPP40521 Certificate IV in Strata Community Management
- Queensland Skills Gateway: Property Manager (612112)
- Property Council of Australia: Strata manager job advertisement (Whittles, Darwin)
- Strata Community Association, Inside Strata: Improving profitability in strata
- Strata Community Association: Career pathways in strata
- Landgate: Resources for strata managers
- NSW Government: Ending commissions for strata managers could save NSW $333 million
