For the first time, Australian sole traders have access to reliable data that shows what others in similar lines of work are really earning.
And the numbers might surprise a few people. It's not just doctors and tech consultants pulling in six figures. Electricians, plumbers, tilers and a handful of other trades are averaging $100,000 a year or more too.
The figures come from Hnry's inaugural Sole Trader Earnings Report for 2025/26, which analysed anonymised taxable income (profit, not revenue) from tens of thousands of Australian sole traders using the Hnry platform, spanning 116 different types of work. It's worth noting upfront that this reflects Hnry's own user base rather than a full national census, but with that many sole traders and that many occupations covered, it's one of the more detailed benchmarks going.
Who's earning what
IT Software Consultants topped the list, averaging $175,000 a year. Project Managers came in next at $160,000, followed by Doctors and GPs at $155,000. HR Consultants ($153,000), Management Consultants ($152,000) and Business Analysts ($150,000) rounded out the top earners.
But the strong numbers weren't limited to professional services. Midwives averaged $125,000, Carpet Layers and Tilers sat at $110,000 alongside Electricians, Earth Moving Services averaged $105,000, and Plumbers came in at $100,000.
Broken down by broader category, Contractors were the highest-earning group overall, averaging $111,400 a year. Tradies followed at $78,800, health and wellness sole traders at $70,100, and freelancers at $62,000.
For context, the average taxable income for Australian individuals overall was $78,127 in 2023-24, according to the latest ATO Taxation Statistics.
Why this data matters
Around 1.7 million Australians work as sole traders, a significant chunk of the national workforce. But unlike salaried employees, they've never really had access to the kind of salary guides and benchmarks that make it easy to check whether they're being paid fairly.
Hnry Australia Managing Director Karan Anand said that gap was the whole reason behind building the report. "Working for yourself can give you enormous freedom, but one of the hardest things when you start out is knowing what to charge."
He pointed out how different that is to being an employee. "If you're an employee, it's relatively easy to find salary guides, advertised salaries and industry benchmarks. When you work for yourself, that information is much harder to come by, and people can spend years building valuable skills without really knowing how their earnings compare."
The goal, according to Anand, is giving sole traders a reference point they've never really had. "We want sole traders to be able to look at what others doing similar work are earning and have the confidence to ask: am I charging what I'm worth?"
It's not just about the money
The report also pushes back on the idea that self-employment is mostly gig work or side hustles. With contractors averaging over $111,000 a year, Anand said the appeal of working for yourself goes well beyond income alone, with flexibility being just as big a drawcard.
"The nine-to-five isn't the only pathway to building a successful career anymore. People are taking expertise they've developed over years and realising they can offer those skills directly, choose the clients and projects they work on, and build work around the life they want."
He was careful to note that success looks different depending on who you ask. "For some people, success means earning more. For others, it means being able to pick their kids up from school, choose the projects they take on or decide how many days a week they want to work."
But Anand said both of those things, earning potential and flexibility, depend on sole traders actually knowing their worth. "That combination of earning potential and greater control over your working life is incredibly powerful. But to make the most of it, people need good information about what their time and expertise are actually worth."
The report's figures span technology, healthcare, professional services, construction, transport, marketing and creative industries, reflecting just how broad the sole trader economy has become in Australia.