Health and wellness sole traders earned an average of $70,100 in FY 25/26 👏
Health and Wellness sole traders are a diverse group, ranging from Midwives and Counsellors to Locum Doctors and Allied Health Professionals. While earnings vary across this group, a relatively high proportion of top earners means this cohort has a strong overall average.
This isn’t surprising, given the medical and therapeutic fields generally boast higher salaries. But these professionals aren’t always associated with sole trader roles – they’re often expected to work in hospitals or clinics, or run their own practices.
So why choose to be a sole trader? For many, it’s not about stepping away from healthcare – it’s about finding a more sustainable way to stay in it. Medical work comes with a high level of responsibility, and work-life balance is especially important for workers who may not always put themselves first.
How health and wellness sole traders work
Becoming a sole trader practitioner is one way for medical practitioners to meaningfully contribute to an overburdened healthcare system without working long hours or facing the same risk of burnout.
It allows them to provide support where it’s most needed, helping take the pressure off an overburdened system.
Wellness workers outside of medicine also stand to gain from this level of flexibility. Support work can be both physically and emotionally demanding; being a sole trader gives them control over their working hours, locations, and the clients they work with.
Earnings by industry
Medical
In the medical locum market, many practitioners are engaged via recruitment agencies or hospital systems that structure work through PAYG or managed contracts. This makes operating as a sole trader less common. But for those who do, being a sole trader means less overall admin, control over working hours, and more autonomy. It’s an attractive proposition for professions where long, hard hours are the norm.
Counselling, Therapy, and Other Health Services
Many health professionals – from Counsellors and Therapists to other allied health providers – operate as one-person practices. Setting up as a sole trader offers one of the simplest and lowest-cost ways to start a business, with the option to incorporate a company later as the business grows.
Physical Education
No surprise that Fitness Educators often work as sole traders – it’s a cost-effective way to start and grow a fitness business, while also building a client base and a personal brand. While it is possible to work out of a home gym, many Personal Trainers opt to rent space from their local gym (generally tax deductible!). Similarly, Yoga Teachers/Sports Coaches can rent community spaces, or (weather permitting) teach outdoor classes at their local park, to keep startup costs down.
In-home Support Services
NDIS Workers are unsurprisingly the biggest cohort in this group, providing all manner of domestic support for their clients. These workers may work for a single client, or provide specific services to multiple clients, depending on their specialisation. Similarly, In-home Child Care Workers and Nannies can opt to work with multiple families, or just one – they design their ideal working environment.
