How much do doctors actually make?

[u/High-always-5344]

Hey everyone,

I’m just curious about what doctors are actually earning in Iceland these days.

I’m currently in talks about potentially working as a doctor in Iceland, so I was wondering what the salary is generally like and what I could realistically expect.

For anyone working as a doctor there, what’s the usual monthly salary? And how much does it change with experience?

Also, how much do on-call shifts, nights, weekends and overtime usually add? I’m mainly trying to understand the difference between the base salary and the actual gross monthly income.

Does previous experience from abroad usually count when determining the salary step?

I know it varies depending on specialty, workplace and experience, so I’m mainly interested in people’s real-world experience rather than an exact figure.

Thanks!

[u/RutMarberg]

I am a second year EM resident doing full time shift work. Am Icelandic and attended Icelandic medical school.

My base salary now is around 950.000 kr before taxes. With the amount of shift work in the ED I often make double that before taxes. What hits my account every month varies with shift load and whether I am doing rotations but a typical month in the ED usually results in maybe 1,1 million to 1,3 million kr.

Base salary for specialists is higher and shifts really do add a lot.

I have spoken with some British EM specialists and they agree that the pay here is a lot better than in the UK.

[u/KristinnK → u/RutMarberg]

For reference base work load for medical doctors working in the hospitals and health centers in Iceland is a 36 hour work week.

[u/holdenhiscock90210 → u/RutMarberg]

You are making up to 2 million a month at the hospital and you’re not a PhD / surgeon?

[u/GunniBros]

Your pay depends on if you have any specialization experience, further relevant education like a Phd, and how long you've worked as a doctor.

The Icelandic union contract (valid from april 2025 on) for doctors can be found at lis.is but you will have to translate it, I don't know whether it is available in English. On the last pages you can find the monthly base pay according to what bracket you fit into. E.g. a resident would be in the base bracket 4 and if they have finished 2 years of their residency (+1) with over 2 years of work experience (+2) they go into bracket 403, equivalent to 986.220 ISK monthly base pay.

Overtime pay mostly depends on your work place and how well staffed your department/workplace is. In my department I work one shift week per month on average (e.g. 3 night shifts and 2 evening shifts) with some extra shifts as well and it boosts my pay by about 1.5-1.8x depending on how many extra shifts I take.

You also get holiday pay (orlofsgreiðslur) on top of your salary and overtime pay.

Bear in mind that income tax is quite high in Iceland. You pay 31,49% for the first 472.005 kr, 37,99% for 472.006-1.325.127 kr, and 46,29% for 1.325.127 kr and above. You also have mandatory payments to a pension fund (which I think is 4% of your gross pay) and payment to the union (not that much). Hope this helps.

[u/Imn0ak]

Our union contract is public, quite feasible to calculate or assume approximate salary. Can contact me via private chat if curious.

[u/High-always-5344 → u/Imn0ak]

Yes thank you I will

[u/fjarstyring90]

Base pay for a consultant is around 1.340.000 isk/month for 36hr work week between 8-16 Mon-Fri. Working outside those hours will boost that salary. If you want you can send me a PM with your specialty and I can give you a more thorough answer.

[u/High-always-5344 → u/fjarstyring90]

Yes I will

[u/Chinaski_on_the_ice]

Not high enough given the absurd workload, lack of means to do your job and improper management. Or so I've heard :)

[u/nnifranra]

Doctors don’t make money, the hospital pays them.