By Dr. Bilal Akil, MD — Emergency Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University · founder of mccQbank
Short answer: The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reports that the average gross clinical payment per physician in Canada was $383,000 in 2023–2024, ranging from $318,000 in Nova Scotia to $429,000 in Alberta (CIHI, Physicians). That figure is a gross payment before practice costs, not take-home pay. Residents are paid a salary instead: the CaRMS salary page lists PGY-1 salaries from $58,728 in Quebec to $78,578 in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
This post replaces an older version of this page that listed salary ranges without a named source. Every number below now comes from CIHI’s National Physician Database (NPDB) or from CaRMS, read on 15 October 2026. Where the source has a limit, we say so.
Where the numbers come from
CIHI’s National Physician Database collects payments that provinces and territories make to physicians. The most recent release is National Physician Database — Payments Data, 2023–2024 (an Excel workbook). The specialty figures below are from its Table A.3.2, “Average gross clinical payment per physician specialty, by province/territory, 2023–2024”, using the “Total” column.
Two definitions matter:
- Gross clinical payment means fee-for-service plus alternative payments made to physicians. CIHI’s methodology notes say the averages are “the sum of all gross clinical payments (fee-for-service and alternative payments) made to physicians divided by the sum of physicians receiving a payment.”
- Head count, not workload. In CIHI’s words, “Each physician receiving clinical payments is counted equally regardless of the amount of money they received or the level of activity (e.g., full time, part time, casual).”
Average gross clinical payment by specialty, 2023–2024
Figures are the “Total” column of CIHI’s table, in Canadian dollars, rounded as published. The table has columns for 10 provinces and the Yukon, not the Northwest Territories or Nunavut. Specialty groups are in bold.
| Specialty | Average gross clinical payment per physician |
|---|---|
| Total physicians | $383,497 |
| Family medicine | $323,641 |
| Total specialties | $446,528 |
| Medical specialties | $405,545 |
| Internal medicine | $447,078 |
| Cardiology | $694,630 |
| Gastroenterology | $565,666 |
| Neurology | $338,019 |
| Psychiatry | $315,316 |
| Pediatrics | $326,812 |
| Dermatology | $523,325 |
| Physical medicine | $367,741 |
| Anesthesia | $485,654 |
| Surgical specialties | $556,351 |
| General surgery | $521,768 |
| Thoracic/cardiovascular surgery | $637,129 |
| Urology | $553,776 |
| Orthopedic surgery | $504,675 |
| Plastic surgery | $426,090 |
| Neurosurgery | $577,282 |
| Ophthalmology | $956,197 |
| Otolaryngology | $531,710 |
| Obstetrics/gynecology | $433,909 |
Source: CIHI, National Physician Database — Payments Data, 2023–2024, Table A.3.2. CIHI notes that gastroenterology and cardiology “are subspecialties of internal medicine, which includes 11 other subspecialties”, and that “Imaging and laboratory specialists are not included”, so radiology and pathology do not appear. In this table Saskatchewan shows “n/a” for every specialty row; the methodology notes say Saskatchewan “is included in the fee-for-service indicators only” for specialty-level averages.
What this number does and doesn’t mean
Use this box before quoting any figure from the table.
| It does mean | It doesn’t mean |
|---|---|
| Public clinical payments (fee-for-service plus alternative payments) divided by the number of physicians paid, for fiscal year 2023–2024. | Take-home pay. CIHI: average payment calculations “do not represent physicians’ net incomes (gross payments less practice costs and other deductions).” |
| CIHI’s average for each specialty in this data release, to be read with the limits listed below. | A salary. Overhead is not removed: “Because overhead expenses vary across jurisdictions and specialties and are not clearly reported, CIHI does not adjust payment figures to account for them.” |
| An average across everyone paid in that specialty, full time or not. | What a full-time physician earns. Part-time and casual physicians count the same as full-time ones. |
| Payments for 2023–2024. | Current fees. CIHI says the outputs “do not reflect more recent agreements, contracts or programs that may be in place.” |
CIHI does not publish an overhead percentage or a net-income figure in this release, so we do not estimate one here. If you are comparing an offer or a career path, ask the clinic, hospital or provincial program what expenses the physician carries.
Why the provincial and specialty averages differ
CIHI’s notes to Table A.3.2 and its methodology notes flag several limits to keep in mind when comparing provinces and specialties:
- Ontario is under-reported for 2023–2024. CIHI states the Ontario results “do not accurately reflect total clinical payments made to physicians”, citing missing retroactive payments (2.8%) and inaccurate counting of certain payments and premiums.
- Small jurisdictions are calculated differently. For P.E.I., CIHI uses “only permanent in-province physicians”; for the Yukon, only physicians “whose total gross payments are at least $60,000.”
- Some payments are left out. “Technical fees in publicly funded hospital settings are excluded.”
- Head counts include part-time work. CIHI counts each physician receiving payments equally, “regardless of the amount of money they received or the level of activity.”
Two patterns in the table are still clear. Ophthalmology has the highest “Total” average of the specialties listed, at $956,197, roughly three times family medicine’s $323,641. Psychiatry ($315,316), family medicine and pediatrics ($326,812) are the three lowest rows in the table.
What residents are paid
Residents are paid a salary rather than the clinical payments above. The CaRMS salary page lists these PGY-1 figures (each province’s block shows its own update date):
| Province | PGY-1 salary on CaRMS | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $69,175 | July 23, 2026 |
| Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. | $78,578 | July 24, 2026 |
| Quebec | $58,728 | July 23, 2026 |
| Ontario | $73,367.35 | January 6, 2025 |
| Manitoba | $72,171.45 | July 22, 2026 |
| Saskatchewan | $68,329 | July 23, 2026 |
| Alberta | $67,440 | July 22, 2026 |
| British Columbia | $71,390.44 (effective first pay period after April 1, 2027) | September 2, 2026 |
Each province’s block on CaRMS also lists PGY-2 and higher levels and links the resident-doctor association or agreement for more information. For how those salaries compare with living costs, see our post on resident salaries and cost of living across Canadian provinces. For the other side of the ledger, see the cost of becoming a doctor in Canada.
For IMGs: the payment comes after licensure
The NPDB counts physicians who received clinical payments from a province or territory. If you trained abroad, the first job is getting licensed to practise here; we set out each step, with its sources, in how an IMG gets licensed in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
Is $383,000 what a Canadian doctor takes home?
No. CIHI says its averages are based on gross payments and “do not represent physicians’ net incomes (gross payments less practice costs and other deductions).” CIHI does not adjust for overhead.
Which specialty has the highest average gross clinical payment?
In CIHI’s 2023–2024 Table A.3.2, ophthalmology has the highest “Total” average of the specialties listed, at $956,197. Radiology and other imaging and laboratory specialties are not included in the table.
How much does a family doctor make in Canada?
CIHI’s “Total” average gross clinical payment for family medicine was $323,641 in 2023–2024. That is before practice costs, and it counts part-time physicians equally with full-time ones.
Which province pays physicians the most on average?
CIHI reports the 2023–2024 average gross clinical payment per physician ranged from $318,000 in Nova Scotia to $429,000 in Alberta. CIHI also flags that Ontario’s 2023–2024 payments are under-represented.
How much do residents earn in Canada?
On the CaRMS salary page, PGY-1 salaries range from $58,728 in Quebec to $78,578 in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Each province also lists salaries for later PGY levels.
Getting to any of these numbers starts with passing the MCCQE (MCCQE1 is still the common search term). If you are preparing now, try 30 free questions from our bilingual bank.
