How much do appointment setters make? Honest AU and US ranges

Appointment setter pay varies a lot, and public data only gives you a rough guide. In Australia, SEEK shows a typical advertised range of $65,000 to $85,000 a year (AUD) for full-time appointment setter roles, and in the US, Payscale shows a median of about $16.08 an hour (USD), with total pay of roughly $28,000 to $47,000 a year. Many remote setter roles are part-time, contract or commission-heavy, so your own pay can land well below or above those figures. She Sells trains women in Australia and the US to set and close, and helps graduates of its career program find a role.

The honest AU and US pay ranges

Here’s what the salary sites showed when we checked in October 2026. Every figure is a snapshot that varies by employer, hours, location and pay structure, so treat it as territory, not a forecast.

Market	What the data shows	What it is based on	Source (checked October 2026)
Australia (AUD)	Typical $65,000 to $85,000 a year	Full-time salary ranges disclosed by employers in SEEK job ads; some include superannuation, some don’t	SEEK
Australia (AUD)	Median AU$25.58 an hour (middle half roughly AU$24.40 to AU$30); total pay AU$46,000 to AU$61,000	Only 8 salary profiles, last updated March 2026, so a very thin sample	Payscale Australia
US (USD)	Median $16.08 an hour (10th to 90th percentile $12.74 to $20.85); commission $9,000 to $15,000; total pay $28,000 to $47,000 a year	76 salary profiles, last updated May 2026	Payscale US

A few things worth knowing before you lean on any of these numbers:

• SEEK leans full-time and salaried. It only counts ads that disclose a full-time salary, so commission-only contractor roles and casual work are mostly invisible in that range. SEEK also lists average advertised salaries by industry, at $61,420 for setter roles in Sales and $59,783 in Call Centre and Customer Service.
• Payscale is self-reported. People enter their own pay, and the Australian sample is tiny. That’s why its AU total pay range sits lower than SEEK’s advertised range.
• Job titles are messy. “Appointment setter” covers outbound telemarketing for solar or real estate, inbound booking for clinics, and DM setting for online coaches. Very different jobs, one label.
• Currency matters. AU figures are in AUD and US figures are in USD. Don’t compare them as if they’re the same dollar.

Indeed, Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter publish their own setter figures too, using their own methods. If you compare sites, look at how many salaries each figure is based on and when it was updated. None of these numbers tells you what you will earn.

What She Sells offers if you want to become a setter

Setting is often the first seat in remote sales, because you’re booking conversations rather than asking for the sale. At She Sells, “She Launches” is the foundation program, with live coaching, role play and frameworks (it doesn’t include direct placement). “She Soars” is the career program through the She Sells “Cert III in Remote Sales” certificate: once you’re certified, our recruitment team works with you to land a role within 90 days, or your money back. You can see both on the programs page.

How appointment setters actually get paid

The structure of the pay matters more than the headline number. Two roles with the same “up to” figure can feel completely different in your bank account.

Hourly or base pay

You’re paid for your time, whether or not the calls you book turn into sales. This is the most predictable option and common in call centre and inbound setting roles. Payscale’s US data is mostly built from this kind of role.

Base plus commission or bonus

You get an hourly rate or salary, plus a bonus or commission when booked calls show up or turn into sales. Payscale’s US page lists a separate commission range on top of base pay, which shows how common this mix is. For many beginners it’s the sweet spot: a floor to stand on, with upside as you improve.

Per booked call or per show

Some online businesses pay a flat fee for each qualified call you book, or only for calls where the prospect actually turns up (a “show”). There’s no public data on standard rates for this, so read each offer carefully and check exactly what counts as “qualified”.

Commission-only

You’re paid a percentage only when a call you set becomes a sale. These roles are common with online coaches and course creators, often as contractor arrangements. Our guide to commission-only sales jobs covers the trade-offs in more depth.

Illustrative maths: how the same hours can pay very differently

These numbers are made up to show how the structures work. They are not typical rates, not data and not a prediction of what you’ll earn. Imagine 20 hours of setting in a week, and 10 calls booked.

Pay structure (illustration only)	Example terms	Example result for the week
Hourly	$20 an hour	20 hours x $20 = $400, however the calls go
Per show	$40 for each booked call that shows up	6 of 10 calls show: 6 x $40 = $240. If only 3 show, $120
Commission-only	5% of a $3,000 program, paid when it sells	$150 per sale. If 2 of your calls close, $300. If none close, $0

See how the risk moves? With hourly pay, the business carries the risk of a slow week. With per-show or commission-only pay, you carry it. Before you say yes to any offer, run your own version of this table with the real numbers, then ask what happens with refunds, payment plans and no-shows.

Know your rights: employee or contractor (AU and US)

This is the bit most people skip, and it’s the bit that protects you.

• Australia: the Fair Work Ombudsman says an employee can only be paid commission-only when their award or enterprise agreement allows it, and employees who aren’t covered by an award or agreement must still be paid at least the National Minimum Wage.
• US: the Department of Labor says the federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 an hour, and where a state minimum is higher, the employee gets the higher of the two.

Minimum wage rules are about employees. If a role is set up as a contract, ask directly whether you’d be an employee or a contractor, get it in writing, and remember that as a contractor you’ll usually handle your own tax (ATO in Australia, IRS in the US).

What moves appointment setter pay up

Once you’re past the first few months, these are the things that tend to make the biggest difference:

1. The offer you’re booking for. Setting for a higher-priced offer usually means bigger commission or bonuses per booked call that converts.
2. Your show rate. Confirming calls, sending reminders and building real rapport means more of your bookings actually turn up.
3. Lead quality. Booking ten qualified people beats booking twenty who were never going to buy.
4. Hours and consistency. A mum setting during school hours and a full-time setter are both “setters”. Steady weekly hours matter more than the odd big day.
5. Moving into closing. Many setters move into the closer seat as their skills grow. Our guide to how much remote closers make covers that side of the pay picture.

My own start was small. When I moved into remote sales in 2020, I made $440 in my first month. That’s my result and it’s not typical. It was proof I could do it, and it took years of reps after that, not weeks.

Red flags in setter job ads

Remote setting is a real job, and it attracts dodgy offers that borrow its language. Walk away if you see any of these:

• You have to pay to get the job. The US Federal Trade Commission says honest employers “will never ask you to pay to get a job.” Paying for skills training you’ve chosen yourself is different from paying a “fee” to be hired.
• Big money for little work. The FTC warns that a job claiming you can make a lot of money in a short time with little work is “almost certainly a scam.”
• You earn by recruiting others rather than by booking calls for a real product. That’s a network-marketing model, and I say that as someone whose first taste of sales was MLM in 2014.
• No written terms. Vague answers about what counts as a qualified booking, when you’re paid, or what happens if a client refunds.
• “Up to” figures with no maths. If no one can explain how the pay is calculated, assume the low end.

Questions to ask before you accept a setter role

• Is there an hourly rate or base, or is it commission-only?
• Am I paid per booking, per show, per sale, or a mix?
• Where do the leads come from, and how many conversations a week should I expect?
• Am I an employee or a contractor?
• When and how am I paid, and what happens if a sale refunds?
• What training, scripts and call reviews do you provide?

If you’re still working out what the day-to-day job looks like, our guide to appointment setter jobs from home walks through the types of roles and where to find them.

Results vary. Nothing here is a promise of income. See our earnings disclaimer.

Frequently asked questions

How much do appointment setters make an hour?

In the US, Payscale shows a median of about $16.08 an hour, with most profiles between roughly $12.74 and $20.85. Payscale’s small Australian sample shows a median of about AU$25.58 an hour. Your rate depends on the employer, the structure and whether commission is added on top, so these are guides only.

Do appointment setters get commission?

Many do, either as a bonus on top of an hourly rate or as their whole pay. Some roles pay per booked call or per show, and some pay a percentage when a sale closes. Always ask exactly how commission is calculated and when it’s paid.

Can you be an appointment setter part-time?

Yes, part-time, casual and contract setter roles are common, including work-from-home roles listed on SEEK. Part-time hours mean part-time pay, so compare offers by what you’d earn for the hours you can genuinely give. Flexible roles are often the ones with more commission in the mix.

Is commission-only appointment setting legal in Australia?

For employees, the Fair Work Ombudsman says commission-only pay is only allowed where an award or enterprise agreement permits it, and award-free employees must still get at least the National Minimum Wage. Contractor arrangements work differently. If you’re unsure, check with Fair Work before you sign.

Do setters or closers earn more?

Closers usually have a higher ceiling because they’re paid on sales, while setters often have steadier but lower pay. Plenty of people start as a setter and move into closing later. Individual results vary a lot in both seats.

Keep reading

• Best online sales communities for women (2026)
• Best high ticket closing courses in Australia (2026)
• How to improve your closing rate as a new closer
• How mums can build their own income and financial independence