What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Occupational Therapists in the U.S. earn more than $100,330 a year — the middle 80% land between $71,690 and $131,950. About 162,450 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Occupational Therapists”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$100,330typical pay / year
162,450people in this work
$131,950+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Care2
Provide treatment and rehabilitation
+Assess Marcus Thompson’s shoulder pain, deliver hands-on soft tissue release and a graded home exercise…
Provide treatment and rehabilitation
+Assess Marcus Thompson’s shoulder pain, deliver hands-on soft tissue release and a graded home exercise progression, teach pain-management strategies and activity modifications, record baseline ROM and pain scores, and schedule a three-week review with him.
The tools that do the workCasamba SmartESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Help clients engage in work or vocational activities.
+Meet with Emma Ruiz to identify barriers at her bakery, trial work-simulated standing and lifting tasks with…
Help clients engage in work or vocational activities.
+Meet with Emma Ruiz to identify barriers at her bakery, trial work-simulated standing and lifting tasks with graded rest breaks, prescribe ergonomic tweaks and a phased return-to-work plan, and send the plan to her employer and vocational counselor.
The tools that do the workeClinicalWorks EHRESCOO*NETWikipedia
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Make1
Teach patients to use adaptive equipment
+Teach Daniel Park how to don and adjust his rolling walker and reacher, practice transfers and stair…
Teach patients to use adaptive equipment
+Teach Daniel Park how to don and adjust his rolling walker and reacher, practice transfers and stair negotiation until he can perform them safely with supervision, provide written safety cues and a two-week practice log for him to fill in.
The tools that do the workBizmatics PrognoCIS EMRjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Analysing2
Plan treatment programs for patients with disabilities
+Develop a six-week rehabilitation program for Luis Garcia’s spinal cord injury focusing on transfers, seated…
Plan treatment programs for patients with disabilities
+Develop a six-week rehabilitation program for Luis Garcia’s spinal cord injury focusing on transfers, seated balance and upper‑limb strengthening, include caregiver training and community access goals, and attach measurable weekly targets for review.
The tools that do the workeClinicalWorks EHRjob descriptionsO*NET
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Create treatment plans with measurable goals
+Write a treatment plan for Zoe Lin with three measurable goals: increase right hip flexion to 100 degrees in…
Create treatment plans with measurable goals
+Write a treatment plan for Zoe Lin with three measurable goals: increase right hip flexion to 100 degrees in six weeks, achieve pain ≤2/10 during ADLs in four weeks, and ambulate 200m with a single-point cane by eight weeks, and schedule fortnightly progress checks.
The tools that do the workCasamba Smartjob descriptionsWikipedia
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The daily work14
Instruct on the use of special equipment for daily activities
+Teach Sam how to use the raised toilet seat and long-handled sponge at home: demonstrate transfers, supervise…
Instruct on the use of special equipment for daily activities
+Teach Sam how to use the raised toilet seat and long-handled sponge at home: demonstrate transfers, supervise his first three independent tries, correct hand placement and grip, and produce a one-page checklist for his spouse to follow each morning starting Monday.
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Facilitate healthcare user's engagement in occupations
+Plan a graded activity program with Maria to restore her gardening and grocery routines: identify barriers at…
Facilitate healthcare user's engagement in occupations
+Plan a graded activity program with Maria to restore her gardening and grocery routines: identify barriers at home, set two weekly goals, schedule supervised sessions for three weeks, and record adaptations she must try before our review on the Friday follow-up.
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Promote social participation among clients.
+Increase each client’s community participation by scheduling a graded activity plan with local group classes,…
Promote social participation among clients.
+Increase each client’s community participation by scheduling a graded activity plan with local group classes, transport adaptations and home exercises, teach the required equipment use, set measurable weekly goals, and review progress with the client in two weeks.
The tools that do the workFacebookO*NETWikipedia
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Collaborate with interdisciplinary healthcare team
+Bring the athlete’s assessment, current goals, red-flag concerns and suggested adaptive equipment to the…
Collaborate with interdisciplinary healthcare team
+Bring the athlete’s assessment, current goals, red-flag concerns and suggested adaptive equipment to the Monday team meeting, request input from the sports physician and occupational therapist, agree shared targets and record responsibilities before close of day.
The tools that do the workeClinicalWorks EHRjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Complete and maintain necessary records.
+Complete the patient’s initial evaluation, treatment notes, outcome measures and equipment prescription in…
Complete and maintain necessary records.
+Complete the patient’s initial evaluation, treatment notes, outcome measures and equipment prescription in the record within 24 hours, attach signed consent and update the follow-up schedule so billing and audit trail are current.
The tools that do the workCasamba SmartO*NET
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Conduct research in occupational therapy.
+Search for recent trials and systematic reviews on occupation-based interventions, extract study designs and…
Conduct research in occupational therapy.
+Search for recent trials and systematic reviews on occupation-based interventions, extract study designs and outcome measures, summarise implications for practice in a two-page brief and circulate to the clinic on Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Help clients improve decision making, abstract reasoning, memory, sequencing, coordination, and perceptual skills, using computer programs.
+Prescribe a progressive cognitive training programme for decision making, memory and sequencing using…
Help clients improve decision making, abstract reasoning, memory, sequencing, coordination, and perceptual skills, using computer programs.
+Prescribe a progressive cognitive training programme for decision making, memory and sequencing using interactive computer exercises, demonstrate three tasks in session, give a home workbook and set objective performance targets for reassessment in four weeks.
The tools that do the workCrick Software Clicker 4O*NET
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Advise on health risks in the workplace or on health-related transition to retirement.
+Assess the worker’s job demands and health risks, advise specific ergonomic changes or phased duties for the…
Advise on health risks in the workplace or on health-related transition to retirement.
+Assess the worker’s job demands and health risks, advise specific ergonomic changes or phased duties for the return-to-retirement transition, write a one-page recommendation for HR and schedule a follow-up workplace visit in six weeks.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Document patient progress and treatment outcomes
+Document James Patel's session notes for knee rehab on 17 July, record objective measures pre‑ and…
Document patient progress and treatment outcomes
+Document James Patel's session notes for knee rehab on 17 July, record objective measures pre‑ and post‑exercise, describe pain, function and adherence, attach gait video and list goals updated for next three sessions.
The tools that do the workeClinicalWorks EHRjob descriptions
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Use scientific bases and a holistic perspective to promote daily routines.
+Write a weekly plan that uses exercise science and activity analysis to structure Maria Gomez's mornings:…
Use scientific bases and a holistic perspective to promote daily routines.
+Write a weekly plan that uses exercise science and activity analysis to structure Maria Gomez's mornings: progressive strengthening, sleep hygiene, graded aerobic activity and equipment training for five days, with patient education points and measurable routine outcomes.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordWikipedia
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Assess physical, psychological, and social aspects of human functioning.
+Complete a biopsychosocial assessment for Aaron Lee: record ROM, strength, pain scores, mood screen, work and…
Assess physical, psychological, and social aspects of human functioning.
+Complete a biopsychosocial assessment for Aaron Lee: record ROM, strength, pain scores, mood screen, work and home demands, social supports and barriers, and conclude with problem list and prioritized treatment recommendations.
The tools that do the workBizmatics PrognoCIS EMRWikipedia
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Facilitate participation in play, education, leisure, rest, and sleep.
+Design a participation plan to restore play, school tasks, leisure and sleep for 12‑year‑old Sophie:…
Facilitate participation in play, education, leisure, rest, and sleep.
+Design a participation plan to restore play, school tasks, leisure and sleep for 12‑year‑old Sophie: prescribe graded play activities, classroom strategies, evening wind‑down routine and mobility aids training, and set outcomes to review in three weeks.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordWikipedia
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Provide health education
+Prepare a patient education handout for Tom Ryder on ankle sprain prevention: explain injury mechanism, home…
Provide health education
+Prepare a patient education handout for Tom Ryder on ankle sprain prevention: explain injury mechanism, home exercises, footwear advice, return‑to‑sport criteria and short checklist to monitor progress for the next six weeks.
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Inform policy makers on health-related challenges
+Draft a two‑page brief for the hospital director and local public health lead summarising recurring shoulder…
Inform policy makers on health-related challenges
+Draft a two‑page brief for the hospital director and local public health lead summarising recurring shoulder overuse patterns seen in our athletes, annual incidence, access barriers, and three recommended policy actions with estimated resource needs.
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Says who?
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The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses