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Australia Take-Home Pay Calculator

Work out your net pay after income tax, the Medicare levy and HECS-HELP - and see whether a salary quoted "including super" is really the better offer.

Australia Take-Home Pay Calculator

These figures are for the 2025-26 tax year

The current tax year is 2026-27, and the rates and thresholds below have not yet been updated for it. Treat the result as an approximation: bands are usually indexed each year, so your real figure will differ. Confirm against Australian Taxation Office before relying on it.

Job ads quote both ways. A package including super is worth less in the hand than the same number excluding it.

Extra pre-tax contributions to super, above the employer guarantee.

Repayments are compulsory once your income passes the threshold.

Take-home · fortnightly

$2,708.15

$70,412 a year from $90,000 salary · effective rate 21.8%
Take home78%
  • Take-home pay$70,41278%
  • Income tax$17,78820%
  • Medicare levy$1,8002%
Where your salary goes

Income tax

$17,788

Medicare levy

$1,800

Super paid by employer

$10,800

12% guarantee

Marginal rate

30%

On your next dollar

Your employer pays $10,800 of superannuation on top of this salary, so it does not reduce your take-home pay. Your total remuneration is $100,800.

Annual figures

  • Base salary$90,000
  • Taxable income$90,000
  • Income tax− $17,788
  • Medicare levy− $1,800
  • Take-home pay$70,412
  • Superannuation (not paid to you)$10,800

Income tax, band by band

Only the income inside each band is taxed at that band’s rate, which is why your effective rate is lower than your marginal one.

BandRateIncome in bandTax
16% band16%$26,800$4,288
30% band30%$45,000$13,500

Based on published 2025-26 resident rates. Assumes you claim the tax-free threshold, hold private hospital cover or earn below the Medicare levy surcharge thresholds, and have no other income or offsets.

The link carries the values you entered, so whoever opens it sees the same result. Nothing is stored on our side — the numbers travel in the link itself.

How the australia take-home pay calculation works

Two things make Australian pay harder to compare than it looks: superannuation can be quoted inside or outside the salary figure, and HECS-HELP repayments are charged on your whole income once you cross a threshold. Both are handled above, using published 2025–26 rates.

"Plus super" versus "package including super"

The superannuation guarantee is 12% from 1 July 2025, paid by your employer into your fund. Job ads quote it both ways, and the difference is not small. A role advertised at $90,000 plus super pays you $90,000 of salary and $10,800 into super — total value $100,800. A role at $90,000 package including super pays you about $80,357 of salary and $9,643 of super. Same headline number, roughly $6,600 less in your hand each year and $1,157 less into your fund. Toggle the switch above to see it directly; the calculator divides a package figure by 1.12 to recover the real base salary before taxing it.

Income tax and the tax-free threshold

The first $18,200 you earn is untaxed. Above it: 16% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000, and 45% beyond. Only the income inside each band is taxed at that band's rate, which is why someone on $100,000 has a 30% marginal rate but pays about 21% of salary in income tax, or 23% once the Medicare levy is added. The band-by-band table above breaks it out.

The tax-free threshold can only be claimed from one employer. If you have a second job and claim it twice, you will be under-withheld and face a bill at tax time — a very common cause of unexpected ATO debts.

The Medicare levy shades in

The levy is 2% of taxable income, but it does not switch on abruptly. Below $27,222 you pay nothing. Between $27,222 and $34,027 it phases in at 10 cents per dollar over the lower threshold, reaching the full 2% only at the top. This calculator models the shading rather than assuming a flat 2%, which matters for part-time and casual income.

Separately, the Medicare levy surcharge of 1% to 1.5% applies to higher earners without private hospital cover. It is not included above, because it depends on your insurance status.

HECS-HELP: the cliff nobody expects

This is the one that surprises people. Once your repayment income crosses a threshold, the repayment rate applies to your entire income, not just the amount above the threshold. The first threshold is $56,156 at 1%, rising in steps to 10% above $164,817.

The consequence is a genuine cliff. Earning $56,155 costs you nothing; earning $56,157 costs about $562. A pay rise that nudges you over a threshold can leave you with less money than before. There is no marginal smoothing — the ATO applies the whole-of-income rate deliberately.

Salary sacrifice

Extra pre-tax contributions to super reduce your taxable income, so they cut income tax, the Medicare levy and your HECS-HELP repayment income. Concessional contributions are taxed at 15% inside the fund, so if your marginal rate is 30% or more the arbitrage is real. The annual concessional cap covers your employer's guarantee contributions as well as anything you sacrifice, so the room is smaller than the cap suggests.

Enter your own figure above, then flip the super toggle. For most job comparisons, that toggle changes the answer more than the tax does.

Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only and is not tax advice. It uses published 2025–26 resident rates and assumes you claim the tax-free threshold, have no Medicare levy surcharge liability, and have no other income or offsets. Your real payslip depends on your TFN declaration and your employer’s payroll. Confirm figures with the ATO or a registered tax agent.

Frequently asked questions

How much is take-home pay on $90,000 in Australia?

On $90,000 plus super, with no HECS debt, you pay about $17,788 in income tax and $1,800 in Medicare levy, leaving roughly $70,412 a year or about $2,708 a fortnight. Your employer pays a further $10,800 into superannuation on top. If that $90,000 is instead a package including super, your base salary is only about $80,357 and your take-home falls to roughly $63,855 - about $6,600 less for the same advertised figure.

Does superannuation come out of my pay?

Not if the salary is quoted as "plus super" - the 12% guarantee is paid by your employer on top and never reduces your take-home pay. If the figure is a total package including super, then it effectively does: the advertised number is divided into salary and super, and only the salary part is paid to you. Always ask which basis an offer uses before comparing it to another.

How does the HECS-HELP repayment actually work?

Once your repayment income passes a threshold, the applicable rate is charged on your whole income, not just the excess. At $56,156 the rate is 1%, rising in steps to 10% above $164,817. Because the rate applies to everything, crossing a threshold creates a real cliff - a small pay rise can leave you worse off. Repayments are collected through your tax return, and your employer withholds extra during the year if you have declared the debt.

What is the Medicare levy surcharge, and is it included here?

It is a separate charge of 1% to 1.5% on higher earners who do not hold private hospital cover, on top of the standard 2% levy. It is not included in this calculator, because it depends on your insurance status and your family situation. For many people just above the threshold, basic hospital cover costs less than the surcharge would.

Is salary sacrificing into super worth it?

Concessional contributions are taxed at 15% inside the fund, so if your marginal rate is 30%, 37% or 45% you keep more of each dollar by sacrificing it. It also lowers your taxable income for the Medicare levy and HECS-HELP repayment income. The trade-off is access: the money is preserved until you reach your preservation age. The annual concessional cap includes your employer contributions, so check the remaining room before committing.

Why did I get a tax bill when tax comes out of every payslip?

The most common causes are claiming the tax-free threshold at two jobs at once, which under-withholds by about $2,900 a year, and having a HECS-HELP debt you did not declare on your TFN declaration. Bank interest, investment income and capital gains are also untaxed at source. PAYG withholding is an estimate; the tax return reconciles it.

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