Updated for 2026–27

Australian pay calculator

What lands in your account each payday, and what you'll really owe at tax time. It covers tax, super, Medicare, HECS-HELP, salary sacrifice, novated leases and side income.

  • Exact ATO withholding formulas
  • Tested against ATO sample data
  • Nothing leaves your browser
Tax residency

Fine-tune

Your take-home pay

$2,717.54 a fortnight

What lands in your account each fortnight, after $744 tax withheld.

Gross pay
$3,461.54
Tax withheld
$744.00
Employer super
$415.38
Marginal rate
32%

Estimated refund at tax time: $344

Fortnightly pays withhold $19,344 over the year; your actual tax is $19,000. The difference comes from the automatic $1,000 standard deduction.

Where your pay goes Fortnightly pay, as on your payslip

Tax withheld includes the Medicare levy.

Your payslip

Using the ATO's PAYG withholding formulas for 2026–27. Annual figures are for fortnightly pays.

ItemWeeklyFortnightlyMonthlyAnnual
Gross pay$1,730.77$3,461.54$7,500.00$90,000
Tax withheld (PAYG)−$372.00−$744.00−$1,612.00−$19,344
Net pay$1,358.77$2,717.54$5,888.00$70,656
Estimated tax refund$344
Take-home for the year$71,000
Employer super$207.69$415.38$900.00$10,800

Your tax return estimate

What you actually owe for 2026–27, worked out the way the ATO assesses it.

Salary and wages$90,000
less standard deduction−$1,000
Taxable income$89,000
Tax on taxable income$17,220.00
Income tax$17,220.00
Medicare levy $1,780.00
Total tax$19,000.00
less tax withheld (fortnightly pays)−$19,344
Estimated refund$344
Average tax rate21.3%
Marginal rate32%
Income for surcharge$89,000
Adjusted taxable income$89,000
Year to date Totals so far this financial year
Pays so far
8
Gross pay
$27,692
Tax withheld
$5,952
Net pay
$21,740
Employer super
$3,323
Pays this year
27

This year has 27 fortnightly paydays. If your salary is divided by 26, you'll get an extra pay; if it's divided by 27, each pay is smaller. The ATO lets you ask for a little extra tax to be withheld to cover the extra pay.

What if you earned more (or less)?

Drag to see how a pay change flows through to your take-home pay.

Salary change +$5,000
Take-home change +$3,400
Per fortnight +$131
You keep 68%
Medicare levy low-income thresholds for 2026–27 haven’t been announced. The law applies the 2025–26 thresholds ($28,011 single) until Parliament changes them, usually in the following Budget.

How your take-home pay is worked out

Your gross pay is reduced by any salary sacrifice and packaging to give your taxable pay. Each payday your employer withholds tax using the ATO's Statement of formulas for calculating amounts to be withheld, which builds in the tax-free threshold, the low income tax offset and the Medicare levy. If you have a study loan, they withhold an extra HELP component under Schedule 8.

At tax time the ATO works out your actual tax. It applies the resident tax rates to your taxable income after deductions, subtracts offsets such as LITO and SAPTO, then adds the Medicare levy, any Medicare levy surcharge and your compulsory HELP repayment. Whatever was over- or under-withheld comes back as a refund or a bill.

What's new for 2026–27

  • 15% tax rate on income between $18,201 and $45,000 (down from 16%), saving up to $268 a year.
  • $1,000 standard deduction applied automatically if you earn wages. Claim more only if your work expenses are higher.
  • Payday Super: super must reach your fund within 7 business days of payday, and the maximum contribution base is now annual ($270,830).
  • HELP threshold rises to $69,528, and repayments are only charged on income above it.

Frequently asked questions

How much tax do I pay on $90,000 in 2026–27?
On a $90,000 salary you pay $17,220 income tax and $1,780 Medicare levy, after the automatic $1,000 standard deduction. That leaves $71,000 a year, or about $2,717.54 a fortnight on your payslip. Your employer also pays $10,800 super on top.
Why is my payslip tax different from my annual tax?
Employers withhold tax each payday using the ATO’s PAYG withholding formulas. They estimate your yearly tax from a single pay, and can’t see deductions, offsets or other income. The difference is settled when you lodge your return, usually as a refund. TakeHome shows both: the exact amount on your payslip and the actual tax you owe.
What changed on 1 July 2026?
Three things affect most workers. The tax rate on income between $18,201 and $45,000 fell from 16% to 15%. The $1,000 standard deduction for work-related expenses now applies automatically, so you don’t need receipts for the first $1,000. And under Payday Super, employers must pay super within 7 business days of each payday. The concessional super cap also rose to $32,500.
Does salary sacrificing reduce my HECS-HELP repayments?
No. Salary-sacrificed super lowers your taxable income, but it’s added back as a reportable super contribution when your HELP repayment is worked out. Reportable fringe benefits, such as salary packaging and novated leases, are added back the same way. TakeHome handles this for you.
How accurate is this calculator?
We implement the ATO’s published formulas directly: the tax rates, offsets, Medicare levy and surcharge, the study-loan repayment rules, and the Schedule 1, 5, 8 and 15 PAYG withholding formulas. The engine is tested against more than 1,500 values from the ATO’s own sample data and worked examples, and matches every one. Results are still estimates, because we can’t see your full circumstances. See how we calculate.
Is super included in my salary?
Usually not — an advertised “salary” normally excludes super, which your employer pays on top at 12%. If you’ve been offered a “package” or “total remuneration” figure, it includes super. Switch on “Pay includes super” to split it.
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