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Free Australian Pay Calculator — Updated for 2025–2026
WageCalculator is a free online wage calculator for Australia that shows your take-home pay after income tax, Medicare Levy, HECS/HELP repayments and 12% superannuation. It uses the official ATO tax rates for the 2025-26 financial year — including the revised Stage 3 tax brackets — so you can trust the numbers whether you're evaluating a job offer, negotiating a pay rise, or planning your household budget.
Enter your salary as an annual, monthly, fortnightly, weekly or hourly figure and get an instant breakdown of every deduction. You can also model salary sacrifice into super, novated lease savings (including EV FBT exemptions), fringe benefits, and the Medicare Levy Surcharge. Need to work backwards? The reverse salary calculator finds the gross you need for a target take-home. And if you're weighing two offers, the salary comparison tool puts them side by side after tax.
All calculations run locally in your browser — no data is sent to any server, stored, or shared. Your financial information never leaves your device.
What this pay calculator covers
- Income tax — ATO 2025-26 progressive brackets with tax-free threshold
- Low Income Tax Offset (LITO) — automatic reduction
- Medicare Levy — 2% with low-income shade-in
- Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) — if no private health cover
- HECS/HELP repayments — income-tested thresholds
- Superannuation — 12% SG rate
- Salary sacrifice — pre-tax super, car & benefits
- Pay periods — weekly, fortnightly, monthly & annual
Common uses for this calculator
- Job offer evaluation — convert gross salary to actual take-home
- Pay negotiation — know the gross needed for a target net income
- Budget planning — reliable fortnightly and monthly figures
- Payroll verification — cross-check your payslip deductions
- HECS impact — see exactly how your study debt affects take-home
- Salary sacrifice modelling — compare before and after tax
- Comparing states — same tax rates nationwide, different living costs
Frequently Asked Questions
How is income tax calculated in Australia?
Australia uses a progressive tax system — you pay different rates on different slices of income. For 2025-26 the brackets are: 0% up to $18,200 (the tax-free threshold); 16% on $18,201–$45,000; 30% on $45,001–$135,000; 37% on $135,001–$190,000; and 45% on income above $190,000. The Low Income Tax Offset (LITO) can further reduce tax owed for incomes below $66,667.
What is the Medicare Levy?
The Medicare Levy is 2% of your taxable income and funds Australia's public health system. Low-income earners below the shade-in threshold pay a reduced rate or nothing. High-income earners without private hospital cover may also pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) of 1–1.5%.
How are HECS/HELP repayments calculated?
HECS-HELP repayments are calculated on your repayment income (taxable income plus reportable super and fringe benefits). You start repaying once this exceeds $54,435 in 2025-26. The rate steps from 1% to 10% across income bands. Repayments come out through your tax return or PAYG withholding if you've elected voluntary repayments.
Does this calculator include the Stage 3 tax cuts?
Yes. The revised Stage 3 cuts that took effect from 1 July 2024 are fully reflected — including the 16% rate on $18,201–$45,000 and the 30% rate on $45,001–$135,000. These changes reduced tax for most Australians earning under $190,000.
What is superannuation and how is it calculated?
Superannuation (super) is compulsory retirement savings your employer must pay on top of your salary. The Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate for 2025-26 is 12% of your ordinary time earnings. Super doesn't reduce your take-home pay but it's important for comparing total compensation across job offers.
How do I calculate my take-home pay from a salary?
Enter your gross salary (annual, monthly, fortnightly, weekly or hourly) into the calculator. It applies the 2025-26 ATO tax brackets, deducts Medicare Levy, HECS/HELP repayments if applicable, and shows your net take-home pay per period. You can also toggle salary sacrifice, novated lease, and fringe benefits to see the impact on your pay.
What is salary sacrifice and how does it reduce tax?
Salary sacrifice lets you direct part of your pre-tax salary toward superannuation, a car (novated lease), or other approved benefits. Because the sacrificed amount is removed before income tax is calculated, it can lower your taxable income and therefore the tax you pay. Use our salary sacrifice calculator to model the exact saving for your situation.
Can I use this as a payroll calculator for employees?
This calculator uses the same ATO 2025-26 PAYG withholding logic that payroll systems use, so it's a good sanity check for individual pay runs. For full payroll processing you'll need dedicated payroll software, but for quickly verifying take-home amounts, tax withheld, super contributions and HECS deductions, this tool is accurate.