Wage & Pay Calculator Australia 2025–2026Australian Wage, Pay & Salary Calculator 2025–2026
Free Australian pay calculator for 2025–2026. See take-home pay after PAYG tax, Medicare, HECS/HELP and super.
Salary Guides
Browse public service salaries by category
Federal salaries cover APS, ASD, and DSTG. State salaries cover NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, and NT. If a jurisdiction has classification streams, you'll choose that stream after opening the salary page.
Federal Salaries
APS, ASD, and DSTG sit together under the federal salary category.
State Salaries
Choose a state salary guide first. Stream selection appears inside the jurisdiction where available.
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Put two or more offers head-to-head — after tax, super, and HECS. Don't get fooled by a higher gross.
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Payslip Generator
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Forecast retirement balances, contribution impact, and simple annual drawdowns.
Tax Return Calculator
Estimate your refund or tax owing from annual totals and PAYG withheld.
GST Calculator
Instantly add or remove 10% GST, calculate bulk amounts, and estimate your BAS position.
Free Australian Wage Calculator, Pay Calculator and Salary Calculator — Updated for 2025–2026
WageCalculator is a free Australian wage calculator, pay calculator, and salary calculator that shows your take-home pay after income tax, PAYG withholding, 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.
Use it as a take-home pay calculator, PAYG calculator, or net pay calculator by entering your salary as an annual, monthly, fortnightly, weekly, or hourly figure. You'll get an instant breakdown of tax withheld and every major 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 pay. 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
- PAYG withholding — tax withheld from each pay cycle
- 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
- Hourly rate breakdown — gross vs net hourly rate with tax per hour
- 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 portions of your income, not a single flat rate on the whole amount. According to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), the 2025-26 tax brackets are: 0% on income 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, 45% on income above $190,000. For example, on a $100,000 salary your effective tax rate including Medicare is approximately 22.8% — not 30%, because only the income within each bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate. The Low Income Tax Offset (LITO) can further reduce tax owed by up to $700 for taxable incomes below $66,667. This calculator applies all current ATO brackets, LITO, and the Medicare Levy automatically when you enter your salary.
What is the difference between a wage calculator and a salary calculator?
There is no practical difference for tax purposes — both calculate your take-home pay from a gross income figure using ATO 2025-26 tax brackets, Medicare Levy, and HECS/HELP thresholds. The distinction is in how pay is structured: a 'wage' typically refers to hourly or weekly pay, common in retail, hospitality, construction, and trades where hours may vary. A 'salary' is a fixed annual amount, common in professional, corporate, and public sector roles. Under Fair Work Australia rules, both are subject to the same income tax rates and the same 12% Superannuation Guarantee. This calculator handles both — enter an annual salary or an hourly wage and choose your pay period (weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or annual) to instantly see your net income, tax withheld, and super contributions for 2025-26.
What is the Medicare Levy?
The Medicare Levy is a 2% tax on your taxable income that funds Australia's public healthcare system, Medicare. According to the ATO, for 2025-26 you pay the full 2% levy if your taxable income exceeds $36,509 per year. Below $29,207, you pay no Medicare Levy at all. Between these two thresholds, a shade-in rate gradually increases your levy from 0% to 2%. The Medicare Levy is separate from the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS), which is an additional 1–1.5% charged to higher earners ($101,000+ for singles, $202,000+ for families) who do not hold an appropriate level of private hospital cover. This calculator automatically applies the correct Medicare Levy based on your income and accounts for the shade-in thresholds, so you can see exactly how much you'll pay.
How are HECS/HELP repayments calculated?
HECS-HELP repayments are calculated on your repayment income, which the ATO defines as your taxable income plus any reportable fringe benefits and reportable super contributions. For 2025-26, compulsory repayments begin once your repayment income reaches $67,000. Below this threshold, you make no repayments regardless of your HECS debt balance. Above it, repayment amounts are calculated using the marginal-rate method — each dollar within a repayment band is charged at that band's rate, then the total is combined. This means your repayment increases gradually as your income rises, avoiding sudden jumps. HECS debts are also indexed annually on 1 June based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This calculator shows your exact HECS repayment amount and its impact on your take-home pay when you tick the HECS/HELP option.
Does this calculator include the Stage 3 tax cuts?
Yes. The revised Stage 3 tax cuts that took effect from 1 July 2024 are fully reflected in this calculator. The key changes were: the 19% bracket was reduced to 16% on income from $18,201 to $45,000, the 32.5% bracket was reduced to 30% and extended from $45,001 to $135,000, the 37% bracket now applies from $135,001 to $190,000, and the 45% top rate remains on income above $190,000. According to the ATO, these changes reduced tax for most Australians earning under $190,000. For example, someone earning $80,000 saves approximately $1,679 per year compared to the pre-July 2024 brackets. All calculations in this tool use the current 2025-26 ATO rates including these revisions.
What is superannuation and how is it calculated?
Superannuation (super) is compulsory retirement savings that your employer must pay on top of your salary under Australian law. The Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate for 2025-26 is 12% of your ordinary time earnings, as set by the ATO. This means on a $100,000 salary, your employer contributes an additional $12,000 to your super fund. Super is paid in addition to your gross salary, so it does not reduce your take-home pay — but it is an important part of your total compensation package. When comparing job offers, always factor in super on top of the base salary. You can also make voluntary salary sacrifice contributions into super to reduce your taxable income and pay less tax. This calculator shows your super entitlement alongside your take-home pay breakdown.
How do I calculate my take-home pay from a salary?
Enter your gross salary into this calculator — you can input it as an annual, monthly, fortnightly, weekly, or hourly figure. The calculator then applies the 2025-26 ATO tax brackets to determine your income tax, deducts the 2% Medicare Levy, calculates any HECS/HELP repayments if you have a student loan, and shows your net take-home pay for every pay period. You can also toggle additional options like salary sacrifice into super, novated lease deductions, fringe benefits, and the Medicare Levy Surcharge to see their impact on your pay. The results update instantly as you change inputs. For example, on a $90,000 gross salary with no HECS debt, your approximate take-home pay for 2025-26 is around $70,412 per year, or $2,708 per fortnight after tax and Medicare.
What is salary sacrifice and how does it reduce tax?
Salary sacrifice is an arrangement where you direct part of your pre-tax salary toward approved benefits such as additional superannuation contributions, a novated lease on a car, or other eligible items like laptops and phones. Because the sacrificed amount is deducted from your salary before income tax is calculated, it reduces your taxable income and therefore the amount of tax you pay. For example, salary sacrificing $10,000 into super on an $80,000 salary means you are only taxed on $70,000, saving approximately $3,000 in income tax per year. The sacrificed super amount is taxed at just 15% inside the fund instead of your marginal rate. Note that salary sacrifice does not reduce your Superannuation Guarantee entitlement — your employer still pays 12% SG on your original salary. Use our salary sacrifice calculator to model the exact saving for your situation.
How do I convert my salary to an hourly rate?
To convert an annual salary to an hourly rate, divide your gross salary by the total hours you work in a year. Under the Fair Work Act, a standard full-time working week in Australia is 38 hours, which gives 1,976 hours per year (38 × 52). For example, a $75,000 salary equals approximately $37.96 per hour gross. If you work fewer hours — say 35 per week — your hourly rate would be higher at $41.21 per hour. This calculator performs the conversion automatically and also shows your net (after-tax) hourly rate, so you can see exactly what you earn per hour after PAYG tax, Medicare, and any HECS deductions. This is especially useful for comparing a salaried role against hourly contract work, or for verifying that your employer is meeting minimum wage requirements under your award.
What is the difference between gross and net hourly rate?
Your gross hourly rate is your total pay per hour before any deductions — it is the headline rate quoted in job ads and employment contracts. Your net hourly rate is what you actually take home per hour after income tax, the 2% Medicare Levy, and any HECS/HELP repayments have been deducted. The difference between the two depends on your total annual income, because Australia's progressive tax system means higher earners pay a larger percentage in tax. For example, someone earning $40 per hour gross (approximately $79,040 annually based on 38 hours per week) would take home around $31.86 per hour net for 2025-26. Someone earning $25 per hour gross would keep approximately $21.66 per hour net due to the lower marginal tax rate. This calculator shows both gross and net hourly rates side by side for easy comparison.
Can I use this as a PAYG or payroll calculator?
Yes. This calculator uses the same ATO 2025-26 PAYG withholding schedules and tax tables that payroll software uses, so it is a reliable tool for verifying your take-home pay, tax withheld per pay cycle, super contributions, and HECS deductions. It calculates income tax using the current progressive brackets, applies the Medicare Levy at 2%, and factors in the Low Income Tax Offset (LITO) — matching the methodology prescribed by the ATO for employers. For full payroll processing with features like leave accruals, payment summaries, and Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting, you will still need dedicated payroll software. But for quickly checking that your payslip deductions are correct, modelling a salary change, or estimating pay for a new role, this PAYG calculator gives you accurate, instant results that align with official ATO formulas.