PAYG withholding reference — Schedule 1

Fortnightly tax table: tax withheld from fortnightly pay

How much PAYG tax comes out of a fortnightly payslip — with and without the tax-free threshold, and with the study-loan (STSL) component. Every amount is computed from the ATO Schedule 1 statement of formulas, the same method payroll software uses, not read from a static copy of the printed table.

Running payroll? The official table is NAT 1006

The ATO fortnightly tax table (NAT 1006) is the authoritative document for employers — download it there for records, lodgment or audit. This page complements the PDF: it runs the underlying Schedule 1 statement of formulas directly, so you can check any gross amount without scanning the printed earnings ranges.

Fortnightly tax table: amounts withheld

Fortnightly gross	Tax-free threshold	No threshold	Threshold + study loan
$700	$0	$124	$0
$800	$12	$144	$12
$900	$26	$162	$26
$1,000	$42	$180	$42
$1,100	$60	$208	$60
$1,200	$84	$240	$84
$1,300	$110	$272	$110
$1,400	$130	$304	$130
$1,500	$148	$336	$148
$1,600	$166	$368	$166
$1,700	$182	$400	$182
$1,800	$212	$434	$212
$1,900	$244	$466	$244
$2,000	$276	$498	$276
$2,200	$340	$562	$340
$2,400	$404	$626	$404
$2,600	$470	$690	$470
$2,800	$534	$754	$554
$3,000	$598	$818	$648
$3,200	$662	$882	$742
$3,600	$790	$1,010	$930
$4,000	$918	$1,138	$1,118
$4,500	$1,078	$1,298	$1,352
$5,000	$1,238	$1,494	$1,588
$6,000	$1,614	$1,884	$2,134
$7,000	$2,004	$2,304	$2,694

Schedule 1 amounts withheld per fortnight for 2026–27. "Tax-free threshold" is Scale 2 (threshold claimed on the TFN declaration); "No threshold" is Scale 1, the usual second-job setting. The study-loan column adds the Schedule 8 STSL component to the threshold-claimed amount. The table lists amounts withheld only — net pay is the gross minus the figure in whichever column matches your TFN declaration.

Need an amount that isn't a row here? The tax withheld calculator runs the same formula for any fortnightly gross and shows the STSL component and net pay alongside.

How the fortnightly tax table is worked out

Employers don't divide your annual tax bill by pay periods. Withholding follows the ATO's Schedule 1 statement of formulas (NAT 1004) — a published set of coefficient bands applied to each pay period's gross in isolation, with its own truncation and rounding rules. The printed fortnightly table (NAT 1006) is the lookup version of that formula; this page runs the formula itself.

For fortnightly pay the gross is halved first, truncated to whole dollars with 99 cents added, and run through the weekly coefficient formula (y = a×x − b). The rounded weekly amount is then doubled — which is why every fortnightly amount withheld is an even number of dollars.

Which coefficients apply depends on the Tax File Number declaration: Scale 2 when the tax-free threshold is claimed, Scale 1 when it isn't. If the employee has a study or training support loan, a separate STSL component from Schedule 8 (NAT 3539) is worked out on the same gross and added on top — that's the study-loan column in the table above.

The table covers the two scales that apply to most employees, both with the full Medicare levy. It does not cover the Medicare levy exemption or half-levy scales, foreign-resident withholding, or the no-TFN rate — for those, use the ATO's own lookup. Withholding is also not your final tax bill: your actual liability is worked out at lodgment on the whole year's income, which is why refunds and small bills exist.

Calculate your exact fortnightly amount

The tax withheld calculator runs the same Schedule 1 and Schedule 8 formulas on any gross amount — pick your pay frequency, threshold and study-loan settings and get the payslip figure, not a table approximation.

Tax Withheld Calculator →Fortnightly Pay Calculator →

Other pay cycles

The same Schedule 1 formula drives every pay frequency — only the conversion to a weekly equivalent changes.

Weekly tax table Monthly tax table All tax rates

Related guides

Background reading on tax, super, and salary topics.

How Income Tax Works in AustraliaTax brackets, marginal vs effective rates, LITO, Medicare levy, and HECS — everything in one place.Fortnightly Take-Home Pay ExplainedHow fortnightly pay is calculated, why it isn't half your monthly pay, and how to read the fortnightly line on your payslip.How Much Tax Will I Get Back?What actually creates a tax refund, why some people still owe, and how to estimate the result before lodging.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How much tax is withheld from $2,000 a fortnight?

Claiming the tax-free threshold, a $2,000 fortnightly gross has $276 withheld under Schedule 1 in 2026–27, leaving $1,724 net. Without the threshold — the usual second-job setting — the same gross has $498 withheld. At $4,500 a fortnight, the threshold-claimed amount is $1,078, plus a $274 STSL component if you have a study loan. The table above covers the common amounts; the tax withheld calculator gives the exact figure for any gross.

Is this the same as the ATO fortnightly tax table (NAT 1006)?

It shows the same figures. The ATO's printed fortnightly tax table (NAT 1006) is a lookup version of the Schedule 1 statement of formulas — the formula payroll software actually runs. This page computes that formula directly, with the ATO's truncation and rounding rules, so each row matches the amount you would find against that earnings range in the published table. If you're an employer who needs the official document for records or lodgment, download the NAT 1006 PDF from the ATO — this page complements it rather than replacing it.

Which column applies to me — tax-free threshold or no threshold?

It follows what you ticked on the Tax File Number declaration you gave that employer. If you claimed the tax-free threshold (the normal choice for your main job), the "tax-free threshold" column applies — the ATO calls this Scale 2. If you didn't claim it — typically a second job, since as a general rule you claim the threshold with one payer, though the ATO allows claiming it from more than one when your combined annual income stays under the threshold — the "no threshold" (Scale 1) column applies, and more is withheld from the same gross because none of the pay is treated as tax-free.

How is the study loan column worked out?

If you told your employer you have a study or training support loan (HELP/HECS, VSL, SSL, TSL or AASL), they withhold an extra STSL component under Schedule 8 (NAT 3539) on top of the Schedule 1 amount. It's calculated on the same fortnightly gross with its own rate bands, and it stays at zero until your pay is high enough that a compulsory repayment would apply for the year. The study-loan column shows the combined total — Schedule 1 plus the STSL component — with the tax-free threshold claimed.

Why is fortnightly withholding always an even number of dollars?

Because of the order of operations in the ATO's formula: the fortnightly gross is halved, the weekly formula is applied, the weekly result is rounded to the nearest whole dollar, and only then is it doubled. Doubling a whole-dollar amount always lands on an even number — a quick way to sanity-check a fortnightly payslip. On a $2,000 fortnightly gross claiming the tax-free threshold, $276 is withheld in 2026–27.

Which financial year does this table show?

The year shown in the selector above the table — amounts are computed from that year's published withholding coefficients. Only years whose Schedule 1 and Schedule 8 coefficient sets have been verified against the ATO are offered, so the table never displays one year's figures under another year's label. Withholding schedules don't necessarily change every 1 July: the ATO only reissues them when rates, thresholds or the Medicare levy settings shift.

What if my fortnightly pay isn't a row in the table?

Use the tax withheld calculator on this site — it runs the same Schedule 1 and Schedule 8 formulas for any gross amount, not just the representative rows above, and shows the amount withheld, the STSL component and the net pay together. The printed ATO table steps through earnings ranges, so the calculator is also the quickest way to get the exact figure for an in-between amount.

This reference page is for general information only. Amounts are computed from the ATO Schedule 1 (NAT 1004) and Schedule 8 (NAT 3539) statements of formulas for the selected financial year and are correct as at the last rates update. For employer obligations, always confirm against the official ATO NAT 1006 table. Consult a registered tax agent for advice on your specific circumstances.