How it works
Your pay is annualized, then run through the current resident PAYG tax brackets, the Medicare Levy and — if you carry a HECS/HELP debt — the compulsory repayment threshold table. Superannuation guarantee is calculated too, but it is paid by your employer into your super fund on top of your salary, not withheld from your take-home pay, so it is shown separately rather than subtracted. Everything here uses 2026–27 ATO figures: resident tax rates, the $28,011 Medicare levy threshold and the 12% super guarantee. Study and training loan repayments changed shape in 2026–27 — the first two brackets are now charged only on income above the threshold rather than as a flat percentage of everything you earn, so crossing a threshold no longer steps the whole repayment up at once. Only above $186,050 is it a flat 10% of total repayment income. The same table covers HELP, VSL, SFSS, SSL and AASL loans.
PAYG tax = progressive resident tax brackets applied to annual income
Medicare Levy = min(income × 2%, (income − $28,011) × 10%), nil below $28,011
HECS/HELP = 15% of income over $69,528, then 17% over $129,717; above $186,050 it is a flat
10% of total income
net pay = annual income − PAYG tax − Medicare Levy − HECS/HELP
superannuation (12%) is calculated separately and is not part of net pay
This is a simplified model for resident taxpayers only — it does not cover non-resident rates, the low income tax offset, or salary-sacrifice arrangements, all of which shift the real number. Treat it as a reasonable estimate, not tax advice.
Worked example
$75,000 a year, no HECS/HELP debt, paid fortnightly.
- PAYG tax: $4,020 + ($75,000 − $45,000) × 30% = $13,020.
- Medicare Levy: above the phase-in range, so a flat $75,000 × 2% = $1,500.
- No HECS/HELP debt, so repayment is $0.
- Net annual pay: $75,000 − $13,020 − $1,500 = $60,480.
That is about $2,326 take-home per fortnight, an effective tax rate of roughly 19.4%. Superannuation of $75,000 × 12% = $9,000/yr goes to a super fund on top of this — it is not part of the take-home figure.
Common questions
Why is superannuation shown separately instead of subtracted?
Because it is not a deduction from your pay — under the super guarantee, your employer pays it into your super fund in addition to your salary, not out of it. That is a genuinely different arrangement from anything on the US side of this site, which is exactly why Australia gets its own calculator rather than a shared one with a unit toggle.
What if I don't know my HECS/HELP balance?
You don't need the balance for this calculator — the compulsory repayment is worked out from your income, not from what you owe, and applies every year your income is above the threshold regardless of how much debt remains. Just switch the toggle on if you have any HECS or HELP debt at all.
Does this account for the Medicare Levy Surcharge?
No — the surcharge is a separate, higher-income charge that applies if you don't hold private hospital cover, and it depends on family structure and income thresholds this calculator doesn't model. Only the standard 2% Medicare Levy is included here.