Aussie Calculators

2026–27 rates Super 12% on top

Take-Home Pay Calculator (2026–27)

Start with a salary and work down to the money that actually reaches your bank account — income tax, the Medicare levy, the surcharge, your HECS repayment and any salary sacrifice, all in one place. Super is shown on top, because it is not taken out of your pay.

1 Enter your salary2 See your take-home pay

$
$

Step 2 · your result

Take-home pay

$0

per fortnight

Gross pay
$0
Income tax
$0
Medicare levy
$0
Medicare levy surcharge
$0
HECS / HELP repayment
$0
Salary sacrifice
$0
Total going into super
$0
Total tax and deductions
$0

Tax rates from Australian Taxation Office; surcharge thresholds from ATO; HECS thresholds from ATO; super rate from ATO. All checked 12 October 2026. General estimate — not tax advice.

What comes out of your pay, and in what order

  1. Salary sacrifice — taken off the top if you have an arrangement. It is paid into super instead of to you, and taxed at 15% in the fund rather than at your marginal rate.
  2. Income tax — the 2026–27 resident rates, from nil up to 45c for each $1 over $190,000.
  3. Medicare levy — 2% of your taxable income. Everyone who is eligible for Medicare pays it unless their income is very low.
  4. Medicare levy surcharge — an extra 1%, 1.25% or 1.5% once income passes the base tier of $105,000 for a single person, unless you hold private patient hospital cover.
  5. HECS / HELP repayment — starts once repayment income goes over $69,528, and is withheld from your pay by your employer.
  6. Take-home pay — what is left, and what most people mean by their pay.

Super is not on that list. The 12.00% super guarantee is paid by your employer on top of your salary, on earnings up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830 a year for 2026–27. If your salary is quoted as "inclusive of super", the calculator takes the super out first — which leaves you a lower base salary than the headline number suggests.

The three things that surprise people

1. Salary sacrifice does not save you your whole marginal rate

The money you sacrifice is taxed at 15% in the super fund instead of your marginal rate. On the 30% bracket that saves 15 cents per dollar; on the 45% bracket it saves 30 cents. It is a real saving, but it is the difference between the two rates — not the full marginal rate.

And above the concessional cap of $32,500 a year (employer super plus your sacrifice), the excess is taxed at your marginal rate anyway.

2. Salary sacrifice does not reduce a HECS repayment

Your HECS repayment is worked out on repayment income, and reportable superannuation contributions — including salary sacrificed amounts — are added back into it. So sacrificing to super lowers your income tax but leaves the compulsory repayment exactly where it was.

This calculator applies that rule, which is why turning the salary sacrifice up will not reduce the HECS line.

3. A small pay rise near a threshold can cost you money

Two places where earning slightly more leaves you worse off: the Medicare levy surcharge tiers, where one dollar over $105,000 adds 1% of your whole income, and the HECS brackets, where crossing a threshold raises the rate applied to your entire repayment income.

See the surcharge tiers → or the HECS brackets →

Payday Super, from 1 July 2026

From 1 July 2026 employers must pay the super guarantee on each payday rather than quarterly, and from that date the minimum is worked out on an employee’s qualifying earnings. If you used to see your super land once a quarter, expect it to arrive with each pay instead. It does not change the amount — only when it is paid.

Frequently asked questions

What is take-home pay?

Your pay after income tax, the 2% Medicare levy, any Medicare levy surcharge, any compulsory HECS / HELP repayment and anything you salary sacrifice. It is the amount that actually lands in your bank account. Superannuation is not part of it — your employer pays that on top of your pay, not out of it.

How is take-home pay worked out?

Three steps. First your employer withholds tax using the ATO’s withholding tables. Second, the compulsory deductions come out: the Medicare levy, the Medicare levy surcharge if you do not hold private hospital cover, and any HECS / HELP repayment. Third, what is left is your net pay. At the end of the year your tax return reconciles the withholding against the real liability.

Does superannuation come out of my take-home pay?

No. The 12.00% super guarantee is paid by your employer on top of your salary, calculated on your earnings up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830 a year for 2026–27. The exception is a salary sacrifice arrangement, which does come out of your pay — see below.

Does salary sacrificing into super increase my take-home pay?

Usually yes, but by less than people expect. Salary sacrificed super is taxed at 15% in the fund instead of your marginal rate, so a person on 37% saves 22 cents per dollar sacrificed. But it leaves your take-home pay, and it does not reduce a HECS / HELP repayment — reportable super contributions are added back when your repayment income is worked out.

Does a HECS debt change my take-home pay?

Yes. Once your repayment income goes over the minimum threshold, your employer withholds an extra amount on top of tax, calculated on your repayment income. It is not a separate payment you make — it comes straight out of your pay, and it is why the net figure here is lower when you turn the HECS switch on.

What is the Medicare levy surcharge and will it hit me?

It is an extra 1%, 1.25% or 1.5% on top of the 2% Medicare levy, charged if your income is over the base tier and you (and your dependants) do not hold an appropriate level of private patient hospital cover. Setting the switch to "yes" for hospital cover removes it.

Is this the same as the income tax calculator?

They answer different questions. The income tax calculator shows how the tax itself is built up — brackets, marginal rate and the Medicare levy. This page starts from a salary and works down to the money you actually receive, including pay frequency, super and HECS.

How accurate is this?

The tax brackets, levy, surcharge thresholds, HECS thresholds and super rate are all taken from the ATO and cross-checked, and the arithmetic is shown line by line. It is a close estimate, not a payslip: it does not know your tax offsets, deductions, study loan balance or any employer-specific arrangement. Confirm with your payslip or a registered tax agent.

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