Every calculator on this site produces an estimate, not a statement of what you owe or what you will be paid. This page sets out exactly what the 2026-27engine assumes, what it leaves out, and the points at which an estimate stops being good enough for the decision you are making. It is deliberately specific, because a disclaimer that only says “seek professional advice” tells you nothing about where the numbers actually break down.
General information, not financial advice
Nothing on this site is personal tax advice, financial advice or legal advice. No one producing it is a registered tax agent, and the site holds no Australian financial services licence. The content describes how Australian pay and tax work in general; it does not know your circumstances and does not take them into account. If you need advice on your own position, use a registered tax agent or a licensed financial adviser. The about page and our editor Marcus Kelleher describe who produces the content and the limits of that.
What the calculators actually compute
Unless a page says otherwise, a take-home figure on this site is built from the following and nothing else:
- The 2026-27 resident income tax scale, or the foreign resident or working holiday maker scale where you select one.
- The Medicare levy at 2%, including the low-income shade-in for residents.
- The low income tax offset, to a maximum of $700, phasing out at $66,667.
- HECS-HELP and other study loan repayments, where you tell the calculator you have one.
- The super guarantee at 12%, shown separately because it is paid on top of your salary rather than deducted from it.
What they deliberately exclude
The exclusions matter more than the inclusions, because they are the reason a real payslip differs from an estimate here. The calculators do not know about, and do not model:
- Work-related deductions, investment income, rental losses, capital gains, or anything else that changes taxable income away from your salary.
- Tax offsets other than the low income tax offset. The seniors and pensioners offset, the invalid carer offset, zone offsets outside the dedicated zone tax offset calculator, and franking credits are all absent.
- Family circumstances. The Medicare levy surcharge uses the single income scale; family thresholds are higher and are not applied automatically. Family Tax Benefit and child support are not modelled at all.
- Employment terms that a contract or agreement can vary: salary packaging outside the dedicated tools, allowances, commissions, bonuses paid mid-year, and unpaid leave.
- Division 293 tax on concessional contributions for higher earners, and excess contributions tax.
Withholding is a payday estimate, not your final tax
PAYG withholding is what your employer sends to the ATO each payday under Schedule 1. Your final tax is settled when you lodge a return, and the two rarely match exactly. Deductions, a second job, a part-year of work, an incorrect withholding declaration or a study loan can all move the final figure well away from the sum of your payslips. Treat a withholding number here as an estimate of the payday deduction, and a refund estimate as an indication of direction rather than an amount you should plan around.
How current the rates are, and where they are not
Figures are implemented from the published 2026-27 ATO rates and Fair Work standards, and the methodology page records how each is sourced and dated. Two honest caveats apply. First, where the ATO has not yet published a 2026-27 figure, the prior year value is carried forward and the page says so: the Medicare levy low-income thresholds are currently carried forward from 2025-26 on that basis. Second, rates change and publications lag. Where this site and an official document disagree, the official document is correct. The official sources page lists the primary documents.
When an estimate is not good enough
Use a professional rather than this site when the decision is hard to reverse or the amount is material. That includes accepting or resigning from a job on a marginal difference, negotiating a redundancy or termination payment, structuring salary packaging or a novated lease, deciding between employee and contractor arrangements, making large voluntary super contributions, or anything you intend to lodge with the ATO. A calculator is a good way to understand the shape of a decision and a poor way to make one.
No affiliation with government
Pay Calculator Australia is an independent website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the Australian Taxation Office, the Fair Work Ombudsman, ASIC or any part of the Australian Government. Links to those bodies are provided because they are the primary sources, and their content remains theirs.
Reporting an error
Errors are possible and we would rather hear about them. Corrections are made on-page with dated notes under the editorial policy, and you can report one through the contact page. The terms of use cover the legal basis on which the site is provided, including the limitation of liability and your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which nothing here excludes.