Work out the PAYG tax your employer withholds each week, fortnight or month, using the ATO's 2026–27 withholding formulas, and whether you're likely to get a refund at tax time.
| Same pay on other cycles | Tax withheld | Take-home |
|---|
Tax withheld for common pay amounts from 1 July 2026, for a resident claiming the tax-free threshold with no Medicare levy exemption. *Second job: no tax-free threshold claimed. Take-home is pay minus tax withheld, without a study loan.
| Weekly pay | Tax withheld | Second job* | Study loan extra | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $400 | $6 | $72 | – | $394 |
| $500 | $21 | $90 | – | $479 |
| $600 | $42 | $120 | – | $558 |
| $700 | $65 | $152 | – | $635 |
| $800 | $83 | $184 | – | $717 |
| $900 | $106 | $217 | – | $794 |
| $1,000 | $138 | $249 | – | $862 |
| $1,100 | $170 | $281 | – | $930 |
| $1,200 | $202 | $313 | – | $998 |
| $1,300 | $235 | $345 | – | $1,065 |
| $1,400 | $267 | $377 | $10 | $1,133 |
| $1,500 | $299 | $409 | $25 | $1,201 |
| $1,600 | $331 | $441 | $40 | $1,269 |
| $1,700 | $363 | $473 | $55 | $1,337 |
| $1,800 | $395 | $505 | $70 | $1,405 |
| $1,900 | $427 | $537 | $85 | $1,473 |
| $2,000 | $459 | $569 | $100 | $1,541 |
| $2,100 | $491 | $601 | $115 | $1,609 |
| $2,200 | $523 | $633 | $130 | $1,677 |
| $2,300 | $555 | $669 | $145 | $1,745 |
| $2,400 | $587 | $708 | $160 | $1,813 |
| $2,500 | $619 | $747 | $175 | $1,881 |
| $2,600 | $651 | $786 | $192 | $1,949 |
| $2,700 | $690 | $825 | $209 | $2,010 |
| $2,800 | $729 | $864 | $226 | $2,071 |
| $2,900 | $768 | $903 | $243 | $2,132 |
| $3,000 | $807 | $942 | $260 | $2,193 |
| Fortnightly pay | Tax withheld | Second job* | Study loan extra | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $42 | $180 | – | $958 |
| $1,250 | $96 | $256 | – | $1,154 |
| $1,500 | $148 | $336 | – | $1,352 |
| $1,750 | $194 | $418 | – | $1,556 |
| $2,000 | $276 | $498 | – | $1,724 |
| $2,250 | $356 | $578 | – | $1,894 |
| $2,500 | $438 | $658 | – | $2,062 |
| $2,750 | $518 | $738 | $12 | $2,232 |
| $3,000 | $598 | $818 | $50 | $2,402 |
| $3,250 | $678 | $898 | $86 | $2,572 |
| $3,500 | $758 | $978 | $124 | $2,742 |
| $3,750 | $838 | $1,058 | $162 | $2,912 |
| $4,000 | $918 | $1,138 | $200 | $3,082 |
| $4,250 | $998 | $1,218 | $236 | $3,252 |
| $4,500 | $1,078 | $1,298 | $274 | $3,422 |
| $4,750 | $1,158 | $1,396 | $312 | $3,592 |
| $5,000 | $1,238 | $1,494 | $350 | $3,762 |
| $5,250 | $1,322 | $1,590 | $392 | $3,928 |
| $5,500 | $1,418 | $1,688 | $434 | $4,082 |
| $5,750 | $1,516 | $1,786 | $476 | $4,234 |
| $6,000 | $1,614 | $1,884 | $520 | $4,386 |
| Monthly pay | Tax withheld | Second job* | Study loan extra | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $65 | $360 | – | $1,935 |
| $2,500 | $156 | $485 | – | $2,344 |
| $3,000 | $273 | $646 | – | $2,727 |
| $3,500 | $364 | $810 | – | $3,136 |
| $4,000 | $490 | $971 | – | $3,510 |
| $4,500 | $650 | $1,131 | – | $3,850 |
| $5,000 | $810 | $1,291 | – | $4,190 |
| $5,500 | $975 | $1,452 | – | $4,525 |
| $6,000 | $1,131 | $1,612 | $30 | $4,869 |
| $6,500 | $1,296 | $1,772 | $108 | $5,204 |
| $7,000 | $1,452 | $1,928 | $182 | $5,548 |
| $7,500 | $1,612 | $2,089 | $256 | $5,888 |
| $8,000 | $1,772 | $2,249 | $329 | $6,228 |
| $8,500 | $1,933 | $2,409 | $407 | $6,567 |
| $9,000 | $2,093 | $2,570 | $481 | $6,907 |
| $9,500 | $2,253 | $2,730 | $555 | $7,247 |
| $10,000 | $2,414 | $2,908 | $633 | $7,586 |
| $10,500 | $2,574 | $3,103 | $706 | $7,926 |
| $11,000 | $2,734 | $3,298 | $784 | $8,266 |
| $11,500 | $2,912 | $3,493 | $871 | $8,588 |
| $12,000 | $3,107 | $3,688 | $953 | $8,893 |
| $12,500 | $3,302 | $3,883 | $1,040 | $9,198 |
| $13,000 | $3,497 | $4,082 | $1,127 | $9,503 |
Source: ATO Schedule 1 – Statement of formulas for calculating amounts to be withheld, and Schedule 8 for study and training support loans, both applying to payments from 1 July 2026.
The calculator picks the ATO scale from your answers.
| Scale | Who it applies to |
|---|---|
| Scale 1 | Residents who don't claim the tax-free threshold (usually a second job) |
| Scale 2 | Residents who claim the tax-free threshold |
| Scale 3 | Foreign residents |
| Scale 4 | Anyone who hasn't given a tax file number: 47% for residents, 45% for foreign residents |
| Scale 5 | Residents claiming the tax-free threshold with a full Medicare levy exemption |
| Scale 6 | Residents claiming the tax-free threshold with a half Medicare levy exemption |
Pay as you go (PAYG) withholding is the tax your employer takes out of each pay and sends to the ATO on your behalf. It is a prepayment of the income tax and Medicare levy you will owe for the year, so you don't get one large bill at tax time.
In 2026–27, $138 is withheld from $1,000 a week if you claim the tax-free threshold, leaving $862. Without the tax-free threshold, for example in a second job, $249 is withheld.
You can only claim the tax-free threshold from one employer. Your second employer withholds tax from the first dollar (Scale 1), because the first $18,200 of your income is already being treated as tax-free by your main job. This usually evens out at tax time.
Yes. The ATO withholding formulas build in the 2% Medicare levy. If you're entitled to a full or half Medicare levy exemption, you can claim it on a Medicare levy variation declaration and less is withheld.
Withholding assumes you earn the same amount every pay for the whole year. If you started work part-way through the year, had unpaid time off, have deductions, or earn under about $45,000 (where the low income tax offset applies), more tax is usually withheld than you owe, and the difference is refunded.
Ask your employer to withhold extra, or complete a PAYG withholding variation (upwards) with the ATO. This is common if you have a second job, investment income or a study loan you didn't declare.
Bonuses and back pay are withheld using a separate ATO method (Schedule 5) that spreads the bonus across your normal pays for the year, so the amount withheld is roughly your marginal tax rate plus Medicare. It is not taxed at a special 'bonus rate'.
No. Employer super contributions (12% from 1 July 2025) are paid on top of your pay into your super fund and aren't part of PAYG withholding.