PAYG Tax Withheld Calculator
The tax your employer should take out of each pay under the ATO’s 2026–27 withholding formulas, and how it compares with your tax for the year.
Tax withheld
Tax to withhold per fortnight
$598.00
From $3,000.00 gross pay, leaving $2,402.00
- Schedule 1 amount (scale 2)
- $598.00
- Total withheld
- $598.00
- Pay after withholding
- $2,402.00
Over 26 pays, $15,548.00 is withheld. Your tax for the year on $78,000.00 is estimated at $15,160.00, so you could expect about $388.00 back when you lodge your tax return.
Rates checked 12 October 2026 against the ATO · How we calculate · Calculated in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How the withholding calculator works (Schedule 1)
Employers use the ATO’s Schedule 1 formulas. Your pay is converted to a weekly amount with the cents dropped and 99 cents added, the formula y = ax − b for your pay band gives the weekly tax, and the result is rounded to the dollar and converted back to your pay period.
The a and b values depend on your tax file number declaration: whether you claimed the tax-free threshold, whether you are a foreign resident, and whether you claimed a Medicare levy exemption. A HECS-HELP or other study loan debt adds a separate component under Schedule 8. Tax offsets you claim on a withholding declaration reduce each pay by a set share of the yearly amount.
Sources: ATO, Schedule 1 (published 17 June 2026) and Schedule 8. Every coefficient is listed on the methodology page.
Withheld vs annual tax (refund estimate)
Withholding is designed to come close to your tax for the year, not to match it. On $3,000.00 a fortnight, $598.00 is withheld each pay; over a year that is $15,548.00, about $388.00 more than the estimated tax, which would come back at tax time.
Gaps like this come from rounding each pay to the dollar, from deductions such as the standard deduction for work-related expenses that are only applied when you lodge, and from pay that changes during the year. Starting a job part-way through the year usually means a refund, because each pay is withheld as if you earned at that rate all year.
Weekly, fortnightly and monthly withholding tables
Tax withheld at common pay amounts in 2026–27 for Australian residents, worked out with the same formulas as the calculator.
| Gross pay | Tax-free threshold claimed | Not claimed | Claimed, with HECS-HELP |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400 | $6 | $72 | $6 |
| $600 | $42 | $120 | $42 |
| $800 | $83 | $184 | $83 |
| $1,000 | $138 | $249 | $138 |
| $1,200 | $202 | $313 | $202 |
| $1,400 | $267 | $377 | $277 |
| $1,600 | $331 | $441 | $371 |
| $1,800 | $395 | $505 | $465 |
| $2,000 | $459 | $569 | $559 |
| $2,200 | $523 | $633 | $653 |
| $2,400 | $587 | $708 | $747 |
| $2,600 | $651 | $786 | $843 |
| $2,800 | $729 | $864 | $955 |
| $3,000 | $807 | $942 | $1,067 |
| Gross pay | Tax-free threshold claimed | Not claimed | Claimed, with HECS-HELP |
|---|---|---|---|
| $800 | $12 | $144 | $12 |
| $1,200 | $84 | $240 | $84 |
| $1,600 | $166 | $368 | $166 |
| $2,000 | $276 | $498 | $276 |
| $2,400 | $404 | $626 | $404 |
| $2,800 | $534 | $754 | $554 |
| $3,200 | $662 | $882 | $742 |
| $3,600 | $790 | $1,010 | $930 |
| $4,000 | $918 | $1,138 | $1,118 |
| $4,400 | $1,046 | $1,266 | $1,306 |
| $4,800 | $1,174 | $1,416 | $1,494 |
| $5,200 | $1,302 | $1,572 | $1,686 |
| $5,600 | $1,458 | $1,728 | $1,910 |
| $6,000 | $1,614 | $1,884 | $2,134 |
| Gross pay | Tax-free threshold claimed | Not claimed | Claimed, with HECS-HELP |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $65 | $360 | $65 |
| $3,000 | $273 | $646 | $273 |
| $4,000 | $490 | $971 | $490 |
| $5,000 | $810 | $1,291 | $810 |
| $6,000 | $1,131 | $1,612 | $1,161 |
| $7,000 | $1,452 | $1,928 | $1,634 |
| $8,000 | $1,772 | $2,249 | $2,101 |
| $9,000 | $2,093 | $2,570 | $2,574 |
| $10,000 | $2,414 | $2,908 | $3,047 |
| $11,000 | $2,734 | $3,298 | $3,518 |
| $12,000 | $3,107 | $3,688 | $4,060 |
| $13,000 | $3,497 | $4,082 | $4,624 |
Frequently asked questions
Why is more tax withheld than I expected?
The most common reasons are not claiming the tax-free threshold from this employer, a HECS-HELP debt (which adds a separate study loan amount), or a one-off higher pay. The formulas treat each pay as if you earned that amount every pay for the whole year, so a large pay is withheld at a higher rate.
Will I get the difference back?
Withholding is a prepayment. When you lodge your tax return the ATO works out your actual tax for the year and compares it with everything withheld; any excess is refunded and any shortfall is a bill. The tax return calculator estimates the result.
How much extra is withheld for HECS-HELP?
In 2026–27, if you claim the tax-free threshold nothing extra is withheld until your pay reaches $1,337 a week. Above that the study loan component is 15c, then 17c, for each dollar over the thresholds, and from $3,577 a week it is 10% of your whole pay. It counts towards your compulsory HECS-HELP repayment.