Methodology

How Payko calculates your pay

Follow the income, tax and super assumptions behind your estimate, then inspect the calculation checks.

Source check: 14 September 2026   Calculation checks run: 14 September 2026

Annual take-home pay

For a full-year Australian resident, the annual model applies the progressive income tax brackets to taxable income, subtracts the low income tax offset where eligible, then calculates Medicare levy, any modelled Medicare levy surcharge and study loan repayment. The selected calculator shows which inputs are included.

Income tax for 2026–27 is nil to $18,200, then 15% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000 and 45% above. Each rate applies only to income within that bracket. Read the legislated brackets.

Annual estimates and payslip withholding

Annual tax liability and employer PAYG withholding are different calculations. Dividing an annual estimate into weeks or fortnights gives a budgeting average. A payslip estimate uses the applicable withholding schedule, pay frequency, tax-free threshold declaration and study loan settings. Bonuses, irregular hours, multiple jobs and part-year work can change the difference.

The main pay calculator offers pay-period comparisons. The annual checks below do not certify every withholding scale or payroll scenario.

Published calculation checks

27 of 27 focused checks passed on 14 September 2026. These run against the annual calculation module used by the site. They cover resident bracket boundaries, the ordinary single Medicare threshold, the lower HELP threshold and a salary package including super. See every input, expected value and actual result.

This is a dated, scoped test run. It is not an independent professional audit or a claim that every possible result has been tested.

Rates and assumptions

• Medicare: the model uses a $28,011 ordinary single threshold, a 10% phase-in and a 2% full levy. These are the latest legislated thresholds carried into the 2026–27 annual estimate; that financial year's final assessment thresholds may change retrospectively.
• HELP: the 2026–27 minimum repayment income is $69,528. Repayment income can include reportable super contributions and other amounts beyond taxable salary. Salary sacrifice to super does not necessarily reduce HELP repayments.
• Super: 12% of eligible earnings, with applicable contribution limits. The annual model assumes the entered salary is eligible earnings; an employment package may use a different contractual basis.
• Offsets: the resident annual model includes LITO. It does not model SAPTO, family tax benefit or childcare subsidy.

Read the rate register and its verification scope.

Limitations that affect your result

Family Medicare reductions need household circumstances and cannot be confirmed from your salary alone. Private hospital cover must qualify for surcharge purposes; extras-only cover does not qualify. Partial-year residency, special working holiday maker treaty treatment, complex benefits, deductions and high-income contribution adjustments can require a separate assessment.

Figures expressed per week or fortnight from annual results assume steady income. Rounding can create small differences. Super is separate from cash take-home pay. Other calculators, including mortgages and stamp duty, have their own assumptions and are outside this annual pay verification.

Using your estimate

Payko provides general numerical estimates. It does not assess your personal financial needs and is not a registered tax agent, accountant or financial adviser. Check significant decisions against the relevant official guidance or a qualified professional.

Report a discrepancy

Email hello@payko.com.au with the calculator URL, financial year, example inputs and the official source or expected result. Do not send a TFN or account details. See corrections and editorial responsibility.