Hourly & shift pay calculator
Add your Saturday, Sunday and public-holiday hours, switch on casual loading, and see your real take-home pay after tax, Medicare, HECS and super for 2026–27. Built for the people the big calculators forget.
Your shifts
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Penalty rates here are simplified common assumptions (Sat 1.25×, Sun 1.5×, public holiday 2.5×). Your award may differ — see the notes below. Estimate only, not financial advice.
Salary ↔ hourly converter
Quick gross conversion — no tax. Enter an annual salary and your weekly hours.
Want take-home after tax instead? Use the shift calculator above, or the full salary calculator.
How shift and penalty pay works in Australia
If you work weekends, public holidays or as a casual, a flat "salary ÷ hours" calculator gets your pay wrong. Here's what actually drives it.
Whether you're on a full-time salary, picking up casual jobs, or clocking overtime pay and weekend shifts, this free tool works as both a wage calculator and a salary converter. Enter your pre-tax salary or hourly rate for an accurate take-home pay estimate built on the current ATO tax rates and resident tax rates for 2026–27, so you see your real take home salary per hour, week or fortnight.
Most Australian workers in hospitality, retail, healthcare and other shift-based industries are covered by an award — a legal minimum that sets base rates and penalty rates for unsociable hours. Work a Sunday and you might earn 1.5× your base rate; a public holiday can be 2.5×. Those multipliers can add thousands to your yearly pay, and they change your tax too.
Common penalty rate assumptions
This calculator uses widely-applied, simplified multipliers so you can get a quick estimate. Your exact rates depend on your specific award and classification.
| When you work | Typical multiplier |
|---|---|
| Ordinary hours | 1.0× base rate |
| Saturday | 1.25× base rate |
| Sunday | 1.5× base rate |
| Public holiday | 2.5× base rate |
| Casual loading | +25% on the base rate |
Turning shift pay into an annual figure
Because your hours vary across the week, the calculator works out a typical weekly gross from the hours you enter, annualises it across 52 weeks, adds any public-holiday hours for the year, and then runs the total through the same ATO tax engine as our main calculator — income tax, the 2% Medicare levy, HECS/HELP if you have it, and 12% super shown separately.
Hourly rate to annual salary: worked examples
Wondering what your pay rate adds up to over a year, or what a salary works out to per hour? At 38 ordinary hours a week across 52 weeks (about 1,976 hours a year, five working days a week), here's how common rates convert — gross salary, before tax. Use the calculator above to calculate your take home pay after income tax, the Medicare levy and super.
| Hourly rate | Weekly (38h) | Annual (gross) |
|---|---|---|
| $30 / hour | $1,140 | $59,280 |
| $35 / hour | $1,330 | $69,160 |
| $40 / hour | $1,520 | $79,040 |
| $45 / hour | $1,710 | $88,920 |
| $50 / hour | $1,900 | $98,800 |
For example, $35 an hour is about $69,160 a year before tax; once income tax and the Medicare levy come out, the take-home pay is closer to $56,500. On a $40 an hour rate that's roughly $79,040 gross a year. The exact net pay depends on your tax-free threshold, any HECS/HELP debt and your super arrangement — the calculator works it all out.
How income tax is calculated on your pay
Australia uses progressive tax brackets: the higher your taxable income, the higher the rate on the top slice. Everyone gets a tax-free threshold of $18,200, then each band above it is taxed at its own marginal rate. For 2026–27 the tax rates are 0%, 15%, 30%, 37% and 45% across the income tax brackets — see the full table on the salary calculator.
Your employer doesn't wait until the end of the year: under PAYG (pay as you go) they withhold an estimate of tax from every pay and send it to the ATO. If you pick up extra weekend shifts one fortnight, the withholding on that pay can look high because the system treats it as if you earn that much every fortnight — it usually evens out at tax time, and a Low Income Tax Offset further reduces the tax for lower earners.
Because it applies the current income tax rates and offsets, this pay calculator Australia doubles as an income tax calculator: use the calculator to see the amount of tax withheld from each pay and how much Australian income tax you'll owe across the year. Checking the effect of a pay rise before you negotiate takes seconds — just compare the two take-home figures.
The Medicare levy and surcharge
On top of income tax, most residents pay the 2% Medicare levy on their taxable income to help fund public health. Higher earners who don't hold private hospital cover may also pay the Medicare levy surcharge — an extra 1–1.5%. Foreign residents and working holiday makers don't pay the Medicare levy at all.
Superannuation, salary sacrifice and packaging
Your employer pays the superannuation guarantee — 12% of your ordinary earnings in 2026–27 — into your fund on top of your wage. Because these super contributions are paid separately, superannuation doesn't reduce the take-home pay shown here.
You can also add extra through salary sacrifice: redirecting part of your pre-tax base salary into super lowers your taxable income and the tax you pay. Other forms of salary packaging, such as a novated lease on a car, work the same way. One catch for student-loan holders — salary sacrifice is added back into your repayment income, so it won't shrink a compulsory HECS/HELP repayment. To include extra superannuation contributions in your pay calculations, add a salary-sacrifice amount in the full calculator.
Weekly, fortnightly and monthly pay
The calculator shows your net pay for every pay cycle: per year, month, fortnight, week and hour. Most Australian shift workers are paid weekly or fortnightly, so switch the result to match your weekly or fortnightly pay period. A quick note on the maths: a year has about 52 weeks or 26 fortnights, but occasionally a calendar year has 27 fortnights or 53 weekly pays — in those years each individual pay is slightly smaller, even though your annual gross income is unchanged. Switching between these pay frequencies never changes what you earn over the year.
Frequently asked questions
How are penalty rates calculated?
Penalty rates multiply your base hourly rate for hours worked at unsociable times. This calculator uses simplified common assumptions: Saturday 1.25×, Sunday 1.5× and public holiday 2.5×. Your exact rates depend on your award or agreement, so always check Fair Work or your contract.
What is casual loading?
Casual employees are usually paid an extra 25% loading on top of the base rate, in place of paid leave and notice. Tick the casual loading option to add 25% to the rate you enter before penalty rates are applied.
How do I convert my hourly rate to an annual salary?
Multiply your hourly rate by the hours you work per week, then by 52. For example, $35 per hour at 38 hours a week is about $69,160 a year before tax. Use the converter on this page to see weekly, daily and monthly equivalents.
Do these penalty rates match my award?
Not necessarily. Awards such as the Hospitality, General Retail, Nurses and Aged Care awards each set their own penalty rates, and they can differ from the common assumptions used here. Treat the result as a guide and confirm your exact entitlements with Fair Work or your employer.
Is superannuation included in the result?
Super is shown separately. Your employer pays 12% of your ordinary earnings into super on top of your pay for 2026–27, so it does not reduce your take-home pay.
What is the tax-free threshold?
The tax-free threshold is the first $18,200 of taxable income, on which residents pay no income tax. If you claim it with one employer, less tax is withheld from your pay. Foreign residents and working holiday makers don't receive the tax-free threshold.
What's the difference between gross and net income?
Gross income (or gross salary) is your pay before deductions. Net income — your take-home pay — is what's left after income tax, the Medicare levy and any HECS/HELP repayment. On a "salary + super" arrangement, super is paid on top and isn't deducted from either figure.
What is salary sacrifice and how does it reduce tax?
Salary sacrifice redirects part of your pre-tax pay into super, or into salary packaging such as a novated lease. Because it lowers your taxable income, you pay less income tax. The sacrificed amount is added back when working out a HECS/HELP repayment, so it won't reduce that.
What will my take-home pay be on $80,000?
On an $80,000 salary plus super in 2026–27, a resident with no HECS/HELP debt takes home roughly $63,900 a year after income tax and the Medicare levy, with about $9,600 of superannuation paid on top. Enter your own figures above for an exact estimate.
Why is my employer withholding more tax than I expected?
PAYG withholding is worked out as if each pay repeats every period, so a fortnight with extra weekend or overtime shifts can be taxed at a higher rate. It usually balances out when you lodge your tax return, and any over-withheld amount is refunded.