17 Year Old Minimum Wage: Hourly to Annual Pay Guide for 2026-27
For a 17-year-old on the junior minimum wage, working 38 hours per week, the annual gross pay is estimated using the adult National Minimum Wage of $26.44/hour as a reference, but junior rates are lower and set by the Fair Work Commission.
Understanding the 17 Year Old Minimum Wage and Annual Pay
If you're a 17 year old worker or an employer trying to figure out annual pay from an hourly rate, you've come to the right place. This guide explains how to convert the 17 year old minimum wage to annual, fortnightly, and weekly figures, including tax and super. We'll use the standard 38-hour week as our assumption, but you can adjust for part-time hours.
The 17 Year Old Minimum Wage: What It Is
The 17 year old minimum wage is a junior rate set by the Fair Work Commission. It is lower than the adult National Minimum Wage, which from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour for a 38-hour week ($1,004.90 per week). For a 17 year old, the rate is typically a percentage of that adult rate—often around 60%—but the exact figure depends on the award or the National Minimum Wage Order. Because we don't have the precise junior rate here, we'll use the adult rate as a reference and note that the 17 year old rate is lower.
How to Convert Hourly to Annual Pay
The formula is simple: hourly rate × hours per week × 52. For a full-time worker on 38 hours per week, that's hourly × 38 × 52. For example, if you earn the adult minimum wage of $26.44/hour, your annual gross pay would be $26.44 × 38 × 52 = $52,261.44. But for a 17 year old on a junior rate, say $15.86/hour (60% of adult), the annual gross would be $15.86 × 38 × 52 = $31,356.80.
Remember, this assumes you work the same hours every week with no unpaid overtime, penalty rates, or allowances. Use the timesheet to enter your base hourly rate and see the annual estimate instantly.
Fortnightly and Weekly Pay
To find your fortnightly pay, multiply your weekly pay by 2. Weekly pay is hourly × hours per week. For a 17 year old on the junior rate example above, weekly pay would be $15.86 × 38 = $602.68, and fortnightly would be $1,205.36. This helps when budgeting or comparing salary offers.
National Minimum Wage vs Award Rates vs Casual Loading
It's important to distinguish between different pay types:
- National Minimum Wage: The legal minimum for adult employees not covered by an award. From 1 July 2026, it's $26.44/hour for adults.
- Award rates: Many industries have specific awards that set higher minimums, including junior rates for under-21s. The 17 year old minimum wage under an award may differ from the National Minimum Wage order.
- Casual loading: Casual employees get an extra 25% on top of their base rate. If you're a 17 year old casual, your base rate is the junior rate, and the loading is added on top. Never enter a rate that already includes casual loading into the timesheet—use the checkbox instead.
- Super: Superannuation is paid on top of your ordinary earnings at 12% (from 1 July 2026). It does not reduce your take-home pay; it's an extra contribution to your super fund. The maximum contribution base is $270,830 per year.
Tax and Take-Home Pay
Tax is deducted from your gross pay using the 2026-27 resident tax scales:
- $0 – $18,200: nil
- $18,201 – $45,000: 15%
- $45,001 – $135,000: 30%
- $135,001 – $190,000: 37%
- $190,001+: 45%
Plus a 2% Medicare levy (using 2025-26 single reduction thresholds as 2026-27 thresholds are not confirmed). For a 17 year old earning a junior rate, you may fall into the tax-free threshold or the 15% bracket. Use our take-home pay guide for more details.
Differences in Ordinary-Time Earnings
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports Average Weekly Earnings. For May 2026, full-time adult ordinary time earnings were $2,083.70 per week. All employees total earnings averaged $1,579.20 per week (including part-time). These are averages, not medians for a specific job. The 17 year old minimum wage is well below these averages, reflecting the junior rate.
Super and Salary Packaging
Super is paid on top of your ordinary earnings at 12%, up to the maximum contribution base. For a 17 year old, this is an important benefit. Salary packaging (sacrificing) can reduce your taxable income, but it's not included in our estimates. See super and packaging for more.
Important Disclaimer
Annual pay here is hourly rate × hours per week × 52. It assumes the same rate every week, no unpaid overtime, no penalty rates, no allowances, and no salary sacrifice. Super is estimated at 12% of ordinary earnings only, paid on top, and stops at the $270,830 maximum contribution base. Tax is the 2026–27 resident scale with the full tax-free threshold. Medicare uses the 2025–26 single reduction thresholds because the 2026–27 reduction thresholds were not confirmed here. HELP, the Medicare levy surcharge, and salary packaging are not deducted. This is an estimate, not a determination of your pay or tax.
Further Reading
For more pay guides and reference tables, visit our pay guides and reference tables. You can also check the minimum wage topic for adult rates, or casual loading for casual pay calculations.
Open the same rate on the home timesheet. Read the reference tables before treating a figure as your pay.