Convert Your Hourly Rate to an Annual ot Salary: Casual Loading and Super Explained
For a standard 38-hour week, your annual ot salary is your hourly rate multiplied by 1,976 hours, with super paid on top.
From Hourly to Annual: Your ot Salary
When you're offered an hourly rate or a salary, it helps to compare them on the same basis. Your ot salary – short for ordinary time salary – is the annual gross pay you'd earn if you worked your ordinary hours every week, with no overtime, penalties or allowances. The standard formula is simple: **hourly rate × hours per week × 52 weeks.
For most full-time employees, ordinary hours are 38 per week under the National Minimum Wage Order. So the Fair Work Commission sets the national minimum at $26.44 per hour, which gives a weekly ot salary of $1004.90 for a 38-hour week. If you're casual, you get 25% loading on top – that's $33.05 per hour, making your annual ot salary $65,300 before super and $1,976 hours per year.
The 38-Hour Week and the Fortnight
When you calculate your ot salary, it's also useful to know your fortnightly pay: just double your weekly figure. For a $30 per hour rate, weekly is $1,140, fortnightly $2,280. The Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guides list minimum rates for each award, which are often higher than the national minimum.
Casual Loading and Super Paid on Top
Your ot salary is the base – it does not include casual loading or super. If you're casual, your hourly rate should already have the 25% loading added. Never enter a rate that already includes loading into a calculator that adds it again. The loading compensates for missing paid leave. Super is separate: the super guarantee is 12% of your ordinary time earnings, paid on top of your ot salary, up to the $270,830 maximum contribution base. So if your annual ot salary is $80,000, your employer adds $9,600 to your super.
Distinguishing Minimum Rates
The National Minimum Wage ($26.44) applies to award/agreement-free employees. Most workers are covered by an award, which sets higher minimum rates. For example, the SCHADS Award for home care disability employees received an increase of up to 15% from 1 December 2026. Always check your award's pay guide for the correct classification.
Tax on Your ot Salary
Once you have your annual ot salary, you can estimate tax using the 2026–27 resident rates: tax-free threshold $18,200, then 15% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000, and 45% above. Medicare levy is 2% (using 2025–26 single reduction thresholds). The Australian Taxation Office provides full tables.
Example Calculation
Take a base hourly rate of $35. For a full-time employee: $35 × 38 × 52 = $69,160 annual ot salary. For a casual: $35 × 1.25 = $43.75 per hour, then $43.75 × 38 × 52 = $86,450 annual ot salary. Super on the full-time ot salary is $8,299 (12% of $69,160). Tax on $69,160 is roughly $11,467 plus Medicare $1,383, leaving about $56,310 take-home.
Use Our Timesheet
Our timesheet lets you enter your base hourly rate and optionally add 25% casual loading. It calculates your annual ot salary, fortnightly pay, tax, and super. Remember: super is paid on top, not deducted from your pay.
Key Takeaways
- Annual ot salary = hourly rate × hours per week × 52 (assume 38 hours).
- Casual loading is 25% on top of base rate.
- Super is 12% of ordinary earnings, paid on top.
- National Minimum Wage is $26.44 per hour, casual $33.05.
- Use casual loading and pay guides to check your correct rate.
This estimate does not include unpaid overtime, penalties, allowances, or salary sacrifice. It's a guide, not a determination of your pay.
Open the same rate on the home timesheet. Read the reference tables before treating a figure as your pay.