What is the difference between base salary and total package?

Base salary is your gross pay before tax and super. Total package includes base salary plus superannuation paid by your employer on top. For example, an $84,000 base salary with 12% super gives a total package of $94,080.

How is tax calculated on annual salary?

Tax uses progressive brackets. For 2026–27, the first $18,200 is tax-free, then 15% up to $45,000, 30% up to $135,000, 37% up to $190,000, and 45% above that. The Medicare levy of 2% applies to most taxable income. For a $84,000 salary, tax is $15,720 plus Medicare $1,680, total $17,400.

What is casual loading and how does it affect pay?

Casual loading is an extra 25% on top of the base hourly rate to compensate for lack of paid leave. For the national minimum wage, the casual rate is $33.05 per hour ($26.44 × 1.25). When converting to annual, use the loaded rate in the formula.

How to Use the Seek Salary Guide to Convert Hourly to Annual Pay

For a standard 38-hour week, annual gross pay is hourly rate × 38 × 52; super is paid on top at 12%.

How to Convert Hourly to Annual Pay Using the Seek Salary Guide

When you're comparing job offers or planning your budget, understanding how an hourly rate translates to an annual salary is essential. The seek salary guide—commonly referenced from SEEK's pay calculator—provides a quick snapshot, but for accurate calculations you should rely on official sources like the Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission, Australian Bureau of Statistics, and Australian Taxation Office. This guide walks you through the conversion, including tax, super, and the standard 38-hour week.

The Basic Formula

Annual gross pay (before tax and super) is calculated as:

Hourly rate × hours per week × 52

For a full-time employee working 38 hours per week, this becomes:

Annual gross pay = hourly rate × 38 × 52

For example, if your hourly rate is $26.44 (the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026), your annual gross is $26.44 × 38 × 52 = $52,245.44. If you're paid a salary, this is your base salary before any deductions or super.

Using the Seek Salary Guide as a Reference

The seek salary guide (available on SEEK) offers a calculator that shows take-home pay, taxes, and super. For an $84,000 base salary, it estimates take-home pay of $65,528, total taxes of $18,472, and super of $10,080. However, note that the guide uses 2025–26 tax rates (16% bracket) while the ATO's 2026–27 rates have a 15% bracket. Always verify with the ATO for the current year.

National Minimum Wage and Award Rates

The Fair Work Commission sets the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026: $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week for 38 hours. This is the minimum for award/agreement-free employees. Most workers are covered by an award or enterprise agreement, which may have higher rates. The Fair Work Ombudsman provides pay guides for each award, listing minimum pay rates, allowances, and penalty rates.

Casual Loading

Casual employees receive a 25% loading on top of the base rate. For the national minimum wage, the casual rate is $33.05 per hour ($26.44 × 1.25). When converting to annual, use the loaded rate in the formula. For example, a casual earning $33.05 per hour for 38 hours a week would have an annual gross of $33.05 × 38 × 52 = $65,306.80.

Superannuation

Super is paid by your employer on top of your base salary. The super guarantee rate is 12% of ordinary earnings, up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830 (2026–27). For an $84,000 base salary, super is $10,080, making the total package $94,080. Super is not included in your take-home pay; it goes into your super fund.

Tax and Medicare Levy

Your annual gross salary is your taxable income (after allowable deductions). The 2026–27 resident tax rates are:

$0 – $18,200: nil
$18,201 – $45,000: 15%
$45,001 – $135,000: 30%
$135,001 – $190,000: 37%
$190,001+: 45%

Plus the Medicare levy of 2% (most taxpayers). For an $84,000 taxable income:

Tax on first $18,200: $0
Tax on $18,201 – $45,000: 15% of $26,800 = $4,020
Tax on $45,001 – $84,000: 30% of $39,000 = $11,700
Total tax: $15,720
Medicare levy (2% of $84,000): $1,680
Total taxes: $17,400

Your take-home pay would be $84,000 – $17,400 = $66,600. This differs from the seek salary guide because of the bracket change.

Fortnightly Pay

Many employers pay fortnightly. To find your fortnightly gross, multiply your weekly gross by 2. For an $84,000 annual salary, weekly gross is $1,615.38, so fortnightly is $3,230.77. After tax and Medicare, fortnightly take-home is approximately $2,560.

Using the Timesheet Calculator

Our the timesheet tool lets you enter your base hourly rate and optionally add casual loading. It then calculates annual gross, super, tax, and take-home pay based on the 38-hour week and current rates. Remember, this is an estimate—actual pay may vary due to overtime, allowances, or salary sacrifice.

Key Takeaways

Always use the correct hours per week (38 for full-time) when converting hourly to annual.
The seek salary guide is a useful starting point, but cross-check with official sources for the latest tax rates and minimum wages.
Super is paid on top of your base salary, not deducted from it.
Casual loading adds 25% to the base rate.
Tax brackets and Medicare levy change annually; refer to the ATO for your situation.

For detailed award rates, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guides. For the national minimum wage, see the Fair Work Commission. For tax rates, the ATO website is authoritative.