Salary Comparison Calculator
Compare two job offers on what actually lands in your account. The common trap is comparing a base salary against a total remuneration package that already contains super, which overstates the package offer by the super rate.
Your details
Offer A is ahead by
$850
- Offer A take-home
- $74,080
- Offer B take-home
- $73,230
- Difference a year
- -$850
- Difference a fortnight
- -$32.69
- Offer A super
- $11,400
- Offer B super
- $11,250
- Offer B taxable salary
- $93,750
A package figure that already contains super is not comparable to a base salary. Grossing it down is the step most offer comparisons miss.
Worked examples, with the arithmetic.
The same sums the tool runs, on real figures. Every number below is computed by the tested engine from the published rates, so the prose and the tool can never disagree.
Worked through: a $105,000 package against a $95,000 base salary
$105,000 package / 1.12 = $93,750 taxable salary take-home on $95,000 = $74,080 take-home on $93,750 = $73,230
No. The $105,000 package contains super, so the taxable salary is $93,750 and the take-home is $73,230, against $74,080 on the $95,000 base. The bigger headline number is worth $850 a year less.
How do I tell which kind of number I have been given?
"salary + super" -> base salary "total remuneration package" -> includes super "package" or "TRP" -> almost always includes super
Ask directly. A base salary has super paid on top, a total remuneration package has super inside it, and at a 12% guarantee rate the difference between the two readings of the same number is about 10.7% of take-home.
Is this accurate, and how does it work?
The method is published rather than described. Nothing here is a black box, and the limits are listed as plainly as the workings.
- 1Normalise the two figures. A package that includes super is grossed down to its taxable salary before anything is compared, because tax applies to the salary, not the package.
- 2Tax each independently. Both offers are run through the same resident scale with the Medicare levy, so the comparison is like for like.
- 3Show super beside take-home, not inside it. Super is real value but it is not spendable now. It is listed separately so a higher-super offer is visible without distorting the take-home comparison.
What this does not cover.
- It compares two salaries on the resident scale. It does not model study loans, the Medicare levy surcharge or salary sacrifice.
- It does not value leave entitlements, bonuses, equity or benefits, which often decide the real comparison.
- It assumes both roles run for a full financial year.
- Super is shown but not discounted for the time until you can access it.
Where these figures come from.
- ATO, Tax rates for Australian residents, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-08-13. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
- ATO, Super guarantee rate, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-04-17. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
- ATO, Medicare levy reduction for low-income earners, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-06-30. Retrieved 2026-09-02. Not yet published for 2026-27: this is the prior year’s figure carried forward and labelled as such, never estimated. It is corrected as soon as the ATO publishes.
Every rate this site uses is listed on the Methodology page.
Common questions.
How do I compare two job offers properly?
Convert both to the same basis first. If one is a total remuneration package including super and the other is a base salary, gross the package down by the super rate before comparing, then compare take-home pay and list super separately.
Is a $105,000 package better than a $95,000 base salary?
Often not. At a 12% super guarantee, a $105,000 package including super is a taxable salary of about $93,750, which is less than a $95,000 base. The package number looks bigger and is worth less.
Should I count super when comparing offers?
Count it, but separately. It is genuine remuneration and compounds for decades, but it is not money you can spend this year, so folding it into a take-home comparison hides the difference that affects your budget now.
What else should I weigh beyond the numbers?
Leave beyond the four-week minimum, whether the role attracts overtime or penalty rates, salary packaging availability, and commuting cost. This page compares the cash, which is the part that is calculable.
Related pages.
- Pay Rise CalculatorSee what a pay rise is worth after tax, how much of a salary increase you keep at your marginal rate, and the extra super paid on top.
- Super Guarantee CalculatorWork out the superannuation your employer must pay on top of your wage at the 12% guarantee rate for 2026-27.
- Salary Sacrifice CalculatorSee what salary sacrificing into super saves in tax and costs in take-home pay, with the 15% contributions tax netted off.
- Reverse Pay CalculatorEnter the take-home pay you need and see the gross salary required to reach it, with income tax, the Medicare levy and super shown separately.
Every calculator on this site is listed on the Wage Calculator page.