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Super Guarantee Calculator

Work out the superannuation your employer must pay on top of your wage. Since 1 July 2026 the Superannuation Guarantee is a percentage of qualifying earnings, the base Payday Super introduced in place of ordinary time earnings, and it is an employer cost rather than a deduction from your pay.

Your details

Super your employer must pay

$9,600

Your qualifying earnings
$80,000
Super guarantee rate
12.0%
Super a year
$9,600
Super a fortnight
$369.23
Total cost to the employer
$89,600

From 1 July 2026 the guarantee is calculated on qualifying earnings, not on ordinary time earnings, and is paid on every payday rather than quarterly. Super is paid on top of your wage, never out of it.

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.

How much super is paid on an $80,000 salary?

$80,000 x 12.0%              = $9,600 a year
per payday, paid fortnightly  = $369.23

Your employer must pay $9,600 into your fund for the year, on top of the $80,000 salary. The total cost to the employer is $89,600, which is the figure a package offer is usually quoting. Since 1 July 2026 it is paid every payday rather than quarterly.

Why is super not deducted from my take-home pay?

salary        $80,000   taxed, paid to you
super         $9,600   paid by the employer to your fund

Because it is an employer obligation calculated on top of your wage, not a deduction from it. The only case where super reduces your salary is a total remuneration package, where the headline figure already contains it and the taxable salary is correspondingly lower.

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.

  1. 1Start from qualifying earnings. From 1 July 2026 the guarantee is calculated on qualifying earnings, the base Payday Super introduced in place of ordinary time earnings. For periods up to 30 June 2026 it was ordinary time earnings, which excluded overtime.
  2. 2Apply the guarantee rate. The rate is set by legislation and applies to qualifying earnings, not to total pay and not to your taxable income. Earnings above the maximum contribution base carry no compulsory super at all.
  3. 3Add it, never subtract it. Super is paid on top of your wage into your fund. It does not reduce take-home pay, which is why it is shown here as an employer cost.

What this does not cover.

  • It applies the guarantee rate to the earnings you enter. Deciding what counts as qualifying earnings is the harder question and depends on your award and pay items.
  • It does not include salary sacrifice, personal deductible contributions or the concessional cap.
  • It does not model Division 293 tax, which applies to concessional contributions at higher incomes.

Where these figures come from.

Every rate this site uses is listed on the Methodology page.

Common questions.

What is the super guarantee rate?

The super guarantee rate is 12% for 2026-27, calculated on qualifying earnings. The rate reached 12% on 1 July 2025 after a decade of scheduled increases and is not legislated to rise further. What changed on 1 July 2026 is the earnings base, not the percentage: qualifying earnings replaced ordinary time earnings when Payday Super started.

Is super taken out of my pay?

No. The Superannuation Guarantee is an employer cost paid on top of your wage. It never reduces your take-home pay. The exception is a total remuneration package, where super is quoted inside the headline figure and the taxable salary is correspondingly lower.

Do I get super on overtime?

Generally no. The ATO states overtime payments are not qualifying earnings, provided your ordinary hours of work are clearly identified in an award or agreement. Where they are not, all the hours you actually work count as ordinary hours and super is payable on the lot. Casual loading, shift penalties including public holiday penalties, and most allowances are qualifying earnings and do attract super.

When does my employer have to pay it?

On every payday. Payday Super started on 1 July 2026, and a contribution is on time if the fund receives it, with the information needed to allocate it to your account, within 7 business days of the employer paying you. Before that date the deadline was 28 days after the end of each quarter.

Related pages.

  • Salary Sacrifice CalculatorSee what salary sacrificing into super saves in tax and costs in take-home pay, with the 15% contributions tax netted off.
  • Division 293 CalculatorWork out Division 293 tax on concessional super contributions once income plus contributions passes the $250,000 threshold.
  • Payday SuperEmployers must now pay superannuation at the same time as wages rather than quarterly. What changed, when it started, and what it means for your pay.
  • Overtime CalculatorWork out a week mixing ordinary hours, time and a half and double time, and see what the overtime portion is worth.

Every calculator on this site is listed on the Wage Calculator page.