Tax Return Calculator

Estimate your 2025-26 tax refund, or the tax you will owe, from two figures on your myGov income statement: salary and wages, and tax withheld. It opens on 2025-26, the year Australian residents lodge at tax time 2026, until 1 July 2027, and switches to 2026-27. Every line of the result shows the rate and threshold that produced it: the bracket, the low income tax offset, the Medicare levy, the surcharge if you have no hospital cover, and the study loan repayment if you have a debt.

Your details

Salary and wages for the year

Gross, before tax, all payers added together. It is on your income statement in myGov.

Tax withheld for the year

The total tax withheld on your income statement, all payers added together.

Other taxable income

Bank interest and similar income, in one total. Leave at nil if none.

Work-related expenses you claim

Expenses of earning your wages that you will claim with records: tools, uniform, laundry, working from home, car and travel. From 2026-27 each dollar claimed reduces the $1,000 standard deduction, so leave at nil if they come to less.

Other deductions

Union fees, gifts and donations, the cost of managing your tax affairs, income protection premiums and investment expenses, in one total.

Reportable fringe benefits

The reportable fringe benefits amount on your income statement, from salary packaging or other benefits. It is not taxed again, but the ATO adds it to your income for the surcharge and study loan tests.

Reportable employer super contributions

Salary sacrificed super and other contributions you had a say in, shown on your income statement. Not the compulsory super guarantee. Added to the same two income tests.

I have a HELP, HECS or other study loanI held private hospital cover all year

Estimated tax refund

$612.00

Salary and wages: $60,000
Taxable income: $60,000
Income tax, $4,288 + 30c x $15,000: $8,788.00
Low income tax offset, $325 - 1.5c x $15,000: - $100.00
Medicare levy, 2% of $60,000: $1,200.00
Medicare levy surcharge, hospital cover held: $0.00
Total tax for the year: $9,888.00
Tax withheld: $10,500.00
Refund: $612.00

An estimate on the 2025-26 resident rates. Your notice of assessment from the ATO is the final figure.

How your tax return is calculated.

A tax return is calculated by taxing your taxable income on the resident brackets, taking off the low income tax offset, adding the Medicare levy, any surcharge and any study loan repayment, then subtracting the tax withheld.

1Add up income and take off deductions. Taxable income is salary and wages from every payer, plus other taxable income such as bank interest, less the deductions you claim. It cannot go below nil. Work-related expenses and other deductions are each one total you enter, so the page does not check whether each one is claimable. From 2026-27 the ATO also applies a standard deduction of up to $1,000 to residents with salary or wages, capped at those wages and reduced dollar for dollar by work-related expenses claimed. Union fees, donations and the other deductions do not reduce it. It does not apply to a 2025-26 return.
2Tax it on the resident brackets. In 2025-26 nothing is payable up to $18,200, then 16c in the dollar to $45,000, $4,288 plus 30c to $135,000, $31,288 plus 37c to $190,000, and $51,638 plus 45c above that. In 2026-27 the second rate is 15c and every figure above it falls by $268. The Tax Brackets page sets out both years.
3Take off the low income tax offset. Up to $700, tapering from $37,500 and gone at $66,667, the same in both years. It reduces income tax only, never below nil, and any part left over is lost. It is not applied through payroll, which is why it so often turns up as part of a refund. The Low Income Tax Offset page works through the bands.
4Add the Medicare levy and, without cover, the surcharge. The levy is 2% of taxable income, nil at or below $28,011 in 2025-26 and shading in at 10c in the dollar up to $35,013. The family and SAPTO thresholds are on the Medicare Levy Calculator. Without private hospital cover for the full year, the surcharge is charged on your income for MLS purposes, which is taxable income plus reportable fringe benefits and reportable super contributions. For a single person in 2025-26 it is 1% of the whole of that income above $101,000, 1.25% above $118,000 and 1.5% above $158,000. With a spouse or dependent children the tier is set by your combined income against $202,000, $236,000 and $316,000, plus $1,500 for each dependent child after the first, and you pay the rate on your own income. The Medicare Levy Surcharge Calculator also covers part-year cover.
5Add the compulsory study loan repayment. With a HELP or other study loan, 2025-26 charges 15c for each dollar of repayment income over $67,000, then $8,700 plus 17c over $125,000, and 10% of the whole income above $179,285. Repayment income is taxable income plus reportable fringe benefits and reportable super contributions, and the repayment cannot be more than the debt you still owe. The HECS Repayment Calculator explains why repayment income is often more than salary.
6Net it against the tax withheld. Income tax after the offset, plus the levy, the surcharge and the study loan repayment, is the tax the year owes. The Tax Withheld Calculator shows how the withholding on each pay was worked out. Take the tax the year owes from the tax withheld on your income statement. A positive result is a refund, a negative one is a bill.

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.

What refund does $26,000 with $1,716 withheld get?

$26,000 - $18,200 at 16c          = $1,248.00
low income tax offset             = - $700.00
Medicare levy, under $28,011      = $0.00
total tax for the year            = $548.00
tax withheld                      = $1,716.00
refund                            = $1,168.00

$1,168.00. This is the ATO's own worked example of a 2025-26 return, from its page on multiple jobs: income tax of $1,248.00 less the full $700 offset leaves $548.00, and no Medicare levy is payable because taxable income is under $28,011. $1,716 was withheld, so the difference comes back.

Why does the year matter on $75,000 with a HELP debt?

income tax, 2025-26               = $13,288.00
income tax, 2026-27               = $12,720.00
study loan, 2025-26               = 15c over $67,000 = $1,200.00
study loan, 2026-27               = 15c over $69,528 = $670.80
total, 2025-26                    = $15,988.00
total, 2026-27                    = $14,870.80
difference                        = $1,117.20

Working a 2025-26 return on 2026-27 rates understates the tax by $1,117.20 here. The second bracket fell from 16c to 15c on 1 July 2026, which is $568.00, and the study loan threshold rose from $67,000 to $69,528, which is $529.20. A return lodged in 2026 is for 2025-26, which is why this calculator opens on that year until 1 July 2027.

What does a $2,000 deduction save on $60,000?

total tax on $60,000              = $9,888.00
total tax on $58,000              = $9,218.00
saving                            = $670.00
bracket, 30c x $2,000             = $600.00
Medicare levy, 2c x $2,000        = $40.00
low income tax offset grows back  = $30.00
per dollar deducted               = 33.5c

$670. Taking $2,000 of deductions off $60,000 in 2025-26 cuts the year's tax from $9,888.00 to $9,218.00, which is 33.5c for every dollar deducted. 30c is the bracket and 2c the Medicare levy. The rest is the Low Income Tax Offset growing back by $30, because income between $45,000 and $66,667 loses 1.5c of offset for each extra dollar.

Tax owed on common incomes, 2025-26 and 2026-27.

The table shows the tax a full year owes at each income, so the refund is the tax withheld on your income statement less the figure in your row.

The gap between the years is $268 at most, because 2026-27 cut only the second rate, from 16c to 15c, on the $26,800 slice between $18,200 and $45,000. For 2026-27 pay on a salary, the Income Tax Calculator shows the same year by pay period.

Resident for the full year, single, no study loan, hospital cover held, no other income or deductions. Every figure is worked out by the calculator above. The 2026-27 Medicare levy low-income thresholds are the 2025-26 figures carried forward.
Taxable income	Tax after offset, 2025-26	Medicare levy, 2025-26	Total owed, 2025-26	Total owed, 2026-27	Difference
$30,000	$1,188.00	$198.90	$1,386.90	$1,268.90	$118.00
$45,000	$3,963.00	$900.00	$4,863.00	$4,595.00	$268.00
$60,000	$8,688.00	$1,200.00	$9,888.00	$9,620.00	$268.00
$75,000	$13,288.00	$1,500.00	$14,788.00	$14,520.00	$268.00
$90,000	$17,788.00	$1,800.00	$19,588.00	$19,320.00	$268.00
$120,000	$26,788.00	$2,400.00	$29,188.00	$28,920.00	$268.00
$150,000	$36,838.00	$3,000.00	$39,838.00	$39,570.00	$268.00

Why most employees get a refund, and why some get a bill.

A refund means more tax was withheld through the year than the year owes, and a bill means less was.

What makes a refund

The low income tax offset is never applied through payroll, so up to $700 of it arrives when you lodge. The Low Income Tax Offset page shows how much your income earns.
Deductions only count when you lodge, so the tax on every dollar you claim comes back at your marginal rate plus the levy.
Part-year work is withheld as if each pay continued all year, so the unused part of the tax-free threshold comes back as a refund.
A bonus run through the regular tax table as one pay is withheld as if that pay came every time, and the Tax on Bonus Calculator shows the gap it leaves.

What makes a bill

Two jobs that both claim the tax-free threshold each withhold too little, which the Second Job Tax Calculator works through.
A study loan your employer was never told about has nothing withheld for it, and the HECS Repayment Calculator shows the repayment it adds.
No private hospital cover above the surcharge threshold adds the surcharge at lodgement, and the Medicare Levy Surcharge Calculator works out the tier.
Interest and other income with no tax taken out is taxed at your marginal rate when you lodge.

What this does not cover.

An estimate, not an assessment. The ATO works out the exact figure when you lodge, on your notice of assessment.
Australian residents for the full year only. Foreign residents, part-year residents and working holiday makers are taxed differently.
The low income tax offset is the only offset applied. Franking credits, the seniors and pensioners tax offset, zone, invalid and carer, and foreign income offsets are not included. What SAPTO is worth on its own is on the SAPTO Calculator. For an age pensioner who works, the Age Pension Calculator applies the seniors and pensioners tax offset to wages and the pension together.
Capital gains, business and rental income, employment termination payments, lump sums in arrears and first home super saver releases are not modelled. Other income is one total you enter. The ETP Tax Calculator works out the tax withheld from an ETP.
The private health insurance rebate is not reconciled, so any rebate adjustment on your return will move the result.
The Medicare levy uses single thresholds. The family reduction, spouse and dependants, and Medicare levy exemptions are not applied.
The surcharge assumes cover held all year or none at all, and a spouse for the whole year if you have one. Part-year cover and a spouse for part of the year are not modelled.
Income for the surcharge and study loan repayment income add only reportable fringe benefits and reportable employer super contributions to taxable income. Net investment losses, deductible personal super contributions and exempt foreign employment income, which also count, are not asked for.
The study loan cap uses the balance you enter as it stands. Indexation and voluntary repayments are not applied to it.
Division 293 tax is assessed separately and is not in the result. The Division 293 Calculator works it out.
On 2026-27 the Medicare levy low-income thresholds are the 2025-26 figures carried forward, because the ATO has not yet published them.

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, Low income tax offset, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-06-08. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
ATO, Medicare levy, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-08-13. 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.
ATO, Medicare levy surcharge income, thresholds and rates, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-06-22. Retrieved 2026-09-11.
ATO, Income for Medicare levy surcharge purposes, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-06-22. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
ATO, Study and training loan repayment thresholds and rates, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-06-30. Retrieved 2026-09-11.
ATO, When you must repay your loan: your repayment income, the source gave its own last updated date as 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
ATO, Lodge your tax return online with myTax, the source gave its own last updated date as 2026-09-22. Retrieved 2026-09-25.

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

Common questions.

How is a tax refund calculated?

Refund equals tax withheld less the tax your year owes. The tax owed is income tax on taxable income, less the low income tax offset, plus the Medicare levy, plus any surcharge and study loan repayment. The ATO's own 2025-26 example is Sue: $26,000 taxable income, $1,248.00 of tax less the $700 offset leaves $548.00, and with $1,716 withheld she gets $1,168.00 back.

How much tax will I get back?

Your refund is the tax withheld on your income statement less the tax your year owes. On $60,000 with $10,500 withheld in 2025-26 that is $612. The year owes $9,888.00 there: $8,788.00 of income tax, less a $100 offset, plus a $1,200 Medicare levy. The table on this page gives the tax owed at other incomes, so the figure in your row taken from your tax withheld is your refund. Part-way through the year, the YTD Income Calculator projects the same sum from your latest payslip.

Why is my tax refund smaller than last year?

Most often because your income rose and the Low Income Tax Offset tapered away: it is $700 up to $37,500 and nothing from $66,667, and payroll never applies it, so the part you lose comes straight off the refund. Fewer deductions, a study loan debt passing the repayment threshold, hospital cover lapsing, or a second job withheld at the wrong scale also reduce the refund or turn it into a bill. Running this page on both years with the same figures shows how much is down to the rates alone.

Why do I owe money to the ATO?

You owe tax when less was withheld through the year than the year's tax, most often because of a second job, an undeclared study loan or no hospital cover. Two jobs that both claim the tax-free threshold each withhold as if they were your only income, which the Second Job Tax Calculator works through. A study loan your employer was never told about has nothing extra withheld for it, and the surcharge is not part of standard withholding. Interest and other income with no tax taken out add to the bill too.

Which financial year should I pick?

The year your return covers, which is the year that ended on the last 30 June. A return lodged between July 2026 and June 2027 is for 2025-26, and that is the default here until 1 July 2027. Picking 2026-27 for a 2025-26 return uses the 15c bracket instead of 16c and a higher study loan threshold, which understates the tax and overstates the refund.

Does a HELP debt reduce my tax refund?

Yes. The compulsory repayment is added to the tax the year owes, and it is paid out of what was withheld. If you told your employer about the debt, extra was withheld through the year to cover it, so the effect is often small. If you did not, the whole repayment comes out of the refund or becomes a bill. The repayment cannot be more than the debt you still owe, and entering your balance applies that cap here.

What happens if I did not have private hospital cover?

Above the surcharge threshold, the Medicare levy surcharge is added when you lodge. For a single person in 2025-26 that is 1% of the whole income once it passes $101,000, rising to 1.5% above $158,000. Below the threshold there is nothing to pay, whether or not you have cover. Extras-only cover does not count.

When will I get my tax refund?

Most refunds issue within 2 weeks of lodging through myTax, and the due date to lodge your own return is 31 October, according to the ATO. The ATO works out the final figure on your notice of assessment, and it can hold back part of a refund to pay a debt you owe it or another government agency. When a 2025-26 return you lodge yourself is due this year, and what lodging late can cost, is on Tax Return Deadline 2026. Family Tax Benefit is balanced separately by Services Australia after the year, once your return is lodged, against your actual adjusted taxable income; the Family Tax Benefit Calculator estimates that year.

Related pages.

Income Tax CalculatorWork out income tax, the Medicare levy and the low income tax offset on any salary for 2026-27, with the bracket-by-bracket working shown.
Tax Withheld CalculatorWork out the PAYG tax withheld from a weekly, fortnightly or monthly pay on the ATO 2026-27 formulas, with the working and the tax owed when you lodge.
HECS Repayment CalculatorWork out your compulsory HECS, HELP or STSL study loan repayment for 2026-27 on the marginal thresholds that replaced the old flat-rate tables.
Medicare Levy Surcharge CalculatorWork out whether the Medicare levy surcharge applies to you and what it costs, with the 2026-27 single and family thresholds.
Second Job Tax CalculatorWork out the tax on a second job for 2026-27, what each employer withholds without the tax-free threshold, and the bill or refund due at tax time.

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