What a Salary Checker Reveals About Your Gross Pay, Super, and Tax
Use a salary checker to compare your pay against national benchmarks. Learn how gross pay, superannuation, and tax affect your take-home income with the Salary Index.
The national benchmark for full-time adult ordinary-time earnings is $108,352 per year (index 100). Your salary checker result can be compared to this line.
What a Salary Checker Does
A salary checker is a practical tool for anyone who wants to know whether their pay stacks up. In Australia, the most reliable salary checker is the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool, which uses current award and minimum wage data to tell you the least you should be paid. But a salary checker can also mean comparing your gross annual salary to a national benchmark. That's where the Salary Index comes in.
The National Line: Index 100
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publishes Average Weekly Earnings each quarter. For May 2026, full-time adult ordinary-time earnings were $2,083.70 per week, or $108,352 a year. That figure is our index 100 – the national line. If your gross salary is exactly $108,352, your index is 100. If it's $54,176, your index is 50. If it's $162,528, your index is 150. The index lets you see, at a glance, where your pay sits against the average full-time worker.
Gross Pay: The Starting Point
When you use a salary checker, you're usually looking at gross pay – the amount before tax, super, and other deductions. That's the right number to plug into the Salary Index. For example, a retail worker on the award minimum might earn $1,581.60 per week (index 75.9), while a mining worker averages $3,224.20 per week (index 154.7). These are gross ordinary-time benchmarks, not a quote for a specific job or classification. Modern awards can pay more than the national minimum wage, so always check your award using the pay guides on this site.
Superannuation: On Top of Gross Pay
Super is not part of your gross salary – it's an extra contribution your employer must make. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee is 12% of your ordinary time earnings, up to a maximum contribution base of $270,830. So if your gross salary is $80,000, your employer adds $9,600 to your super account. The Salary Index uses gross pay only, so your index number doesn't change when super rates rise. But it's worth knowing that your total employment cost is higher than your index suggests.
How Super Affects Your Comparison
Some salary checkers include super in the total package. The Salary Index does not. If you're comparing a job offer that says "$120,000 package including super", you need to separate the super component. At 12% super, the gross salary would be about $107,143 ($120,000 ÷ 1.12). That puts your index at 98.9, slightly below the national line. Always convert to gross pay before using the index.
Tax: What You Take Home
A salary checker rarely shows take-home pay, but you can estimate it using the 2026–27 resident tax rates. The tax-free threshold is $18,200. Above that, you pay 15% up to $45,000, 30% up to $135,000, 37% up to $190,000, and 45% over that. Plus a 2% Medicare levy. For a gross salary of $108,352 (index 100), the estimated tax is about $24,467 and Medicare $2,167, leaving take-home of $81,718. That's roughly $1,571 per week. The states page shows how average earnings vary by location – ACT leads at index 109.9, while Tasmania is 88.6.
Junior and Minimum Wage Examples
The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week, annualised to $52,255 (index 48.2). Junior rates are lower – for example, a 16-year-old gets $12.51 per hour under the National Minimum Wage Order. But awards can set different junior rates. A salary checker like the Fair Work Ombudsman's tool will apply the correct rate for your age and award. Always use the official tool for your specific situation.
Using the Salary Index with a Salary Checker
To get the most out of a salary checker, follow these steps:
- Find your gross annual salary (before tax and super).
- Divide it by $108,352 and multiply by 100 to get your index.
- Compare your index to the national line (100) or to industry averages like industries.
- Remember that your index is a benchmark, not a guarantee of what you should earn.
For example, a teacher on $80,000 has an index of 73.8. The education and training industry average is 105.5, so that teacher is below the industry norm. A nurse on $90,000 has an index of 83.1, while health care and social assistance averages 97.8. These comparisons can help you negotiate or plan your career.
Caveats and Official Sources
The ABS data is the most authoritative source for average earnings, but it has limitations. It doesn't account for part-time workers or casual loadings. The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool is the official salary checker for award-covered employees, but it may have delays between wage changes and updates. Always check the topics page for the latest information on minimum wages and super.
Final Thoughts
A salary checker is only as good as the data behind it. By combining the Fair Work Ombudsman's tool with the Salary Index, you get a clear picture of where your gross pay sits against the national average. Factor in super and tax to understand your total compensation and take-home pay. The index is a simple number – 100 is the line, and everything else is relative.
provides the National Minimum Wage and award rates. publishes the Average Weekly Earnings that form the index base. Use these official sources to verify your salary checker results.
Questions people ask
What is a salary checker?
A salary checker is a tool that helps you compare your pay against official minimum wages, award rates, or national averages. In Australia, the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool is the official salary checker for award-covered employees. It calculates minimum pay including penalties and allowances. The Salary Index at provides a broader benchmark by comparing your gross annual salary to the national full-time adult ordinary-time earnings line.
How does super affect my salary checker result?
Superannuation is paid by your employer on top of your gross salary. The Salary Index uses gross ordinary-time earnings before super, so your index number reflects your base pay. For example, if your gross salary is $108,352 (index 100), your employer must contribute at least 12% super ($13,002) from 1 July 2026. Your total employment cost is higher, but the index focuses on the salary you receive before super.
Does the salary checker account for tax?
No, a salary checker typically shows gross pay before tax. The Salary Index also uses gross ordinary-time earnings. Your take-home pay depends on your tax bracket and the Medicare levy. For 2026–27, resident tax rates start at nil up to $18,200, then 15% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000, and 45% above that, plus a 2% Medicare levy. You can estimate net pay by applying these rates to your gross salary.