The national minimum wage is now $26.44 an hour: $1,004.90 for a 38-hour week, or about $52,255 a year full-time. But gross pay isn't what lands in your account. Here's what a minimum-wage worker actually takes home after tax, at weekly, fortnightly and annual frequency.
Key facts
| What changed | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage (hourly) | $26.44 |
| Minimum wage (weekly, 38 hrs) | $1,004.90 |
| Minimum wage (annual, full-time) | $52,254.80 |
| Weekly take-home (approx.) | $869.90 |
| Casual rate (25% loading) | $33.05/hr |
How the take-home figures were worked out
These numbers are calculated using the site's own FY2026-27 PAYG withholding engine, the same methodology the Australian Taxation Office uses in its Statement of Formulas (NAT 1004): annualising the pay period earnings, applying the FY2026-27 resident tax scale, the Low Income Tax Offset and the shaded Medicare levy, then dividing back to the pay period. The figures below assume a single Australian resident who claims the tax-free threshold and has no HECS-HELP or other study loan debt. You can see how the same withholding rates apply at other income levels on our weekly tax table.
| Pay frequency | Gross pay | Tax withheld | Take-home pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | $1,004.90 | $135.00 | $869.90 |
| Fortnightly | $2,009.80 | $270.00 | $1,739.80 |
| Annual | $52,254.80 | $7,025.00 | $45,229.80 |
Why weekly tax isn't simply annual tax ÷ 52
Withholding is worked out by annualising each pay period first, so weekly and fortnightly withholding land on slightly different totals than a straight division of the annual tax figure once you account for rounding. The ATO publishes the exact amounts in its weekly tax table 2026-27 and fortnightly tax table. On a $52,254.80 annual income, the Low Income Tax Offset trims about $216 off the tax bill and the Medicare levy is shaded rather than charged in full, because earnings sit close to the low-income threshold. Together these keep the effective tax rate on minimum-wage earnings well under 15%.
The tax-free threshold does most of the heavy lifting here: the first $18,200 of annual income isn't taxed at all, and the 15% rate that applies from FY2026-27 covers most of the remaining minimum-wage earnings up to $45,000. Because a full-time minimum-wage income sits only just above that $45,000 mark, very little of it is taxed at the higher 30% rate, which is why the effective average tax rate on the whole $52,254.80 works out closer to 13.4%.
Casuals and part-timers
Casual employees on the minimum wage receive a 25% casual loading on top of the base rate, taking their minimum hourly rate to $33.05 from 1 July 2026, paid to compensate for missing out on paid leave. Many casuals are also covered by a modern award whose award pay rates sit above the national minimum. Part-time workers are simply paid $26.44 for each hour rostered; there's no separate part-time rate, so a 20-hour week comes to $528.80 gross. Use our weekly pay calculator to work out gross and net pay for your own hours.
Because casual and part-time earnings are usually lower per pay period than a full-time wage, a larger share sits inside the tax-free threshold, so the average tax rate on those hours can be lower again than the full-time figures shown above. If your hours vary week to week, your employer withholds tax based on what you earn that period, not an assumed annual average, so a big week can see proportionally more withheld than a quiet one, even though it evens out at tax time.
What happens if you have a HECS-HELP debt
A full-time minimum-wage income of $52,254.80 a year sits below the $69,528 compulsory repayment threshold for 2026-27 for HECS-HELP and other study and training support loans, so nobody on the minimum wage alone has a compulsory repayment withheld, so the take-home figures above apply whether or not you carry a HECS-HELP debt. Repayments only kick in once your total repayment income, including any second job or other earnings, pushes you over that threshold.
What this means for your pay
If you're paid the minimum wage, expect roughly $870 a week, $1,740 a fortnight or $45,230 a year after tax under the new rate, assuming you claim the tax-free threshold and carry no HECS debt. Your figures will differ if you have a study loan, salary sacrifice arrangements or additional income. Run your exact hours and pay cycle through our take-home pay calculator to get a precise after-tax number for your situation.