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$30,000 a Year Is How Much an Hour?

$15.18 an hour before tax and $14.54 an hour after tax (2026-27), based on a 38-hour week and 1,976 hours a year.

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Hourly Rate Breakdown for $30,000

FrequencyGross (Before Tax)Net (After Tax)
Hourly (38 hrs/wk)$15.18$14.54
Daily (7.6 hrs)$115.38$110.50
Weekly$577$553
Fortnightly$1,154$1,105
Monthly$2,500$2,394
Annual$30,000$28,731

Of each $15.18 hour, $0.54 goes in income tax and $0.10 in Medicare levy, leaving $14.54. FY2026-27 resident rates, no Medicare Levy Surcharge (method in full).

How Many Hours a Week Is $30,000 at the Minimum Wage?

$30,000 is below the full-time minimum wage. An adult on the $26.44 minimum for 38 hours a week earns $52,255 a year, so as a full-time salary $30,000 is less than the law requires (junior, apprentice and supported wage rates aside). It is a part-time figure:

At this hourly rateHours a week for $30,000Share of 38 hours
Adult minimum wage ($26.44)21.857%
Casual minimum wage ($33.05, adult rate plus 25%)17.546%

$30,000 ÷ 52 weeks ÷ the hourly rate. Other part-time loads: pro-rata salary calculator.

Junior and Apprentice Minimums Near $15.18 an Hour

As a full-time rate, $15.18 an hour is $11.26 under the $26.44 adult minimum, so it can be a lawful full-time wage only as one of these:

  • A junior rate. The national junior scale sets $12.51 at age 16 and $15.29 at 17, so $15.18 meets the minimum for employees aged 16 and under (minimum wage at 16). Awards set their own junior percentages.
  • An apprentice rate. Apprentice award minimums within 50c of $15.18:
    • $14.73: 1st-year junior apprentice, Year 12 not completed (Building and construction (carpentry and other on-site trades); Automotive repair (motor mechanic); Hairdressing; Beauty therapy; Manufacturing and engineering (boilermaker, fabrication); Meat industry (apprentice butcher))
    Apprentice pay rates by trade.
  • Not an adult award rate. It is under every adult award minimum we track; the lowest is $25.74 (Fitness Industry Award, Level 1).

$30,000 a year is ahead of 11–13% of all employees (ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025) and $78,352 below the average full-time salary of $108,352 (May 2026).

Other figures: hourly to annual salary calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a full-time salary, yes: $30,000 is $15.18 an hour over 38 hours, under the $26.44 adult minimum from 1 July 2026 ($52,255 a year full time). As part-time pay it is 21.8 hours a week at the adult minimum, or 17.5 hours at the $33.05 casual minimum.

Not as an adult's ordinary pay: $15.18 is $11.26 under the $26.44 national minimum wage for adults from 1 July 2026. It meets the national junior minimum for employees aged 16 and under ($12.51 at 16); it is within 50c of the $14.73 minimum for a 1st-year junior apprentice, Year 12 not completed (Building and construction (carpentry and other on-site trades); Automotive repair (motor mechanic); Hairdressing; Beauty therapy; Manufacturing and engineering (boilermaker, fabrication); Meat industry (apprentice butcher)); it is under every adult award minimum we track (the lowest is $25.74).

At $15.18/hour, you earn 72% below the average full-time hourly rate of $54.83/hour (based on ABS Average Weekly Earnings). It is also below the national minimum wage of $26.44/hour, so as a full-time salary it is less than an adult employee must be paid (junior, apprentice and supported wages aside).

Sources & References

  1. 1
    National Minimum Wage— Fair Work Ombudsman
  2. 2
  3. 3

Last verified: 9 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.

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