How much tax do you pay on $60,000 a year in Australia? (FY2025–26)
$60,000 is roughly the median Australian salary in FY2025–26, sitting comfortably inside the 30% bracket. After tax, Medicare Levy and any HECS-HELP repayment, your take-home is around $50,000 — making this the income where smart deduction tracking starts paying real dividends.
Annual take-home
$50,112
Effective tax rate: 16.5%
Annual total tax
$9,888
Marginal rate: 30.0%
Tax breakdown (annual)
- Gross income
- $60,000
- Taxable income
- $60,000
- Income tax (Stage 3 brackets)
- $8,788
- LITO low income offset
- − $100
- Net income tax
- $8,688
- Medicare Levy (2%)
- $1,200
- Total taxes
- $9,888
- Annual take-home
- $50,112
Default scenario: single filer, has appropriate private hospital cover, no HECS. If you have HECS or no private health cover, use our main calculator for the full picture.
Who earns $60,000?
$60,000 closely matches Australia's median full-time wage and is typical of retail and store managers, junior office workers and customer-service team leads, mid-career tradespeople (qualified plumbers, electricians 3–5 years out of apprenticeship), aged-care registered nurses in their first year, and assistant teachers. At this income, your priorities shift from offset claims (LITO is mostly phased out) to maximising legitimate work-related deductions, starting HECS-HELP repayments, and considering whether private health insurance is cheaper than the Medicare Levy Surcharge — though MLS does not yet apply at this income.
Deduction tips at this income level
- 1Track WFH hours diligently at $0.70/hour fixed rate or actual-cost method — at $60,000 the 30% marginal rate means every $1 of deduction returns 32¢ in tax saved.
- 2Under the new FY2025-26 marginal HECS-HELP system, $60,000 is below the new $67,000 threshold — so compulsory repayment is $0 (down from $1,500–$1,800 under the old 18-band system). Voluntary repayments are still allowed if you want to clear the debt faster.
- 3Consider income-protection insurance premiums, professional memberships, and self-education courses related to your current job — all fully deductible and high-impact at this bracket.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay HECS-HELP at $60,000?
No — not under the new system. The Universities Accord (Cutting Student Debt by 20 per cent) Act 2025 raised the FY2025-26 HECS-HELP minimum threshold from $54,435 to $67,000 and switched to a marginal calculation. At $60,000 of repayment income your compulsory repayment is now $0, where under the old 18-band system you would have paid 1.5–2% of your total income (around $900–$1,200/year). Your employer should still adjust withholding once your annualised pay crosses $67,000. If you want to clear the debt faster you can make voluntary repayments — but they don't reduce your taxable income.
What is my marginal tax rate at $60,000?
Your marginal rate at $60,000 is 30% on income between $45,001 and $135,000 in FY2025–26 — meaning each additional dollar earned is taxed at 30%. Adding the 2% Medicare Levy gives an effective marginal rate of 32%, plus 1% HECS if applicable, for a real take-home rate of roughly 67% on extra dollars. This is why salary sacrificing into super (taxed at 15%) becomes increasingly attractive at this income, as you save 17% on every dollar redirected from take-home to retirement savings.
What is my take-home pay on $60,000 in Australia?
On $60,000 in FY2025–26, your annual take-home is approximately $49,500–$50,500 after federal income tax (around $9,592 gross tax less LITO) and Medicare Levy (2% = $1,200). If you have a HECS-HELP debt, deduct another $600 for an effective take-home of ~$49,000. That equates to roughly $1,885/fortnight or $943/week. Your actual refund at tax time also depends on any work-related deductions you're eligible to claim, which vary by industry and occupation — check what applies to your specific role.
Authoritative sources
All rates and thresholds on this page are sourced from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Your actual situation may differ
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