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Salary · Australia · 2026/27
Pension contributions: cash and retirement savings in Australia
This article was created with artificial intelligence support.
A pension contribution can build retirement savings while reducing cash available today. In Australia, check who pays it and what the quoted salary includes.
Identify the contribution being changed
The examples cover Lithuania’s second-pillar pension participation, PPK membership in Poland, Australian salary packages including employer super, New Zealand KiwiSaver contributions at fixed model rates, and employee retirement contributions in South Africa.
Separate employee cash from retirement money
Employee pension deductions reduce your spendable salary and fund retirement saving. Employer contributions may also be taxed. Count them in the employer’s costs and keep them separate from your cash net pay.
Compare the supported pension settings
For 2026/27, $90,000.00 with Salary plus employer super leaves $70,680.00 annual net; Package including employer super leaves $64,122.76. The annual cash difference is -$6,557.24. Read the salary and employer-contribution assumptions before comparing the figures.
Example assumptions
Annual model estimate
Salary example for a tax resident. Eligibility and actual payment dates may differ.
Illustrative salary levels, not measured local earnings benchmarks.
- Model year
- 2026/27
- Currency
- AUD
- Age
- 35
- Capital Gains
- $0.00
- Children
- 0
- Settings
- Salary plus employer super / Package including employer super
- Joint assessment (splitting)?
- No
- Church Tax
- No
Annual net pay (AUD)
- $65,000.00 · Salary plus employer super
- $53,705.00
- $65,000.00 · Package including employer super
- $49,073.28
- $90,000.00 · Salary plus employer super
- $70,680.00
- $90,000.00 · Package including employer super
- $64,122.76
- $120,000.00 · Salary plus employer super
- $89,880.00
- $120,000.00 · Package including employer super
- $81,265.14
| Scenario | Annual gross salary | Annual net pay | Monthly average net pay | Net difference | Employee and employer retirement contributions · Employee contributions | Employee and employer retirement contributions · Employer Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary plus employer super | $65,000.00 | $53,705.00 | $4,475.42 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $7,800.00 |
| Package including employer super | $58,035.00 | $49,073.28 | $4,089.44 | -$4,631.72 | $0.00 | $6,964.20 |
Calculator estimate · Annual
| Scenario | Taxes | Employee contributions | Student-loan repayments | Paid tax credits | Employer cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary plus employer super | $11,295.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $72,800.00 |
| Package including employer super | $8,961.72 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $64,999.20 |
| Scenario | Annual gross salary | Annual net pay | Monthly average net pay | Net difference | Employee and employer retirement contributions · Employee contributions | Employee and employer retirement contributions · Employer Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary plus employer super | $90,000.00 | $70,680.00 | $5,890.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $10,800.00 |
| Package including employer super | $80,357.00 | $64,122.76 | $5,343.56 | -$6,557.24 | $0.00 | $9,642.84 |
Calculator estimate · Annual
| Scenario | Taxes | Employee contributions | Student-loan repayments | Paid tax credits | Employer cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary plus employer super | $19,320.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100,800.00 |
| Package including employer super | $16,234.24 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $89,999.84 |
| Scenario | Annual gross salary | Annual net pay | Monthly average net pay | Net difference | Employee and employer retirement contributions · Employee contributions | Employee and employer retirement contributions · Employer Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary plus employer super | $120,000.00 | $89,880.00 | $7,490.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $14,400.00 |
| Package including employer super | $107,142.00 | $81,265.14 | $6,772.10 | -$8,614.86 | $0.00 | $12,857.04 |
Calculator estimate · Annual
| Scenario | Taxes | Employee contributions | Student-loan repayments | Paid tax credits | Employer cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary plus employer super | $30,120.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $134,400.00 |
| Package including employer super | $25,876.86 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $119,999.04 |
Open the salary scenarios, check the displayed scheme and package assumptions, and compare spendable net pay with your current budget.
Read the salary-package wording
For Australia, confirm whether the quoted package includes employer super or whether super comes on top of the cash salary. Equal package numbers can imply different gross salaries. This comparison does not model voluntary salary sacrifice.
Check eligibility and scheme terms
Check the scheme rules for eligibility, opt-out conditions and contribution treatment. Fund returns, charges and future benefits are outside the salary model; assess those separately when choosing a fund or contribution level.
Budget with spendable net pay
Use net pay to check rent, recurring costs and savings outside the pension. Record employer and employee retirement contributions separately when assessing the offer.
Before comparing pension settings
- Confirm the supported scheme and your eligibility.
- Check whether salary includes employer retirement contributions.
- Keep employee net and employer costs separate.
- Assess cash affordability separately from retirement returns.
See your own numbers
The articles use example figures. Enter your salary in the calculator to see your own result.
Sources and model coverage
What the estimate covers
The calculator estimates employment income using its supported country rules and selected inputs. Benefits, collective agreements and personal circumstances that are not modelled are excluded. Official rules determine your actual liability.
- Salary packaging / fringe benefit tax (FBT) arrangements are outside scope.