How to Use the Super Calculator Australia
- Enter your salary before tax (excluding super) and choose your pay period.
- Optionally fill in the retirement projection: years to retirement, current balance, salary growth and expected investment return.
- Select Calculate to see your employer's contributions and, if you filled in the projection fields, your estimated balance at retirement.
How Superannuation Contributions Work in Australia
The super guarantee (SG) is the minimum amount your employer must pay into your super fund. It is paid on top of your salary, so it doesn't reduce your take-home pay. Most employees aged 18 and over are entitled to it, including part-time and casual workers.
Current Super Guarantee (SG) Rate 2026–27
In 2026–27, the super guarantee rate is 12% of your ordinary time earnings. The calculation is simple: multiply your ordinary earnings by 12%. On a salary of $85,000, your employer pays at least $10,200 a year, or about $850 a month. Ordinary earnings generally include your normal wage, commissions and most allowances, but not overtime. Source: ATO — super for employers.
There is an upper limit. Employers don't have to pay super on earnings above the maximum contribution base of $270,830 a year in 2026–27. Source: ATO — maximum super contribution base.
Contributions Tax
When your employer's contributions reach your fund, they are taxed at 15%. This is usually lower than your income tax rate, which is why super is a tax-effective way to save. So from $10,200 of contributions, about $8,670 is actually invested.
Contribution Caps
All before-tax contributions, including employer SG, salary sacrifice and personal contributions you claim a deduction for, count towards the concessional cap of $32,500 a year. Contributions above the cap are taxed at your marginal rate. Source: ATO — concessional contributions cap.
When Can You Access Your Super?
Super is designed to stay locked away until retirement, so you can't withdraw it just because you need the cash. You need to reach your preservation age — 60 for everyone born after 1 July 1964 — and meet a condition of release, most commonly retiring from the workforce. Turn 65, and you get unrestricted access whether you've retired or not. Between 60 and 64, stopping work with an employer lets you access the super accrued up to that point, though anything earned afterwards with a new employer stays preserved until you meet another condition. Earlier access is only allowed in narrow circumstances, such as permanent incapacity, a terminal medical condition, or severe financial hardship assessed against strict criteria — it isn't a general-purpose emergency fund.
How the Retirement Projection Works
If you fill in the optional projection fields, the calculator adds your employer's contributions (after tax) each year, grows your salary by the rate you choose, and applies your investment return. The result is in future dollars and assumes a steady return, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a forecast. Many balanced super options have historically returned 6–7% a year after fees over the long term, but past returns don't guarantee future ones.
See your full take-home pay with our Take Home Pay Calculator Australia. Or estimate your total tax with our Income Tax Calculator Australia. Weighing up extra super against a salary-packaged car? Compare the tax cost with our FBT Calculator Australia.