In 5 minutes you'll know more about your pay than most adults.
Exactly how much you're really earning
What's being taken out and why
Your rights at work that most people don't know
By the end, you'll be in the top 5%
Quick setup
Two quick questions.
We'll use your actual numbers so everything is real for you.
$/hr
No job yet? — the average for a 16-year-old casual in Australia.
How old are you? (affects your super entitlement)
Hours per week
How many hours do you work most weeks?
hrs
Your weekly pay
Here's what you earn each week before anything is taken out.
Gross Pay
$0.00
Before tax and super
12 hrs×$0.00/hr
This is your gross pay — the full amount your employer owes you before the government takes its share. But this isn't what actually lands in your bank.
Two things come out of your pay. One you lose. One you keep.
Here's exactly what happens to your gross pay before you see a cent.
🏛️
Income Tax
Collected by the ATO. Funds schools, roads, hospitals. You don't get this back (mostly).
-$0.00per week
i
Australia has a stepped tax system. You don't pay the same rate on every dollar — each bracket only applies to the dollars earned within that range.
For example: if you earn $20,000 a year, the first $18,200 is tax-free. Only the $1,800 over $18,200 is taxed at 16% — that's just $288 tax for the year. Each extra dollar you earn moves through the brackets one step at a time. Source: ATO 2025–26.
🏦
Super
12% on top of your pay. Goes into YOUR retirement fund. This is still your money.
+$0.00
per week (yours)
Net Pay. This is what hits your bank.
After tax. Every week. Till you hit the next tax bracket.
$0.00
This is what your payslip looks like. Tap the ? dots to find out what each line means.
?
Tap every dot to unlock the next screen
SurfSide Retail
ABN 55 123 456 789
Payslip
Jordan Mitchell
Casual Sales Assistant
Pay periodWeekly
Earnings
Base Pay (casual)12hrs × $24.50$294.00?
Base Pay is your hourly rate multiplied by the hours you worked. As a casual worker you get paid for exactly the hours on your roster — no more, no less.
Public Holiday Pay0hrs × —$0.00i
If you work on a public holiday, most awards require your employer to pay a penalty rate — often 225% of your base rate (more than double pay). Check your specific award at fairwork.gov.au to see what you're entitled to.
Saturday Loading0hrs × —$0.00i
Many awards pay a Saturday penalty rate — typically 125% of your base rate. So if your base rate is $24.50, Saturday hours might be worth $30.63. Not all awards include this — check yours at fairwork.gov.au.
Sunday Loading0hrs × —$0.00i
Sunday penalty rates are usually higher than Saturday — often 150% or more of your base rate. If you work Sundays regularly, these loadings can add up significantly. Always check your award at fairwork.gov.au.
Deductions
Income Tax (PAYG)withheld by employer-$0.00?
PAYG (Pay As You Go) — your employer collects income tax on the ATO's behalf and sends it straight to the government. The amount depends on your income and whether you've claimed the tax-free threshold on your TFN declaration.
Net Pay (to your bank)$0.00
Super: $0.00/wk — paid separately by your employer into your super fund. Not taken from your pay — it's extra on top.
?
Superannuation is 12% of your gross pay that your employer must pay into your super fund on top of your wages — it doesn't come out of your pocket.
Under 18? You're only entitled to super if you work 30+ hours per week. Under that threshold, your employer isn't required to pay it.
New in 2026: Payday Super — from 1 July 2026, employers must pay your super on the same day as your wages, and it must reach your fund within 7 days. Check your super fund regularly to make sure your super is being paid in properly.
Super: not yet earned — under 18s only receive super when working 30+ hours per week. Increase your hours and it switches on automatically.
?
Super eligibility under 18: Australian law requires employers to pay super to employees under 18 only if they work more than 30 hours in a week. At your current hours, you don't qualify yet — but the moment you cross that threshold, you do.
New in 2026: Payday Super — from 1 July 2026, super must be paid on the same day as wages and must reach your fund within 7 days. Check your super fund regularly to make sure your super is being paid in properly.
Put it in perspective
Your weekly pay in the real world.
Here's what your take-home pay actually means in things you know.
🔍 Spot the mistake
Something's wrong with this payslip.
One line contains an error. Tap the line you think is wrong.
Attempts: 3 remaining
SurfSide Retail
ABN 55 123 456 789
Payslip
Jordan Mitchell
Casual Sales Assistant
Pay periodWeekly
Earnings
Base Pay (casual)12hrs × $24.50$294.00
Super (paid by employer)included in your pay$0.00
Deductions
Income Tax (PAYG)withheld by employer$0.00
Net Pay$0.00
Your weekly take-home
$0.00
lands in your bank every week
Gross pay$0.00
Income tax-$0.00
Take-home pay$0.00
Super (yours)+$0.00
And over a full year? That's $0 in take-home pay, plus $0 building in your super fund — assuming you worked the same hours and days each week of the year.
Tax File Number
Your TFN is one of the most important numbers you'll ever have.
It's the ATO's way of identifying you as a taxpayer. You get one for life — it never changes.
👇 Tap each card to read — then continue.
What it is
▸
A unique 9-digit number issued by the ATO. You give it to your employer when you start a job, and to your super fund. It's used to identify you and calculate your correct rate of tax. You only ever need one — keep it private.
How to get one
▸
Apply free at ato.gov.au — takes about 10 minutes online. You'll need your Australian passport or birth certificate. It arrives by mail in about 28 days.
Tax rates and the financial year
▸
Tax rates usually change each financial year. In Australia, the financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June. The rates shown in this lesson are current for the 2025-26 financial year — always check ato.gov.au for the latest rates.
⚠️ The Tax Trap — what happens without one
With TFN
~0%
tax on your income at this bracket
Without TFN
47%
withheld by law. Every pay cycle.
Without a TFN on file, your employer is legally required to withhold 47% of every dollar you earn and send it to the ATO. You can claim it back at tax time — but you'll wait months for money that should have been yours immediately.
Your Award Rate
Are you being paid what you're actually owed?
Every industry in Australia has a legal minimum rate set by a Modern Award. Tap your job type to see yours.
🛍️
Retail
General Retail Industry Award
🍽️
Hospitality
Hospitality Industry Award
🍔
Fast Food
Fast Food Industry Award
🛒
Supermarket
General Retail Industry Award
If you have any issues with your pay that you aren't sure how to resolve and need help, the Fair Work Ombudsman is a great place to start — fairwork.gov.au
Your rates
Rates shown are approximate minimums for a 16-17yr casual as at July 2025. Award rates change each July — always verify at fairwork.gov.au for the most current figures.
Base rate (16–17 yr casual)—
Saturday rate—
Sunday rate—
Public holiday rate—
Your entered rate—
Superannuation
Your super fund is a wealth machine that starts working the day you do.
Most people don't think about super until their 40s. The ones who pay attention early end up with dramatically more money at retirement.
How it works
1
Your employer pays 12% of your gross pay into a super fund in your name — on top of your wages, not from them.
2
The fund invests your money in shares, property and bonds. It grows over decades through compound returns.
3
You can access it at preservation age (currently 60). Until then, it's locked in — growing for you automatically.
4
Check your super exists: create a myGov account, link the ATO, and you'll see every super account you have. Many young workers are never enrolled — employers sometimes "forget".
i
If you kept earning at the same rate until you retire
$0
Based on your employer paying $0/wk in super every week for 50 years (age 17 to 67), invested at an average 7% annual return. This assumes your hours and rate stay the same — in reality your super contributions will likely grow as your income grows, so this is a conservative starting point.
YES! That number is real.
How? Through the power of compound interest — where your returns earn their own returns, year after year. The longer the money is invested, the more dramatically it grows. Starting at 17 instead of 27 can literally double your retirement balance.
Want to see it in action? Try the compound interest calculator at moneysmart.gov.au/budgeting/compound-interest-calculator
Knowledge check
Let's see what stuck.
Six quick questions. No tricks — everything comes straight from what you just learned. Get them right and claim your reward.
🎯 6 questions
⚡ ~2 minutes
Question 1 of 6
Question 2 of 6
Question 3 of 6
Question 4 of 6
Question 5 of 6
Question 6 of 6
Your score
0
out of 6
Loading...
Your reward
Loading...
Tap below to send your results and claim it.
Share your score with your parent to claim your reward. They'll see exactly what you learned today.