About SalaryCalc

Wagewise is a free Australian pay calculator built by a small team of developers and writers who were tired of seeing the same five finance sites rank above outdated, ad-laden tools with the wrong numbers. We started this project to make one good calculator that anyone in Australia can trust, then expand into the other everyday money questions people ask — tax returns, salary sacrifice, novated leases, study debt, award workers.

Why we built this

Most Australian pay calculators fall into one of three camps: government tools that are technically accurate but unusable (the ATO\'s PAYG calculator is a form with a separate page for every rate), bank and super fund tools that are marketing vehicles dressed up as calculators, or small indie sites with shiny UIs and out-of-date rates.

We wanted something in the middle: a clean, fast calculator that runs the actual current ATO rates, with the supporting context to help people understand what the numbers actually mean. Every result is backed by a methodology page that links to the ATO source for every rate and threshold, and a "last reviewed" date that we update whenever the rates change.

What we believe

• No login, no tracking of your salary. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. We never see the numbers you type.
• Unobtrusive advertising. Display ads help keep the site free. They are clearly labelled and never block the calculator or interrupt your results.
• Source every number. Every rate, threshold, and coefficient on the site links back to a primary ATO or government source.
• Show the math. Our methodology page documents exactly how every figure is derived. If we\'re wrong about something, we want it to be easy to find and correct.
• Australian, not Australian-themed. We\'re not a US personal finance blog with an .com.au slapped on the front. The math is in AUD, the tax rates are ATO rates, the disclaimer is the one an Australian tax agent would actually write.
• Estimates, not advice. We make calculators that are useful for everyday decisions, not tools that pretend to do your tax return. For binding decisions, talk to a registered tax agent.

How we keep our numbers honest

We re-check our rates against the ATO at the start of every financial year (1 July) and whenever the federal budget is handed down. Every rate carries a "last reviewed" date on the page where it is used. If a number is wrong, we want to know about it — see our contact page.

Our rates file (lib/tax/brackets.ts in the source code) is a single, plain TypeScript file that any developer can read in 30 seconds. We are not aware of any other Australian pay calculator that publishes its source.

Where we make money

This site is supported by unobtrusive display advertising. We may, in future, recommend products that pay us a small referral fee (e.g. a novated lease provider or a salary packaging service) — when we do, we will label those recommendations clearly as sponsored or affiliate. We do not accept payment in exchange for favourable calculator outputs, and we do not sell your data.

If you want to support the site without seeing ads, consider bookmarking it and sharing it with a friend or two. Genuine traffic from people who find the tool useful is what keeps the project going.

Editorial standards

Every guide and FAQ answer is reviewed before publication against three tests:

1. Is the number right? We cite the ATO source and check it.
2. Is the language clear? If a sentence needs a jargon word, we explain it the first time we use it.
3. Does it answer the question someone actually asked? Not the question we wish they had asked.

If a guide is more than 12 months old and the underlying rules may have changed, we re-review it and update the "last reviewed" date. If we make a substantive change, we note it at the top of the page.

Get in touch

Spot a bug? Found a number that doesn\'t match the ATO? Want to suggest a calculator? Email hello@salarycalc.example.com.au or use the contact page.