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A rise from $100,000 to $110,000 leaves $5,710 extra annual take-home pay without HELP or qualifying hospital cover in our 2026-27 example. That is 57.1% of the rise. With hospital cover, the gain is $6,800, before insurance premiums.
Why a tax bracket is not the only threshold
Income tax applies higher rates only to the income inside each band. Moving into a new bracket therefore does not tax every dollar at the new rate. HELP also uses marginal calculations in the current system, with its overall cap.
The Medicare levy surcharge can apply to the relevant income base once the income test moves past a threshold. A salary increase can therefore trigger more than a higher rate on the extra dollars. This explains the difference between the hospital-cover and no-cover $100,000 examples above.
The download contains all four cover and HELP combinations. Cover changes the tax comparison, but buying it also has a cost. Do not treat the full difference between those scenarios as a saving after paying premiums.
Put the monthly gain beside the job change
The $100,000 to $110,000 no-HELP, no-cover example adds about $476 a month. Compare that with extra transport, parking, childcare and any longer unpaid working hours expected in the new role.
A raise that begins partway through the financial year produces a blend of old and new pay. This study compares two full years so the offer can be assessed consistently. Your first changed payslip and tax return can differ.
A smaller cash gain can still be valuable if it improves the money you can reliably save. Use your actual starting and new salaries in the pay-rise calculator rather than rounding an offer to the closest study row.
Method and limits
These results are Paycalcmate calculations from published tax rules. They measure modelled cash differences, rather than how much real households spend or save. The downloadable data contains all four scenarios, assumptions, source links and the calculator version fingerprint.
Every salary is cash pay with super paid on top. Each comparison uses a full-year resident, a single household with no dependants and no extra income or deductions beyond the eligible standard work deduction. HELP scenarios assume enough outstanding debt for the full repayment. Qualifying hospital cover is either held for the whole year or absent for the whole year.
The estimates include income tax, the ordinary Medicare levy, applicable surcharge and HELP. They exclude insurance premiums, childcare, government payments, commute costs and changes to overtime. The latest legislated low-income Medicare thresholds are used. A later uplift for 2026-27 may change results. Payroll withholding can also differ from annual liability.
Data and citation
Download every scenario, together with the assumptions, calculation date and official sources. These are modelled examples, with amounts in Australian dollars.
The CSV includes the data rows and a link to the JSON methods file. Keep the methods with any figures you reuse.
Paycalcmate, $10,000 Pay Rise Study 2026-27, checked 2 October 2026. https://paycalcmate.au/pay-rise-retention-study/
Common questions
Is the percentage my marginal tax rate?
No. It is the extra annual take-home divided by the $10,000 gross rise. It combines the change in tax, Medicare, surcharge and HELP under the stated settings.
Does this include lost benefits or childcare costs?
No. Household payments, childcare and work costs need to be added using your own circumstances. The study isolates the modelled salary tax and repayment change.
Sources you can check
Sources checked for this page on 2 October 2026. Statistics keep their own measurement dates.