Australia Superannuation Calculator 2025-26

Estimate your Super Guarantee contributions, total concessional contributions, and net amount added to your super after the 15% contributions tax.

Enter Your Super Details →

A$
Your total before-tax income (salary or business profit). Your employer pays 12% Super Guarantee on this.
A$
Salary sacrifice or personal deductible contributions you plan to make. Combined with SG, capped at $30,000.
📈 Your Superannuation Summary
SG Contribution A$0
Total Concessional A$0
Contributions Tax (15%) A$0
Net Added to Super A$0
ItemAmount
Your Annual Gross IncomeA$0
Super Guarantee Contribution (12%)A$0
Voluntary Concessional ContributionA$0
Total Concessional Contributions (capped at $30,000)A$0
Contributions Tax (15%)A$0
Net Amount Added to SuperA$0

💸 How Superannuation Works in Australia

Your employer must contribute 12% Super Guarantee on your ordinary time earnings. You can add extra via salary sacrifice (concessional). All concessional contributions are taxed at 15% inside your super fund.

The combined SG + voluntary contributions cannot exceed the $30,000 concessional cap for 2025-26 without incurring excess tax.

• Consolidate your super — Combine multiple accounts to avoid paying multiple fees
• Check your insurance — Default insurance in super may not suit your needs; consider opting out
• Use the FHSSS — First Home Super Saver Scheme lets you withdraw voluntary contributions for a home deposit
• Carry forward unused cap — If your super balance is under $500K, use unused cap from prior years
Tax Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. Actual superannuation contributions and tax depend on your income, employer arrangements, and total super balance. Consult a qualified financial adviser or tax professional for advice specific to your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about Australian superannuation for 2025-26

The Super Guarantee (SG) rate for 2025-26 is 12%, up from 11.5% in 2024-25. Your employer must contribute this amount on top of your ordinary time earnings (salary, wages, commissions, bonuses). The SG rate is legislated to increase by 0.5% every year until it reaches 12.5% by 2028-29. If you're a contractor paid primarily for your labour, you may also be entitled to SG contributions.
The concessional (before-tax) contributions cap for 2025-26 is $30,000. This includes your employer's Super Guarantee contributions plus any salary sacrifice or personal deductible contributions you make. If you exceed this cap, the excess is included in your assessable income and taxed at your marginal rate, plus an excess concessional contributions charge may apply.
Concessional contributions entering your super fund are taxed at 15% — this is the contributions tax. It's deducted from the contribution amount when it reaches your fund. If your income plus concessional contributions exceed $250,000, you may also pay Division 293 tax of an additional 15% on the amount above the threshold, effectively bringing the tax rate to 30% on those excess contributions.
Salary sacrifice contributions are made from your before-tax income (concessional) and are taxed at just 15% inside super — much lower than most marginal tax rates. After-tax (non-concessional) contributions are made from your take-home pay and are not taxed in super at all. The non-concessional cap for 2025-26 is $120,000 per year, or up to $360,000 over three years using the bring-forward rule if you're under 75.
Yes! If your total super balance is under $500,000 at 30 June of the previous year, you can carry forward unused concessional cap amounts from 2018-19 onwards for up to 5 years. This means you could contribute significantly more than $30,000 in a single year by using multiple years of unused cap. This is especially useful for people with irregular income or those who want to catch up on super later in their career.
The government co-contribution is designed to help low-to-middle-income earners boost their super. If your total income is less than $58,445 and you make after-tax (non-concessional) contributions, the government will contribute up to $0.50 for every $1 you contribute, up to a maximum co-contribution of $500. The amount reduces as your income increases above $43,445. You don't need to apply — the ATO automatically calculates it when you lodge your tax return.
Super offers significant tax advantages: concessional contributions are taxed at only 15% (vs your marginal rate up to 45%), investment earnings inside super are taxed at 15% or less, and withdrawals in retirement (after age 60) are tax-free. The trade-off is that super is locked away until you reach preservation age (55-60). For long-term retirement savings, super is usually the most tax-effective option. For shorter goals or if you need flexibility, investing outside super (e.g. ETFs, property) may be better. Many Australians use a combination of both.
You can access your super when you reach preservation age and retire. Preservation age depends on your date of birth: if you were born before 1 July 1960, it's 55; for those born after 30 June 1964, it's 60 (with gradual increases in between). You can also access super early under limited conditions: severe financial hardship (up to $10,000), compassionate grounds (medical treatment, preventing foreclosure), terminal illness, or through the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS) which allows you to withdraw up to $50,000 of voluntary contributions for a first home.

What Is the Super Guarantee and How Does It Work?

Australia's superannuation system is one of the most comprehensive retirement savings frameworks in the world. Under the Super Guarantee (SG) legislation, employers must contribute a percentage of their employees' ordinary time earnings into a complying superannuation fund. For the 2025-26 financial year, the SG rate is 12%, continuing the legislated increase from 9.5% in 2021-22 towards 12.5% by 2028-29. This compulsory system ensures that Australians build retirement savings throughout their working lives, supplementing the Age Pension.

Concessional Contributions and the $30,000 Cap

Concessional contributions include your employer's SG contributions plus any salary sacrifice or personal deductible contributions you choose to make. For 2025-26, the total concessional contributions cap is $30,000. These contributions are taxed at just 15% when they enter your super fund — significantly lower than most marginal tax rates. If you exceed the cap, the excess is added to your assessable income and taxed at your marginal rate, so it's important to track your total contributions across all employers throughout the year.

Tips for Maximising Your Retirement Savings

Superannuation vs Other Retirement Savings

Australian superannuation offers unique tax advantages that are hard to beat. Contributions are taxed at a maximum of 15% (compared to marginal rates up to 45%), investment earnings inside super are taxed at just 10-15%, and withdrawals in retirement are completely tax-free for most people. While the trade-off is limited access until preservation age, the power of compound growth in a low-tax environment makes super the foundation of most Australians' retirement strategy. For those seeking additional flexibility, a combination of super and outside investments (such as an investment property or share portfolio) can provide both tax efficiency and access to capital when needed.

More International Tax Tools

Explore our global tax calculators for freelancers and investors

📈 Australia Tax Return Income tax + Medicare levy ATO ₿ Crypto Tax Calculator Crypto taxes for AU Crypto 📈 Quarterly Tax Estimator USA self-employment tax USA 💰 RRSP Tax Savings Canada retirement savings Canada