FT

Freelance Finance

ABN / PAYG Calculator (AU)

Compare Australian sole trader ABN income with PAYG employee salary using 2025-26 resident tax rates, Medicare, GST, super, and ABN checks.

ABN billings, ex GST (A$) Annual client income before GST.
Business expenses, ex GST (A$) Deductible expenses before GST credits.
Deductible personal super (A$) Optional concessional contribution from ABN profit.
GST status Most businesses register at A$75,000 turnover.
PAYG salary (A$) Annual gross cash salary, before tax.
PAYG work deductions (A$) Work-related deductions for the employee scenario.
Employer super rate (%) 2025-26 super guarantee is 12%.
Private hospital cover Used for Medicare levy surcharge.
MLS threshold type Select the Medicare levy surcharge income threshold that applies.
ABN check Validates format only; it does not confirm active registration.

Compliance checks

ABN format

51 824 753 556 passes checksum

If an ABN is not quoted when required, payers may need to withhold A$61,100.00 at 47%.

GST threshold

GST registration likely required at this turnover

This uses annual ABN billings as GST turnover. Some industries and projected turnover rules differ.

ABN cash advantage

A$6,160.00

ABN after-tax cash minus PAYG after-tax cash. Compare total package below for super.

ABN sole trader

Taxable income
A$115,000.00
Income tax
A$25,288.00
Medicare + MLS
A$2,300.00
Net GST payable / refund
A$11,500.00
Cash after income tax
A$87,412.00
Quarterly tax + BAS estimate
A$9,772.00

PAYG employee

Taxable income
A$103,000.00
Income tax
A$21,688.00
Medicare + MLS
A$2,060.00
Cash after tax
A$81,252.00
Employer super
A$12,600.00
Cash + employer super
A$93,852.00

Break-even

A$139,471

Approximate ABN billings needed to match PAYG cash plus employer super with the current expense and super inputs.

How this Australian ABN / PAYG calculator works

The ABN side treats you as an Australian resident sole trader. It starts with client billings excluding GST, subtracts business expenses and deductible personal super, then applies 2025-26 resident income tax rates, Medicare levy, and any Medicare levy surcharge. The PAYG side treats the salary as employee cash salary and adds employer super separately so the comparison does not ignore retirement contributions.

Formulas

sole_trader_profit        = abn_billings_ex_gst - business_expenses_ex_gst
sole_trader_taxable       = max(0, sole_trader_profit - deductible_personal_super)
sole_trader_cash          = sole_trader_profit - income_tax - medicare - mls - personal_super

gst_collected             = abn_billings_ex_gst * 10%
gst_credits               = business_expenses_ex_gst * 10%
net_gst_payable           = gst_collected - gst_credits

payg_taxable              = salary - work_deductions
payg_cash                 = salary - income_tax - medicare - mls
payg_total_package        = payg_cash + employer_super

Official source assumptions checked

This calculator uses ATO resident tax rates for 2025-26, the 2% Medicare levy, 2025-26 Medicare levy surcharge thresholds, the A$75,000 GST registration threshold, the 47% withholding rate when an ABN is not quoted, and the 12% super guarantee rate from 1 July 2025. ABN validation uses the Australian Business Register modulus 89 checksum format rule.

What this tool does not include

It does not model family Medicare levy reductions, HELP/STSL repayments, offsets, PSI rules, company or trust structures, workers compensation, payroll tax, insurance, unpaid leave, paid leave, awards, foreign-resident rates, or exact per-pay-cycle withholding table rounding. Treat it as a planning calculator and use a registered tax agent for lodgement decisions.

References

FAQ

Is ABN income always better than PAYG salary?

No. ABN income may need to cover unpaid leave, insurance, accounting, equipment, downtime, GST admin, and your own super contributions.

Does GST change profit?

GST is usually collected from clients and remitted through BAS. This tool shows it as a set-aside amount rather than profit.

Does ABN validation prove a business is real?

No. The checksum only proves the number has a valid structure. Use ABN Lookup to check registration status and entity details.