Does salary include super? The short answer
In Australia, the salary figure you see in a job advertisement or on your payslip almost never includes the superannuation guarantee. When the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports average weekly earnings, it is measuring ordinary-time cash earnings – that is, base pay before tax and before any super contributions. The same applies to the national minimum wage set by Fair Work and to the median earnings published by the ABS.
So if you are comparing your pay to the national full-time average of $2,083.70 per week (about $108,352 per year), remember that your employer’s super contribution of 11.5% (from 1 July 2026) is on top of that figure. Your total remuneration package is higher, but the salary line on this site uses the pre-super amount to keep comparisons consistent.
What the ABS average actually measures
The headline figure comes from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026 release. It is the mean ordinary-time earnings for full-time adults, seasonally adjusted. For men the average is $2,181.00 per week ($113,412 per year); for women it is $1,934.50 per week ($100,594 per year). These are before super and before tax.
The ABS also publishes a median. The most recent median data is from the Employee Earnings and Hours, August 2025 survey. For full-time employees the median weekly earnings are $1,887.00, which annualises to about $98,124 – but the on-site notes give a full-time median of about $90,532. The difference arises because the median in the August 2025 release is for all full-time employees (including those whose pay is set by award, agreement, or individual arrangement) and the on-site figure is derived from a slightly different calculation. For consistency, this site uses the on-site median of $90,532 for the full-time line.
How superannuation fits in
Since 1992, Australian employers have been required to pay superannuation into a fund for most employees. The rate is legislated to rise to 12% by 2025, but from 1 July 2026 it is 11.5%. This contribution is not part of your salary; it is an additional cost to the employer. When you see a salary of $100,000, the employer’s total outlay is about $111,500 including super.
If you are comparing your total package to the national average, you would need to add super to the ABS figure. For example, the average full-time salary of $108,352 plus 11.5% super gives a total remuneration of about $120,812. However, the tool on this site only compares base salary, because that is what most people negotiate and what the ABS reports.
Where your pay sits: average, median, and minimum
The national full-time average is $108,352 per year. The full-time median is about $90,532. The all-employees median (including part-time and casual) is about $74,100. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, or $52,255 per year on a 38-hour week. Award minimums rose by 4.75% from that date.
If your salary is above the average, you are earning more than the typical full-time worker. If it is below the average but above the median, you are still in the top half of earners. Below the median but above the minimum wage is common, especially for younger workers or those in industries like retail and hospitality.
State-by-state differences
Where you live makes a big difference. The ABS Average Weekly Earnings release provides full-time ordinary-time earnings by state. Using the on-site annualised figures:
- New South Wales: $109,658
- Victoria: $106,137
- Queensland: $106,064
- South Australia: $102,450
- Western Australia: $115,825
- Tasmania: $96,008
- Northern Territory: $103,173
- Australian Capital Territory: $119,090
These are averages, so within each state there is wide variation by industry and occupation. For a more detailed look, see the States and territories page.
What moves your pay above or below the average
Several factors push pay above or below the national line:
- Industry: Mining, information technology, and professional services tend to pay above average. Retail, accommodation, and food services pay below. The ABS Employee Earnings survey shows average weekly cash earnings in mining at $74.10 per hour, while retail is much lower.
- Occupation: Managers and professionals earn the highest hourly rates ($69.20 and $64.50 respectively, according to the August 2025 survey). Labourers and sales workers earn less.
- Method of setting pay: Employees on individual arrangements earn a median of $1,876.50 per week, those on collective agreements earn $1,746.10, and those on award-only earn $922.20. If your pay is set by an award, you are likely below the full-time average.
- Full-time vs part-time: Part-time workers earn a median of $769 per week, which is well below the full-time average. However, the average line on this site is for full-time adults only.
- Gender: The gender pay gap persists. Women’s full-time average ordinary-time earnings are about $12,818 less per year than men’s.
Tax and take-home pay
Your salary before tax is the figure used on this site. For the 2026–27 financial year, resident tax rates are:
- Nil on the first $18,200
- 15% on income from $18,201 to $45,000
- 30% on income from $45,001 to $135,000
- 37% on income from $135,001 to $190,000
- 45% on income above $190,000
Plus a 2% Medicare levy (before any reductions). So if you earn the average $108,352, your tax (excluding the Medicare levy) would be roughly $25,000–$26,000, leaving about $82,000–$83,000 take-home. Super contributions are taxed at 15% within the fund, but that does not affect your salary figure.
How to use this site
To see where your salary sits, Place a salary on the line. The tool shows your weekly and hourly pay based on a 38-hour week, and how far you are from the national full-time average. It does not include super, bonuses, or overtime – just your base salary before tax.
For more detail on how the figures are compiled, see How the figures are set. And if you want to understand the difference between average and median, or how the minimum wage interacts with awards, the Guides section has articles on those topics.
The bottom line
Does salary include super? No – not in the way the ABS, Fair Work, or this site report it. Your salary is your base pay. Super is an extra cost to your employer and an additional benefit to you. When you compare your pay to the national average of $108,352, you are comparing pre-super, pre-tax figures. That keeps the comparison clean and consistent with official statistics.