Full Time Minimum Wage Australia: Where It Stands
The national minimum wage is the legal floor for pay in Australia, set by Fair Work each financial year. From 1 July 2026, the rate for full-time adult employees is $26.44 an hour, $1,004.90 a week, or about $52,255 a year on a standard 38-hour week. This figure is the minimum an employer can pay a permanent employee not covered by an award or registered agreement. Award minimum wages also rose by 4.75% from the same date.
How It Compares to the Full-Time Average
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings for full-time adult ordinary-time employees was $2,083.70 a week in May 2026, which works out to about $108,352 a year. That is the national benchmark this site uses as "the line." The minimum wage sits at roughly 48% of that average. To put it another way, the average full-time worker earns more than double the minimum wage.
Medians give another perspective. The full-time median salary is about $90,532 a year, and the all-employees median (including part-time and casual) is about $74,100. Both are well above the minimum wage. This gap reflects that most workers earn above the legal minimum, often through awards, enterprise agreements, or market rates.
State and Territory Comparisons
State full-time averages vary, but every state and territory average is higher than the minimum wage. The lowest state average is Tasmania at about $96,008 a year, still 84% above the minimum. The highest is the Australian Capital Territory at about $119,090. Here are the state averages from the ABS:
- 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
No state average is close to the minimum wage. Even in Tasmania, the gap is more than $43,000 a year.
Tax on the Minimum Wage
For the 2026–27 income year, the tax-free threshold is $18,200. On a $52,255 salary, the first $18,200 is tax-free. The next $26,800 (up to $45,000) is taxed at 15%, and the remaining $7,255 at 30%. That gives a tax bill of about $6,197. The Medicare levy adds 2% of taxable income, or about $1,045, for a total of roughly $7,242. The net take-home pay is around $45,013 a year, or about $866 a week. These figures are estimates and do not include the low-income tax offset or other offsets that may reduce tax further.
Where Your Pay Sits
If you earn the minimum wage, you are well below the national full-time average. You can Place a salary on the line to see exactly how your pay compares to the average, median, and minimum. The tool shows your weekly and hourly equivalents on a 38-hour week, plus the distance from the line.
For more context on how salaries are measured, see How the figures are set. The ABS publishes Average Weekly Earnings twice a year (May and November), while Employee Earnings data comes from a separate survey. Fair Work sets the minimum wage annually after reviewing submissions from unions, employers, and the community.
Key Takeaways
The full-time minimum wage in Australia is about $52,255 a year, less than half the national full-time average of $108,352. It is also below the full-time median and all-employees median. While the minimum wage provides a floor, most workers earn significantly more. Understanding where your pay sits against these benchmarks can help with career planning, salary negotiations, or simply knowing how your income compares nationally.