Calculate your tax, estimate Centrelink payments, plan your budget
Money decisions in Australia depend on two things that are easy to mix up: your tax residency and your visa status. A 482 worker, a working-holiday maker and a new permanent resident can all earn the same salary, but pay tax differently, access different benefits and need different health cover.
Use this page as a map before you open the calculators. Start with your visa, apply the ATO tax-residency tests separately, then model your take-home pay, rent and family payments. Checked 30 September 2026. The tax and super tools model 2026–27; a 2025–26 return uses that earlier year’s rates. Benefit rules have their own effective dates, payment-specific tests and exceptions. Check each tool’s scope before relying on a number.
This comparison is a first-pass guide. Centrelink and Medicare decisions can depend on the exact subclass, grant date, family situation and whether a waiting period has already been served.
| Status | Tax basics | Centrelink access | Medicare / next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizen | Citizenship does not guarantee tax residence. Ordinary resident rates and the full-year threshold require the relevant tax facts. | Check the particular payment’s residence, means and other conditions. | Medicare enrolment has its own conditions. The tax calculator excludes surcharge. |
| Permanent resident | PR status and tax residency are separate. Arrival/departure years need special care. | NARWP may apply; the payment, residence history and exemptions determine it. | Check Medicare enrolment and each payment before budgeting. |
| 482 / Skills in Demand | Assess residency and any tax-law temporary-resident concessions. | Do not infer eligibility from tax residency. Check each payment’s visa/residence rules. | A levy exemption needs the applicable MES, day and dependant conditions; health cover is separate. |
| Student 500 | A course or six months alone is not a complete residency test. | Use payment-specific eligibility checks. | Check visa work/health-cover conditions as well as tax. |
| Working holiday 417 / 462 | Usual WHM bands start at 15% to $45,000; eligible resident treaty nationals can receive resident treatment. | Check the relevant payment rules rather than assuming tax status decides access. | Medicare access is separate from levy. DASP requires departure/visa/citizenship conditions and component checks. |
| Partner 820 / 309 | Apply ordinary tax tests; visa type does not settle residency. | Some payments may be accessible subject to their residence and waiting-period rules. | Check the current Medicare permanent-residence-applicant pathway and its conditions. |
| Special Category 444 / NZ citizen | Apply ATO residency and income rules. | Protected SCV status, residence history and payment-specific exceptions matter. | Check Services Australia enrolment conditions. NZ citizens cannot claim DASP. |
Checked 30 September 2026. Services Australia: FTB Part A rates from 1 July 2026. Additional tax checks: WHM treaty-national conditions | Medicare exemption and dependants. Sources: ATO resident tax rates | ATO working holiday maker rates | Services Australia NARWP | ATO DASP
Explore limited family and newborn payment scenarios; eligibility is not established.
Model a limited annual-income tax scenario within the stated residency and levy scope.
Compare entered rent and living costs with your own budget.
Project an entered fortnightly FTB pattern; actual dates and amounts must be confirmed.
Explore a fixed-assumption super projection and its inflation, fee and eligibility limits.
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These examples show how the calculators fit together. They are not personal tax or financial advice, but they help you decide which number to check first.
Assume ordinary 2026–27 resident rates, no deductions/offsets/debt, and full 2% levy. Income tax is $14,520 and levy $1,600, leaving $63,880 annually. A new PR arriving part-way through the year cannot automatically use that full-year result. Read the tax calculator limits.
Assume all income is WHM taxable income, full-year foreign residency and no other adjustments. Tax is $45,000 × 15% + $15,000 × 30% = $11,250. A resident treaty-national case may differ. Check WHM decision branches before selecting a rate.
At the 1 July 2026 maximum rates, two eligible children aged under 13 could receive $235.48 × 2 = $470.96 per fortnight before income, care and other eligibility adjustments. Keep wages, estimated payments and one-off arrival costs separate. First verify eligibility and waiting periods, then test a lower-income or delayed-payment scenario. For monthly planning convert a fortnightly amount by × 26 ÷ 12, not × 2. Check payment assumptions.
Your money questions don't stop at tax — check out visa pathways and family tools too.
Visas & Immigration Family & Kids