Why is so much tax coming out of my pay?

The most common cause is the tax-free threshold not being applied — withholding then runs thousands of dollars a year higher than it should. It can happen if you ticked the wrong box on your TFN declaration or payroll keyed it in wrongly. This checker compares your payslip against both schedules and tells you which one it matches.

Why is there no HECS/HELP amount on my payslip?

Employers only withhold extra for study loans (shown as STSL on many payslips) if you told them you have a debt on your TFN declaration. Some payslips also fold it into the single tax figure rather than listing it separately. If your income is above the repayment threshold and your total withholding matches the no-debt amount, the component is probably missing — fix it with payroll or you'll get the whole year's repayment as a bill.

My pay is different every payslip — can I still use this?

Yes, but pick a typical pay. The checker annualises the payslip you enter, so a period with a bonus, back pay or lots of overtime will look over-taxed (lump sums are withheld at marginal rates within one pay) and a light period will look under-taxed. For variable pay, check two or three normal payslips and look for a consistent pattern.

The checker says I'm over-withheld — am I losing money?

Not permanently. Extra withholding comes back as a refund after you lodge your return. But it's an interest-free loan to the ATO — if the cause is a wrongly recorded tax-free threshold, fixing your TFN declaration puts that money back in each pay instead.

Is this the same as the ATO's tax withheld calculator?

No. The ATO calculator tells you what should be withheld going forward; it doesn't diagnose an existing payslip. We use similar rates but run the comparison in reverse — from what your payslip actually shows to the likely cause of any gap. For an official figure, use the ATO calculator.

Payslip Checker

Is your payslip correct? Check the tax, HELP and super on it in under a minute

Enter the amounts from one payslip and we compare the tax withheld against ATO-style rates, then run specific checks for the most common payroll mistakes: the tax-free threshold not applied, a missing HELP/STSL amount and super below the guarantee rate.

What's on your payslip

Copy the amounts straight off one payslip. We compare them against ATO-style rates and flag anything that looks off.

How often are you paid?

Gross pay for the period ($)

The before-tax amount for the period, usually labelled "gross" or "total earnings".

Tax withheld ($)

The tax (PAYG) amount, including any HELP/STSL line if your payslip shows one separately.

Employer super for this pay ($) — optional

The employer contribution (SG) shown on the payslip, not your own salary sacrifice.

Financial year

Residency for tax

I claim the tax-free threshold on this job (untick if this is a second job)

HELP / HECS debt

We check whether a study-loan amount is being withheld

Your payslip check will appear here

Enter the gross pay and tax withheld from one payslip to see whether the numbers stack up.

How to Use This Calculator

1Grab a recent payslip — a normal one, without a bonus or big overtime if possible
2Select how often you're paid and enter the gross pay for the period
3Enter the tax withheld (add the HELP/STSL line to it if shown separately)
4Optionally enter the employer super shown to check it against the guarantee rate
5Tell us about the tax-free threshold and any HELP debt, then read the checks

How do I know if my payslip is correct?

Your employer withholds tax from each pay using ATO tax tables, based on what you declared on your TFN declaration: whether you claim the tax-free threshold, whether you have a HELP (HECS) debt and your residency. If any of those are recorded wrongly, every payslip is wrong — usually by the same amount each pay — and you only find out at tax time as a surprise bill or refund.

This checker annualises one payslip, works out what withholding should roughly be for that income under ATO-style rates and compares. It then looks at the specific patterns payroll mistakes leave behind: withholding that matches the no-threshold schedule, a missing study-loan component or employer super below the guarantee rate.

The most common payslip errors

Tax-free threshold not applied: Your main job withholds as if you didn't claim the threshold — thousands too much over a year. Fixed by re-submitting your TFN declaration.
Missing HELP/STSL amount: If payroll doesn't know about your study debt, nothing extra is withheld and the whole year's repayment arrives as a bill at tax time.
Super below the guarantee: Employer super should be at least 12% of ordinary time earnings. Also check your fund — super shown on a payslip isn't super paid.

Tips

•Use a typical payslip — bonuses, overtime and leave loading are taxed differently within a single pay and will skew the comparison
•If something looks off, check your TFN declaration details with payroll before assuming the maths is wrong
•Super on the payslip is a promise, not a payment — log into your super fund and check contributions actually land at least quarterly

Frequently Asked Questions