When will I get my tax refund?

Most refunds are processed within 2 weeks of lodging online via myTax. Paper returns and complex cases take longer. Refunds go to your nominated bank account.

Why do I owe money instead of getting a refund?

Common reasons include a second job (tax withheld assumes one income), investment income, incorrect tax file number declaration or over-claiming the tax-free threshold.

What's the average tax refund in Australia?

The average refund is around $2,500–$3,000, but this varies widely depending on income, deductions and circumstances.

Do I get an extra $1,000 deduction from 2026-27?

Not on top of what you already claim. Section 25-130 of the ITAA 1997, inserted by Schedule 4 of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026, gives you the lesser of $1,000 and your labour income, reduced by the work expenses you claim and floored at zero. So on $80,000 of wages with $400 of work expenses you deduct $1,000 all up. Claim more than $1,000 and s25-130 adds nothing. Claim nothing and you still deduct $1,000.

Do union fees and income protection premiums eat into it?

No. Section 25-130(3) disregards income protection, personal sickness and accident insurance premiums and membership of a trade, business or professional association, so they stack on top. On $80,000 of wages, $600 of union fees and nothing else means you deduct $1,600 — the fees plus the full standard deduction. Enter them in the separate field so the estimate treats them correctly.

Is the $250 working Australians tax offset in this estimate?

Only from 2027-28. Schedule 3 of the same Act applies to assessments for the 2027-28 income year and later, a full year after the standard deduction starts, so it does not touch a 2026-27 return. When it does apply, s61-160 gives the lesser of $250 and the tax that would fall on your net labour income alone, and it is non-refundable.

Tax Refund Estimator

Estimate your tax refund or amount owing by comparing tax withheld (PAYG) to your calculated tax liability.

Enter your taxable income and total tax withheld for the year. The calculator uses the same ATO rates as our salary tax calculator (income tax, Medicare levy, Medicare Levy Surcharge, HELP/HECS) to estimate your result. This is for estimation only — your actual outcome depends on your full return.

Official sources: ATO – Tax rates and codes · ATO – Simple tax calculator

Your Tax Details

Enter taxable income and tax withheld to estimate refund or amount owing.

Taxable Income ($)

Your taxable income after deductions (from your tax return or notice of assessment).

Tax Withheld ($)

Total PAYG withheld from your payslips for the year (from your payment summary).

Financial Year

Residency for Tax

Reportable Fringe Benefits ($)

Optional. Included in HELP repayment income. Leave 0 if not applicable.

Work-related expenses (2026-27 standard deduction)

From 2026-27, s25-130 gives you $1,000 of work-expense deduction less whatever you already claim. Fill these in and the estimate applies it. Leave them blank and it will not.

Salary, Wages and Other PAYG-Withheld Pay ($)

Gross for the year, before deductions. Business or investment income does not count — s25-130 only reaches pay an employer withholds tax from.

Work Expenses You Claimed ($)

Car, travel between workplaces, tools, work-from-home running costs, self-education. Already included in the taxable income above. These reduce the standard deduction dollar for dollar.

Union Fees and Income Protection Premiums ($)

Union or professional association fees, and income protection, personal sickness or accident insurance premiums. s25-130(3) disregards these, so they stack on top of the $1,000 instead of eating into it. Enter them here, not above.

Private hospital cover

Appropriate cover for full year — no Medicare Levy Surcharge

HELP / HECS debt

Repayment calculated from repayment income

Refund or Amount Owing

Based on your taxable income and tax withheld

Tax Withheld

$15,000

Total Tax Liability

$14,200

Estimated Refund

$800

You may receive this back after lodging your return.

Liability Breakdown

Income Tax$12,720

Medicare Levy$1,480

Standard Deduction for Work Expenses (s25-130)

New from 2026-27. A floor, not a bonus: you get $1,000 less whatever work expenses you already claim, so most people end up deducting $1,000 in total.

Cap — lesser of $1,000 and your labour income$1,000

Less work expenses you claimed−$0

Standard deduction added$1,000

Total work-expense deduction$1,000

Taxable income used, after the standard deduction$74,000

This is an estimate only. Your actual refund or amount owing depends on your full return (deductions, offsets, other income). Use the ATO myTax or a registered tax agent for your actual assessment.

How to Use This Calculator

1Enter your total taxable income for the financial year
2Enter the total tax withheld by your employer(s) — shown on your payment summary or income statement
3Select the tax year and your residency status
4Tick HELP/HECS debt and private health insurance if applicable
5See your estimated refund or amount owing

How Does a Tax Refund Work?

Your employer withholds tax from each pay based on ATO tax tables (PAYG withholding). At tax time, the ATO calculates your actual tax liability based on your total taxable income, deductions and offsets.

If your employer withheld more tax than you owe, you get a refund. If they withheld less — for example, because of a second job, investment income or fewer deductions than expected — you may have an amount owing.

What Affects Your Refund?

Tax withheld vs liability: The difference between what was withheld and what you actually owe determines your refund or debt.
Deductions: Work-related expenses, donations and other deductions reduce your taxable income.
Standard deduction (s25-130), new from 2026-27: A floor, not a bonus. You deduct $1,000 less whatever work expenses you already claim, capped at your labour income. Claim $400 on $80,000 of wages and s25-130 adds $600, for $1,000 in total — not $1,400.
Tax offsets: Offsets like LITO reduce the tax you pay, potentially increasing your refund.
Multiple income sources: A second job or investment income may mean not enough tax was withheld overall.

Maximising Your Refund

•Keep records and receipts for all work-related expenses throughout the year
•Claim home office expenses if you work from home — ATO has a fixed-rate method
•Prepay deductible expenses before 30 June to claim them in the current year
•Lodge on time — the ATO may charge interest and penalties on late returns with amounts owing

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Sources

Rates checked against the ATO — verified 17 August 2026

Estimates only. Not financial or tax advice. Full disclaimer for your rights and our limitations of liability.

Rates and thresholds last updated for the 2026–27 financial year.

About this calculator

This calculator exists to show you the arithmetic. It applies published Australian rates, thresholds and formulas to the numbers you enter and shows the working, so you can check it. That is all it does — it produces a number and describes what the number is. It does not recommend anything and it holds no opinion about any financial product.

What can move this result

It only knows the figures you type in. Offsets, deductions, prior-year losses, other income, your partner's position and anything you have not entered are not in the result, and any of them can move it a long way.
Rates and thresholds change, sometimes mid-year and occasionally with retrospective effect. Each calculator shows the financial year and the verification date it is working from — outside that year the result is wrong rather than approximate.
Assumptions are set to a reasonable default and every non-statutory one can be changed. Defaults are not predictions, and a small change to a growth or inflation assumption compounds into a large change in a long projection.
Where a result reaches two or more years into the future it is shown in today's dollars as well as future dollars, because a future-dollar figure overstates what the money will actually buy.
It is a generic calculator. It is not built around any particular product, it does not compare the market, and it cannot tell you whether a product is suitable for you.

This calculator is not intended to be relied on for the purposes of making a decision in relation to a financial product. Before you make a financial decision, consider obtaining advice from someone who holds an Australian Financial Services Licence. We do not, and we cannot advise you.

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Tax Refund Estimator

Estimate your tax refund or amount owing by comparing tax withheld (PAYG) to your calculated tax liability.

About this calculator

What can move this result

It only knows the figures you type in. Offsets, deductions, prior-year losses, other income, your partner's position and anything you have not entered are not in the result, and any of them can move it a long way.
Rates and thresholds change, sometimes mid-year and occasionally with retrospective effect. Each calculator shows the financial year and the verification date it is working from — outside that year the result is wrong rather than approximate.
Assumptions are set to a reasonable default and every non-statutory one can be changed. Defaults are not predictions, and a small change to a growth or inflation assumption compounds into a large change in a long projection.
Where a result reaches two or more years into the future it is shown in today's dollars as well as future dollars, because a future-dollar figure overstates what the money will actually buy.
It is a generic calculator. It is not built around any particular product, it does not compare the market, and it cannot tell you whether a product is suitable for you.