Fortnightly Tax Table 2026-27

The PAYG withholding amounts for fortnightly pay in 2026-27, with and without the tax-free threshold. A fortnightly wage of $3,600 has $790 withheld, leaving $2,810 in hand. Every figure is calculated with the ATO Schedule 1 formula that sits behind NAT 1006, so it matches what payroll withholds rather than approximating it. The financial year runs 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, so this is the table some people look for as FY2027.

Download the fortnightly tax table (PDF)

The full lookup table, every $2 from $0 to $6,000, in both the threshold and no-threshold columns. 17 pages, 194 KB, free and no signup. Computed from the ATO Schedule 1 formulas, not a copy of the ATO document.

Download the fortnightly tax table (PDF)
Skip the lookup

The table below covers common fortnightly wages in $200 steps. For a wage between rows, or one with a HELP debt, use the fortnightly tax calculator. It answers a slightly different question and can land a few dollars away from this table on purpose: the table is what payroll withholds each pay under Schedule 1, the calculator is what the year adds up to. Both settle to the same place at your return.

Fortnightly withholding amounts 2026-27

Australian resident rates including the Medicare levy and low income tax offset. The no-threshold column applies to second jobs and anyone who answered no on their TFN declaration.

Fortnightly gross payTax withheld (threshold claimed)Tax withheld (no threshold)Take-home pay
$1,000$42$180$958
$1,200$84$240$1,116
$1,400$130$304$1,270
$1,600$166$368$1,434
$1,800$212$434$1,588
$2,000$276$498$1,724
$2,200$340$562$1,860
$2,400$404$626$1,996
$2,600$470$690$2,130
$2,800$534$754$2,266
$3,000$598$818$2,402
$3,200$662$882$2,538
$3,400$726$946$2,674
$3,600$790$1,010$2,810
$3,800$854$1,074$2,946
$4,000$918$1,138$3,082
$4,200$982$1,202$3,218
$4,400$1,046$1,266$3,354
$4,600$1,110$1,338$3,490
$4,800$1,174$1,416$3,626
$5,000$1,238$1,494$3,762
$5,200$1,302$1,572$3,898
$5,400$1,380$1,650$4,020
$5,600$1,458$1,728$4,142
$5,800$1,536$1,806$4,264
$6,000$1,614$1,884$4,386
Swipe right →

Method: the ATO Schedule 1 statement of formulas (NAT 1004, published 17 June 2026), the same calculation payroll software runs. Our implementation is checked against the ATO's own published sample data, 720 assertions across weekly, fortnightly and monthly on every scale, and reproduces it exactly. Withholding is a prepayment, so the final tax is settled at your return.

How to read this table

Find the row closest to gross fortnightly pay before tax and super. The withheld column is what the employer takes out under PAYG withholding; the take-home column is what lands in the bank. Use the no-threshold column when the job is a second job, because the tax-free threshold belongs to one employer only. The rates behind every figure are the 2026-27 tax brackets.

These figures assume no HELP debt. A study loan adds a repayment component above $69,528 of annual income for 2026-27, which the calculator linked above includes with one toggle. Employers should confirm final amounts against the ATO's published fortnightly schedule before running payroll.

Working out tax on fortnightly pay

Fortnightly tax is not weekly tax doubled, though it is close. The ATO builds each schedule separately and rounds within each one, so a $3,000 fortnight and two $1,500 weeks land a few dollars apart. Look up the fortnightly figure on the fortnightly table and the weekly figure on the weekly table, never one from the other.

The count matters more than the rounding. Fortnightly pay means 26 pays a year against 52 weekly and 12 monthly, and the schedule divides the annual tax across those 26. That is why a fortnight showing twice the weekly gross shows roughly twice the weekly withholding rather than a jump into a higher band.

The fortnightly tax scales are the columns, and there are six of them in payroll terms. Scale 2 is a resident claiming the tax-free threshold, which is the first withheld column above. Scale 1 is a resident who has not claimed it, the second column, and the usual setting on a second job. Scale 3 is for foreign residents, scale 4 for a payee who has not quoted a tax file number, and scales 5 and 6 for full and half Medicare levy exemptions.

A fortnightly cycle is the most common arrangement in Australia, which is why this table gets looked up more than the other two combined. For an exact figure on your own pay, including a study loan, the calculator linked at the top of this page takes it to the dollar.

The official ATO fortnightly tax table (NAT 1006)

The ATO publishes the fortnightly table as NAT 1006, reissued 17 June 2026 and applying to payments made from 1 July 2026. Two downloads sit on that page under the heading "Using this table": a printable PDF lookup table, and an XLSX withholding lookup tool for anyone who wants the figures in a spreadsheet. There is no separate ATO Excel table beyond that tool.

The ATO table is laid out in columns. Column 2 is the amount to withhold when the payee claims the tax-free threshold, column 3 when they do not. Those map onto the two withheld columns above. The formulas the whole table is generated from live in Schedule 1, the statement of formulas (NAT 1004), which is what payroll software implements.

Withholding scales and what your TFN declaration sets

Payroll systems label the columns as scales, and a payslip or payroll report may show a tax code rather than a dollar figure. Scale 2 is the common one: an Australian resident who has claimed the tax-free threshold, which is the first withheld column above. Scale 1 is a resident who has not claimed it, the second column. Scale 3 covers foreign residents, scale 4 applies when no tax file number has been quoted, and scales 5 and 6 cover full and half Medicare levy exemptions. The answers on the tax file number declaration are what pick the scale.

Where no TFN has been quoted and no exemption or application applies, the ATO requires 47% withholding from a resident payee and 45% from a foreign resident, with no tax offsets, no Medicare levy adjustment and no study loan component. A study or training support loan is added on top of the figures above using the separate study and training support loans fortnightly tax table once annual repayment income passes $69,528 in 2026-27.

Frequently asked questions

How much tax comes out of $3,000 a fortnight?
$598 for a resident claiming the tax-free threshold in 2026-27, leaving $2,402 in hand. Without the threshold it is $818. Both figures come from ATO Schedule 1 and include the Medicare levy.
Which fortnightly tax table applies from 1 July 2026?
The 2026-27 schedule, published by the ATO as NAT 1006 on 17 June 2026, with the 15% rate on income between $18,201 and $45,000. It replaced the 2025-26 table that used 16% for the same band.
What is NAT 1006?
The ATO publication number for the fortnightly tax table. The printable PDF lookup table and the XLSX withholding lookup tool both sit on that ATO page under the heading "Using this table".
What are the fortnightly tax scales?
The six withholding scales that pick which column applies: scale 1 is a resident not claiming the tax-free threshold, scale 2 a resident claiming it, scale 3 a foreign resident, scale 4 where no TFN was quoted, and scales 5 and 6 the full and half Medicare levy exemptions. Your tax file number declaration sets the scale.
Fortnightly or twice-monthly: does it matter?
Yes. Fortnightly means 26 pays a year; twice monthly means 24 larger pays. The schedules differ, so use the table that matches how your employer actually pays.
What happens in a 27-fortnight year?
Occasionally a year contains 27 fortnightly pays instead of 26. The extra pay means slightly more income than the schedule assumes, so a small tax bill can appear at your return unless extra is withheld through the year.
Does this table include HELP repayments?
No. A study loan adds a component above $69,528 of annual repayment income for 2026-27, taken from the separate study and training support loans fortnightly table (NAT 2185). The calculator linked at the top of this page includes it with one toggle.
Why is my fortnightly tax higher than last fortnight on the same base pay?
Check whether the fortnight included overtime, an allowance or a bonus. The table treats each pay as if it repeated all year, so one large fortnight is withheld as though you earned at that rate for all 26 pays. A lump sum covering more than one period should use Schedule 5 instead.

Sources

Related resources

The paygcalculator.au team
Australian PAYG and tax research

We build the calculators and write the guides on PAYG Calculator Australia. Every rate, threshold and due date is checked against current ATO source material and carries the financial year it applies to. Figures in worked examples are computed by the same tax engine that runs the calculators, so the numbers you read match the numbers you get. Corrections to hello@paygcalculator.au.

Published: 10 June 2026 · Updated: 25 September 2026