YTD calculator: estimate annual income 2026-27
This YTD calculator projects your full-year income and tax from the year-to-date figures on your payslip, using 2026-27 ATO resident tax rates (opens in a new tab). A fortnightly payslip dated 31 January 2027 showing $41,250 gross and $7,890 tax projects to $67,031 of income and a likely refund of about $851.
The link carries the numbers you entered, so anyone who opens it sees the same result.
Estimated result
$851 likely refund
Breakdown
| Average pay | $2,578.13 |
|---|---|
| Projected annual income | $67,031 |
| Projected tax withheld | $12,821 |
| Estimated income tax and Medicare levy | $11,970 |
| Estimated result | $851 likely refund |
- Average pay
- $2,578.13
- Projected annual income
- $67,031
- Projected tax withheld
- $12,821
- Estimated income tax and Medicare levy
- $11,970
Projecting a full year from YTD pay
A pay-count projection divides YTD pay by the number of pays received, then multiplies by the pays in the full year. Calendar-day estimates can miss by thousands of dollars.
Counting back in fortnights from a payslip dated 31 January 2027, the first payday of the year was 5 July 2026, so this is pay 16 of 26. The last payday falls on 20 June 2027.
- 1
Average the pays so far
$41,250 ÷ 16 = $2,578.13.
- 2
Project your income
$2,578.13 × 26 = $67,031.
- 3
Project your withholding
$7,890 ÷ 16 × 26 = $12,821.
- 4
Work out the tax
Tax and Medicare levy on $67,031 for 2026-27 come to $11,970.
The calendar method gives a different answer. By 31 January, 215 of the year's 365 days have passed, and scaling $41,250 by 365 ÷ 215 projects $70,029 of income and a refund of about $465. That's roughly $3,000 more income than the pay-count method, because pays and calendar days don't line up exactly.
| Method | Projected income | Projected withholding | Estimated tax and Medicare | Likely refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay count (16 of 26 pays) | $67,031 | $12,821 | $11,970 | $851 |
| Calendar days (215 of 365) | $70,029 | $13,395 | $12,929 | $465 |
| Pay count, 27-pay year | $69,609 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
The gap matters most near a threshold. The 2026-27 HELP repayment threshold is $69,528. The pay-count method lands below it, so no compulsory repayment applies, while the calendar method lands above it and would add a $75 repayment for someone with a HELP debt.
Monthly pay is simpler to count. A payslip dated 31 January is the seventh monthly pay of the year, so the projection multiplies the average by 12. The same $41,250 on monthly pay projects to $41,250 ÷ 7 × 12 = $70,714.
Weekly pay works the same way as fortnightly, with 52 or occasionally 53 paydays.
Some fortnightly pay schedules have 27 paydays in a financial year. If yours does, set the pays in the year to 27. In the default example that lifts projected income to $69,609, which is also above the HELP threshold.
Spotting a refund or a bill before 30 June
Compare projected withholding with the estimated tax. If withholding is higher, you're on track for a refund. If it's lower, expect a bill.
- Withholding as a share of gross payIn the default example
- 19.13%
- Tax and Medicare levy on projected incomeThat gap points to a refund of about $851
- 17.86%
The YTD tax is also $498 above what the Schedule 1 formula gives on an average pay. On $2,578.13 a fortnight, the formula withholds $462 a pay, or $7,392 over 16 pays.
If the remaining 10 pays are each withheld at $462, total withholding comes to $12,510 and the refund to about $540. The calculator uses your YTD average unless you enter a different figure for future pays.
A bill is more likely if any of these apply:
- A second job where both employers apply the tax-free threshold.
- A HELP debt your employer doesn't know about.
- Interest, dividends, rental profit or side income with no tax withheld.
- As a single, income for surcharge purposes above $105,000 without private hospital cover.
The tax return calculator takes the projected figures, adds deductions and other income, and estimates the result of your return.
When the YTD projection will differ
The calculator assumes your pay for the rest of the year averages the same as your pay so far, so it'll be wrong if your hours, rate or job change. It doesn't model a pay rise, a bonus still to come, unpaid leave ahead or income outside your payslip. Back pay for an earlier period, paid this year, also inflates the average, so take it out before you enter YTD gross.
After 30 June your employer finalises your income statement, which you can see in myGov. Its full-year figures replace any projection, so use them when you lodge.
Irregular hours make the average less reliable. If your YTD figure includes a run of weekend or overtime shifts, the penalty rates calculator and the overtime calculator show what a typical week pays.
Which Medicare levy thresholds it uses
The Medicare levy uses the 2025-26 low-income thresholds, the latest announced, because the 2026-27 values haven't been set. At $67,031 that makes no difference, since the full 2% levy applies.
YTD questions: new jobs, unpaid leave, changing employers and high withholding
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Last reviewed
How do I use YTD figures after starting a new job mid-year?
Count only the pays since you started, and project to 30 June rather than over a full year. With 6 fortnightly pays of $2,578.13 and 11 still to come, income for 2026-27 is about $43,828. Tax and Medicare levy on that are about $4,337, after a $384 low income tax offset.
Does unpaid leave change the projection?
Yes. Unpaid leave already taken lowers your YTD average, and leave still ahead means fewer paid periods. If two weeks of unpaid leave remove one fortnightly pay, the default example drops from 26 to 25 pays. Projected income falls to $64,453, and tax and Medicare levy fall to about $11,112.
What if I changed employers during the year?
Add the YTD gross and YTD tax from your final payslip with the old employer to the figures from the new one. Each employer withholds as if it were your only job. That works if the jobs didn't overlap. If they did, and both applied the $18,200 tax-free threshold, expect less tax withheld than you owe.
Why is my YTD tax higher than the tax tables suggest?
Usually because your pays were uneven. Schedule 1 withholds each pay as if every pay were that size, so a large pay attracts more withholding than an average one. A request for extra withholding has the same effect. In the default example, YTD tax of $7,890 is $498 above the formula on average pay, and the extra comes back in the refund.
Estimates only, based on published rates for 2026-27. General information, not tax or financial advice.
Keep going
Sources
- ATO: Tax rates for Australian residents (opens in a new tab)
- ATO: Schedule 1 coefficients (weekly) (opens in a new tab)
- ATO: Working out the weekly earnings (opens in a new tab)
- ATO: Study and training support loans repayment thresholds (opens in a new tab)
- ATO: Medicare levy reduction for low-income earners (opens in a new tab)