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Tax Refund Calculator (Australia)

Estimate your 2025–26 tax refund. Enter your income, your work-related deductions and the tax withheld from your pay to see what you could get back, with Medicare and HECS included. Free, no signup.

Your gross income for the year, before deductions
$
Total claims, these lower your taxable income
$
From your income statement. Leave blank and we’ll estimate it.
$
Estimated refund
$0
You could get back about $0
Taxable income$85,000
Deductions$0
Income after deductions$85,000
Tax owedincl. Medicare levy$17,988
Tax withheldestimated PAYG$17,988
Estimated refund+$0
Withheld vs owed
Tax withheld$17,988
Tax owed$17,988
You paid more tax during the year than you owed, so the difference comes back to you.
Estimate based on 2025–26 ATO resident rates. Doesn’t include every offset or deduction, not tax advice, check ato.gov.au.

How Australian tax refunds work

A tax refund isn’t free money, it’s your own money coming back. Through the year your employer withholds tax from each pay under the PAYG system, and that withholding is designed to land close to the tax you owe. So a big refund usually means one of two things happened: you had deductions that lowered your taxable income, or too much was withheld because your income varied or your employer didn’t have the full picture.

When you lodge your return, the ATO works out your real tax bill on your income after deductions, then compares it to what was withheld. If more was withheld than you owe, you get the difference back. If less was withheld, you have a bill to pay. Because withholding is meant to match your tax, the two main levers on the size of your refund are your deductions and any over-withholding, which is exactly what this calculator lets you model.

Common work-related deductions

Deductions are the biggest lever most people have over their refund. You can claim work-related costs you paid yourself and weren’t reimbursed for, as long as you have records. Some of the most common:

Work-from-home running costs
A fixed rate per hour worked from home, or the actual cost of electricity, internet and phone used for work.
Car and travel for work
Trips between work sites or to see clients (not your normal commute), logged by the cents-per-kilometre or logbook method.
Tools, equipment and tech
Items you buy for work, laptops, tools, protective gear, written off immediately or depreciated over time.
Self-education and courses
Study directly related to your current job, including course fees, textbooks and travel.
Union fees and subscriptions
Union or professional-association membership and subscriptions to work-related publications.
Uniforms and laundry
Compulsory or protective uniforms and the cost of cleaning them.

You can only claim what you spent and can substantiate. The ATO updates rules and rates over time, so verify what applies to you at ato.gov.au. This tool is a guide, not tax advice.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter your annual taxable income, your gross income for the year, before deductions.
  2. Add up your work-related deductions and enter the total. Watch the refund figure move as you do.
  3. If you have your income statement, enter the tax withheld during the year for a sharper estimate. Leave it blank and we'll estimate it as the PAYG on your full income.
  4. Tick the HECS/HELP box if you have a study or training loan.
  5. Read your estimated refund (or bill), with tax owed and tax withheld broken out.

Frequently asked questions

How big will my tax refund be?
It depends on how much tax was withheld from your pay versus how much you owe once deductions are counted. If your employer withheld more than your final tax bill, which is common, especially with work-related deductions, the difference comes back as a refund. Enter your income, deductions and (if you have it) the tax withheld figure from your income statement above for a 2025–26 estimate.
Why do I get a tax refund?
Australia's PAYG system is designed so your employer withholds roughly the right amount of tax across the year. A refund usually happens when more was withheld than you owe, most often because you have work-related deductions that lower your taxable income, or because your income varied and too much was withheld. It's your own money coming back, not a bonus from the government.
What deductions can I claim?
You can claim work-related expenses you paid yourself and weren't reimbursed for, things like working-from-home running costs, work-related car and travel, tools and equipment, self-education tied to your current job, union fees, and compulsory or protective uniforms. You need records to back them up. This calculator lets you enter a total deductions figure to see how it changes your refund.
When do I lodge my tax return?
The Australian financial year runs 1 July to 30 June. If you lodge your own return, the deadline is 31 October. If you use a registered tax agent, you can often lodge later, but you generally need to be on the agent's books before 31 October. You can lodge online through myGov and the ATO, and pre-fill data is usually available from late July.
Does this include Medicare and HECS?
Yes. The tax owed figure includes the 2% Medicare levy (with the low-income reduction), and if you tick the HECS/HELP box it adds an estimated study-loan repayment based on the marginal system that applies from 1 July 2025. It doesn't include the Medicare Levy Surcharge or every offset, so treat the result as a guide, not tax advice.

Related tools

Take-Home Pay Calculator (AU)
See your net pay after income tax, Medicare, HECS and super.
50/30/20 Budget Calculator
Split your income into needs, wants and savings.
Compound Interest Calculator
See how your refund could grow if you saved it.

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