How to read your payslip (and catch the errors that cost you)
Gross, net, YTD, super accrued — what every line means, what must legally appear, and the three checks worth doing every few months.
Payroll is software operated by busy humans, and errors are more common than anyone admits — usually small, occasionally worth thousands. Reading your payslip takes two minutes once you know what each line means.
The lines that matter
Gross pay — your pay for the period before anything comes out: base salary for the cycle, plus overtime, allowances and loadings. On a $90,000 salary paid fortnightly, gross is about $3,462.
Tax withheld (PAYG) — the amount your employer sends to the ATO on your behalf. It's an estimate based on withholding schedules, trued up when you lodge your return. If you have a HECS debt and told your employer, extra withholding for it happens here — one of the most common payslip errors is HECS withholding switched off after you ticked the box.
Net pay — gross minus tax and any deductions: what actually lands in your account. Around $2,708 a fortnight on that $90,000 example... if the tax is right, which is exactly what our income tax calculator lets you check in ten seconds.
Super — the SG contribution accrued on this pay: 12% of ordinary time earnings, about $415 a fortnight on $90,000. Since 1 July 2026, payday super rules mean this must actually reach your fund within seven business days of payday — not months later.
Leave balances — annual and personal leave accrued. Full-timers accrue four weeks of annual leave a year (2.923 hours per 38-hour week worked).
Year-to-date (YTD) totals — running totals of gross, tax and super for the financial year. When something's wrong, it usually shows up here first as a number growing slower than it should.
What must legally appear
Payslips must be issued within one working day of payday and include: employer ABN, pay period, gross and net pay, hourly rates and hours (for hourly workers), all deductions itemised, and super contributions with the fund's name. Missing pieces are a Fair Work issue, not a formatting quirk.
Three checks worth doing quarterly
- Tax sanity check — put your annual salary into the income tax calculator, divide by your pay cycles, and compare with the withholding on your slip. Small differences are normal (schedules round); hundreds per pay is a conversation with payroll.
- Super actually landing — the payslip line is an IOU; log into your fund and confirm contributions arrive. Payday super makes gaps visible within weeks.
- Rate and leave after changes — after any raise, promotion or hours change, confirm the new rate hit the very next slip and leave keeps accruing. Backpay is recoverable; unnoticed underpayment for a year is a headache.
If something's off, payroll fixes most things quickly once asked in writing. For unpaid super the ATO investigates; for missing payslips or underpayment, the Fair Work Ombudsman is the door. General information only.
This guide is general information only, current at the date shown — not tax or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check ato.gov.au or a registered tax agent for your circumstances.