See how much tax comes out of each job's pay, and whether you'll get money back or owe tax when you lodge your return.
A second job isn't taxed at a higher rate, but the tax taken out of it is often too little. You claim the $18,200 tax-free threshold from one job only, usually the one that pays most. The second job then withholds on the ATO's no-threshold scale, which treats that job as if it were your only income: on $600 a fortnight that's $104, about 17%.
Your main job has already used the lower brackets, though. Once it pays more than $45,000 a year, each dollar from the second job is really taxed at 30% plus the 2% Medicare levy. With $2,400 and $600 a fortnight, that leaves $1,952 to pay when you lodge, about $75 a fortnight too little.
The fix is to ask your second employer, in writing, to withhold a bit more each pay; the ATO says an email is fine. The calculator above works out the amount and drafts the email.
2026–27, no study loan, the same pay all year. "Threshold on both" is the result if you also claimed the tax-free threshold from the second job.
| Main job | 2nd job | Withheld from 2nd job | At tax time | Threshold on both |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $300 | $44 | refund $129 | owe $1,015 |
| $2,400 | $600 | $104 | owe $1,952 | owe $4,656 |
| $3,000 | $1,000 | $180 | owe $3,252 | owe $6,840 |
| $4,000 | $800 | $144 | owe $2,524 | owe $5,956 |
No. All your income is taxed at the same rates once you lodge your return. More tax is withheld from a second job because the employer can't apply the $18,200 tax-free threshold, which you've already used at your main job.
Usually not. You can only claim it from one payer at a time. Claim it from both and too little is withheld, so you'll likely owe tax. The exception is if your total income from all jobs is under $18,200 a year.
The no-threshold scale withholds tax as if your second job were your only income, at about 15–18% on typical amounts. But once your main job takes you past $45,000, each dollar from the second job is really taxed at 30% plus the Medicare levy. The gap shows up as a bill when you lodge.
Ask your second employer to withhold extra tax from each pay; you can request this in writing. Or set aside the difference this calculator shows, so the bill at tax time isn't a surprise.
Tell both employers about the study loan on your withholding declaration. Repayments are based on your total income, so leaving it off at one job can leave you with a repayment to make at tax time.
Sources: ATO, Your income and the tax-free threshold; ATO PAYG withholding Schedule 1 and Schedule 8; ATO tax rates. General information, not tax advice.