Tax refund estimator
Estimate whether you will get a refund or owe tax, from your income, deductions and the tax already withheld.
An estimate for residents. It leaves out the Medicare levy reduction and surcharge, other offsets, other income types and anything an ATO assessment adjusts. Your real result comes from your notice of assessment. Check with the ATO or a registered tax agent.
How this calculator works
Refund = tax withheld − (income tax − offsets + Medicare levy + HELP repayment). A positive result is a refund, and a negative result is tax you still owe. Deductions reduce your taxable income, so each $1 of deduction cuts your tax by your marginal rate plus the 2% Medicare levy.
Worked example for 2026-27: $85,000 of income less $2,500 of deductions leaves $82,500 of taxable income. Income tax is $15,270 and the Medicare levy is $1,650, a total of $16,920. With $18,000 already withheld, the estimated refund is $1,080. Each extra $1,000 of deductions would add about $320 to the refund.
Sources and checks
Our figures and rules follow these official sources:
- ATO: Tax rates for Australian residents (page updated 13 August 2026)
- ATO: Low income tax offset (page updated 8 June 2026)
- ATO: Medicare levy
- ATO: Study and training loan repayment income and rates (page updated 13 October 2026)
Figures last checked: 29 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.