Reading an Australian job offer
An Australian offer looks a lot like a UK one, with one big difference: the pension, called super, is usually quoted separately. Here’s how to read the numbers and what to ask before you sign.
In 30 seconds
- Check whether the salary is “plus super” or “including super”. At 12%, the gap is real money
- Your contract can’t give you less than the minimum set by law, your award or your enterprise agreement
- If you’re sponsored, your employer pays the sponsorship costs and can’t pass them on to you
Salary or package?
Super (superannuation) is Australia’s workplace pension. By law your employer must pay at least 12% of your ordinary earnings into your super fund. Unlike the UK, you don’t have to pay in yourself. Offers are written in one of two ways:
| How it’s written | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A$100,000 plus super | Your salary is A$100,000. Your employer pays super on top | About A$112,000 in total. Your take-home pay is based on A$100,000 |
| A$100,000 including super (often called a package or TRP, total remuneration package) | Super comes out of the A$100,000 | About A$89,300 salary plus about A$10,700 super |
| A$100,000 base plus bonus | Ask whether super is also paid on the bonus | Check the bonus terms in writing |
So two offers with the same headline number can differ by more than A$10,000 a year in cash. Always ask which it is. The pay calculator shows your take-home pay.
How super is paid
- From 1 July 2026, employers must pay super for each payday, not every quarter as before
- The money must reach your fund within 7 business days of payday
- There is a cap: employers don’t have to pay super on earnings above A$270,830 a year in 2026–27
- You can choose your own fund. More in Superannuation explained
Awards and enterprise agreements
Many jobs are covered by an award or an enterprise agreement. These are legal documents that set minimum pay and conditions.
| Document | What it is |
|---|---|
| Modern award | Minimum pay and conditions for an industry or job, such as hospitality, nursing or clerks. Award rates rose 4.75% from 1 July 2026 |
| Enterprise agreement | A deal between an employer and its staff. It replaces the award and must leave staff better off overall than the award |
| Your contract | Can give you more than the law, the award or the agreement, but never less |
| National minimum wage | A$26.44 an hour, or A$1,004.90 for a 38-hour week, from 1 July 2026 |
Many professional jobs on higher salaries aren’t covered by an award. Your offer letter should say which award or agreement applies, if any. Your minimum rights are in Your rights at work.
If you’re sponsored for a visa
On a Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) your employer sponsors you. The employer must pay these costs. Under the Migration Regulations they can’t pass sponsorship, nomination, levy or recruitment costs on to you or your family, and it’s illegal for anyone to pay an employer to be sponsored.
| Cost | Amount (paid by employer) |
|---|---|
| Sponsorship application | A$420, lasts 5 years |
| Nomination (482) | A$330 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy (482) | A$1,200 for each year (or part year) of the nomination if turnover is under A$10 million; A$1,800 a year if A$10 million or more. Paid up front |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy (186 permanent) | A$3,000 or A$5,000, one-off |
Your salary must also be at least the market rate for the job and at least the income threshold. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 this is A$79,423 (Core Skills stream) or A$146,576 (Specialist Skills stream). Visa application fees for you and your family are a separate cost: ask who pays them. See Visa routes to Australia.
Relocation help
There is no legal rule about relocation help. It is down to what you negotiate. Common items to ask about:
- Flights for you and your family
- Temporary accommodation for the first few weeks
- Shipping your belongings
- Visa fees for your partner and children
- Whether any of it must be repaid if you leave within a year or two
Questions to ask before you sign
- Is the salary plus super, or including super?
- Which award or enterprise agreement covers the job, if any?
- Is super paid on bonuses and overtime?
- What are the hours, and is overtime paid or built into the salary?
- How long is probation, and what is the notice period?
- If I’m sponsored, who pays my family’s visa fees?
- What relocation help is there, and is any of it repayable?
- When is pay reviewed?
What to do next
- Ask whether the salary is plus or including super
- Run the offer through the pay calculator
- Get relocation promises in writing
UK pay vs Australian payOpen →
- ATO: Super guarantee percentages and maximum contribution base
- ATO: About Payday Super
- Fair Work Commission: Annual Wage Review 2026 decision announcement
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Minimum wages
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Employment contracts
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Enterprise agreements
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Awards
- Department of Home Affairs: Cost of sponsoring
- Federal Register of Legislation: Migration Regulations 1994 (compilation 288, 1 July 2026), regulations 2.68 and 2.87
- Federal Register of Legislation: Migration (Skilling Australians Fund) Charges Regulations 2018, sections 5 and 6
- Home Affairs: Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration, Skilling Australians Fund levy review
- Federal Register of Legislation: Migration Amendment (Skilling Australians Fund) Regulations 2018, explanatory statement
- Australian Border Force: Visas and sponsorship
- Department of Home Affairs: Salary requirements to nominate a worker