Superannuation Calculator 2026 (project your retirement balance)

Step 1: enter your gross annual salary in Australian dollars (ordinary time earnings, the base the Super Guarantee is calculated on).

Step 2: enter your current super fund balance; if you are starting from scratch, leave it at 0.

Step 3: check the Super Guarantee rate. It defaults to the 12% in force since 1 July 2025 per the ATO; raise it if your agreement pays more.

Step 4: set the expected annual return. The default is 7.5%, the gross return used by ASIC's official MoneySmart calculator before fees and tax on earnings.

Step 5: enter how many years remain until you retire.

Step 6: if you salary sacrifice or make extra concessional contributions, add the annual amount; remember the concessional cap, which rises to A$32,500 from 1 July 2026.

Step 7: leave the 15% contributions-tax switch on (the fund withholds it on concessional contributions) unless you are modelling non-concessional (after-tax) contributions, in which case turn it off.

Results: the projected balance at retirement (the headline figure), the net annual contribution after tax, the future value of your contributions, the investment growth and the total contributions tax over the period.

Important notice: this calculator provides an indicative estimate for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial advice. It does not include fund administration fees, insurance premiums inside super, the 15% tax on fund earnings, inflation or the Age Pension. For real decisions use the official MoneySmart calculator at moneysmart.gov.au, the official ATO rates at ato.gov.au, or a licensed financial adviser (AFSL).

The projection combines the growth of your current balance with the future value of a stream of annual contributions, using closed-form compound interest.

Gross annual contribution = salary x SG rate + extra contribution

Net annual contribution = gross contribution x (1 - 0.15) if you apply the 15% tax on concessional contributions; the fund withholds it as the money goes in.

Growth factor = (1 + r)^n, where r is the annual return as a decimal and n the number of years.

Future value of current balance = current balance x (1 + r)^n

Future value of contributions (ordinary annuity) = net contribution x [(1 + r)^n - 1] / r

Projected balance = future value of current balance + future value of contributions

Worked example with the default values: salary A$90,000, current balance 50,000, 12% SG, 7.5% return, 30 years, no extra contributions and 15% tax applied.

Gross contribution = 90,000 x 0.12 = 10,800. Net contribution = 10,800 x 0.85 = 9,180. Growth factor = 1.075^30 = 8.7550. Future value of balance = 50,000 x 8.7550 = 437,747.76. Annuity factor = (8.7550 - 1) / 0.075 = 103.3993; future value of contributions = 9,180 x 103.3993 = 949,206.52. Projected balance = 437,747.76 + 949,206.52 = A$1,386,954.27. Total contributions tax over the 30 years is 10,800 x 0.15 x 30 = 48,600.

Official sources: 12% Super Guarantee rate for 2025-26, Australian Taxation Office (ato.gov.au); 7.5% default gross return and 15% tax on concessional contributions, MoneySmart superannuation calculator, ASIC (moneysmart.gov.au).

Four scenarios computed with the exact formula the tool uses, in Australian dollars:

• Mid-career worker: salary 90,000, balance 50,000, 12% SG, 7.5%, 30 years, 15% tax applied. Net contribution A$9,180/yr. Projected balance 1,386,954.27, of which 1,061,554.27 is investment growth. Total contributions tax adds up to 48,600.

• Non-concessional contribution (no 15% tax): salary 80,000, balance 20,000, 12% SG, 7% return, 25 years, tax switch off. Net contribution A$9,600/yr. Projected balance 715,739.41 and investment growth 455,739.41. With no 15% applied, more money goes in each year.

• Aggressive salary sacrifice: salary 120,000, balance 200,000, 12% SG, 8%, 20 years, 15,000 extra per year with 15% tax. Net contribution A$24,990/yr. Projected balance 2,075,782.92 and investment growth 1,375,982.92. The extra contribution, even taxed at 15%, multiplies the final balance through compounding.

• No growth (0% return): salary 100,000, balance 0, 12% SG, 0%, 10 years with tax. Net contribution A$10,200/yr. Projected balance 102,000, all contributions and zero growth. Handy to isolate the pure 15% tax effect, which here totals 18,000.

The lesson: time and compounding outweigh any single year. A young worker starting on 60,000 salary, 5,000 balance and 40 years ahead at 7.5% projects 1,481,031.09, with 1,231,231.09 of pure growth, despite contributing only 6,120 net a year.

Superannuation is Australia's compulsory retirement savings system. Your employer must pay the Super Guarantee into a fund in your name, and that money grows invested until you reach your preservation age.

The Super Guarantee rate rose in steps over years until it reached 12% on 1 July 2025, its legislated peak per the Australian Taxation Office. From 1 July 2026, the payday super reform will require employers to pay super on every payday rather than quarterly, though the rate stays at 12%.

Inside super, concessional contributions (the SG itself and salary sacrifice) are taxed at 15% on the way in, rather than at your marginal rate, which can reach 45%. That is why salary sacrifice is so efficient for many workers. There is an annual concessional cap: it rises from A$30,000 to A$32,500 from 1 July 2026, indexed to average earnings. Anyone earning over A$250,000 pays an extra 15% (Division 293).

Fund earnings are also taxed, normally at 15% in the accumulation phase. This calculator does not deduct that tax on earnings or the fund's fees, so your real balance will be somewhat lower than the gross projection; the official MoneySmart calculator does include them.

Remember this tool is an indicative estimate, not financial advice. The figures depend on assumptions that may not hold: markets fluctuate and past returns do not guarantee future ones. Official sources: Australian Taxation Office, Super Guarantee and contribution caps (ato.gov.au); MoneySmart superannuation calculator, ASIC (moneysmart.gov.au).

Since 1 July 2025 that is the mandatory Super Guarantee rate your employer must pay into your superannuation fund in Australia, the legislated peak after a decade of stepped increases. But the balance you retire on is not just that 12%: it is what each year's contribution grows into after decades of compound interest, minus the 15% tax the fund withholds on concessional contributions. This calculator projects your estimated super balance at retirement from your salary, current balance, the Super Guarantee rate, the expected annual return and the years you have left, and lets you add extra salary-sacrifice contributions. It defaults to the 12% SG rate and the 7.5% gross return used by ASIC's official MoneySmart superannuation calculator, with 15% contributions tax applied. You will see the projected balance, the net annual contribution, the future value of your contributions, the investment growth and the total contributions tax. Treat it as an indicative estimate: it does not include fund fees, insurance inside super or the separate 15% tax on fund earnings.