What Is The Tax-Free Threshold?

For 2024-25 and following years, the update of Stage 3 tax cuts to take effect from 1 July 2024 reduced the first-step marginal tax rate of 19% to 16%, thereby lifting the effective tax-free threshold after LITO to $22,575.

The effective tax free threshold in 2023-24 for lower income earners before other offsets is $21,885.

This was reduced from the 2021-22 year because the LMITO ended on 30 June 2022.

YearLITOLMITONominal
Tax Threshold
Effective Tax-
Free Threshold
2024-25$700$18,200$22,575
2023-24$700$18,200$21,885
2022-23$700$18,200$21,885
2021-22$700$675$18,200$25,436
2020-21$700$255$18,200$23,227
2019-20$445$255$18,200$21,885
2018-19$445$255$18,200$21,885
2017-18$445$18,200$20,542

The first table below shows the current nominal tax-free thresholds updated to reflect the modified tax rates in accordance with the currently legislated and known tax scales.

These tables were last reviewed and are based on tax rates and low income offsets as at the time of the 2023 Budget, and as subsequently amended by the Stage 3 tax cut adjustments in legilation passed in February 2024.

Future tax rates are subject to future policy and legislative changes.

For individuals, the actual tax free threshold position depends on the offsets you are entitled to. Offsets in effect create a tax-free area on incomes just above the first step marginal tax rate.

The second table further down on this page shows these higher thresholds with minimum tax offsets taken into account.

Note that for non-residents, there is generally no tax-free threshold.

Nominal (before offsets) Current Tax Free Thresholds and First Step Marginal Tax Rates

Financial
Year
Tax Free
Threshold
First Step
Marginal Tax Rate
2024-25$18,20016%
2023-24$18,20019%
2022-23$18,20019%
2021-22$18,20019%
2020-21$18,20019%
2019-20$18,20019%
2018-19$18,20019%
2017-18$18,20019%
2016-17$18,20019%
2015-16$18,200 **19%
2014-15$18,20019%
2013-14$18,20019%
2012-13$18,20019%
2011-12$6,00015%
2010-11$6,00015%
2009-10$6,00015%
2008-9$6,00015%

Offsets Lift the Tax Free Threshold

The availability of tax offsets have the effect of lifting the tax-free threshold for those entitled. Pensioners for example, are shielded from tax at higher levels than the basic scale based on a sliding income scale and partnered status.

The Effective Tax-Free Thresholds After LITO and LMITO Taken Into Account

In conjunction with the tax-free threshold, the Low Income Tax Offset (“LITO”) and for the periods applicable, the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (“LMITO”), have the effect of increasing the minimum taxable income taxing point for most lower income earners.

Medicare levy is usually not applicable for taxpayers at the lowest income levels, but shades in for incomes over the minimum threshold.

The following table shows the effective tax-free thresholds for the same years as above, taking into account the low-income offsets, and assuming exemption from Medicare:

YearLITOLMITOEffective Tax-
Free Threshold
2024-25$700$22,575 ****
2023-24$700$21,885
2022-23$700***$21,885
2021-22$700$675$25,436
2020-21$700$255$23,227
2019-20$445$255$21,885
2018-19$445$255$21,885
2017-18$445$20,542
2016-17$445$20,542
2015-16$445 **$20,542 **
2014-15$445$20,542
2013-14$445$20,542
2012-13$445$20,542
2011-12$1,500$16,000
2010-11$1,500$16,000
2009-10$1,350$15,000
2008-9$1,200$14,000

**** Stage 3 tax cuts revised marginal tax rates apply from 1 July 2024

*** The LMITO ends with the 2021-22 year, although the government had previously seen fit to extend its time frame twice, to the 2021 and 2022 years.

Thus, the effective low income tax-free threshold for 2022-23 reverts back to the less generous level of $21,885.

** A tax reduction which was to apply from the 2015-16 year has since been repealed. See further on this here.

Free spreadsheet tax calculatorThe calculations in the above tables were produced with our free spreadsheet calculator.

Two or more jobs, with total income less than the tax-free threshold?

There is effectively only one tax free threshold which is delivered to you automatically by the arithmetic of your tax assessment. The tax assessment is calculated according to the tax scale which has the tax-free threshold built in.

This means you don’t have to worry about eventually getting the tax-free allowance. But it can be a problem when submitting TFN declarations to employers – because normally only one such declaration may be made claiming the tax free amount. The tax free amount may be more than the income from a single source.

Thus in some situations higher-than-required tax is withheld from the wages earned from a second or third job. The employee taxpayer then has to wait until the end of the year assessment to get the tax refunded if total taxable income is not high enough to attract tax.

The Tax Office is aware of this problem, and has indicated that when you are certain that tax being withheld is too much, you can apply to have it reduced

There are penalties for getting the calculations too far wrong in your favour, and so professional advice is recommended to avoid errors. If you want to forecast the tax on your annual income you can use this free annual tax calculator here which uses the actual tax rates for the current year.

What Is Bracket Creep? How The Tax Brackets Work In Australia

The tax brackets in Australia are structured as a set of income bands, or ranges, each with its own tax rate.

For example, the 2022-23 tax year income brackets (resident adults) is as follows:

Income BracketTax Rate %
 0 to $18,200Nil
$18,201 to $45,00019%
 $45,001 to $120,00032.5%
 $120,001 to $180,00037%
 $180,001 and over45%

The effect of this structure is that the higher the overall income, the greater overall percentage of tax is paid. The average tax rate measured at bracket intervals demonstrate this effect, as shown in the following table:

Taxable IncomeTax PayableTax % of Income
$18,200$00%
$45,000$5,09211.32%
$120,000$29,46724.55%
$180,000$51,66728.70%
$350,000$128,16736.62%

An obvious problem with this structure is the normal effect of inflation. As the cost of living increases, the accompanying upward trend in incomes pushes taxable income into a higher tax bracket.

Australian tax rates are not automatically adjusted for the effect of inflation. So unless some adjustment is made, more tax is paid at a higher income bracket, even though “real” wages haven’t increased. After tax spending power is eroded.

The bracket-creep effect gives the Treasurer passive access to higher tax revenues without any action needing to be taken. Inflation does the job.

Offsetting bracket creep is the periodic upward adjustment of bracket thresholds, and increasing the size of each tax bracket so that movement into a higher tax interval for an individual is likely to occur less often.

Such tax scale adjustments are currently not built in to the tax legislation, and so are not automatic. Any adjustment relies on politicians to propose and approve the necessary tax law amendments.

With fewer tax brackets, the perceived impact of a movement from one tax bracket to the next could be higher (albeit comparatively less often), perhaps providing a disincentive for some to earn more income.

A look at the basic tax scales over the years since 1950 shows pattern of upward adjustment of tax bracket thresholds. Noticeable also is that personal tax scales many years ago had many more steps than the current scale with 5 levels (moving to 4 levels in 2024-25).

Bracket creep and its fiscal impact – government report

In September 2021 the federal Parliamentary Budget Office released a report “Bracket creep and its fiscal impact” which is a useful explainer of the impact of bracket creep, both on taxpayers and the government’s financial position.

Key findings from the analysis, include

  • bracket creep still affects those whose income growth does not push them into a higher tax bracket. This is because the average tax rate moves upwards with increases in income, regardless of whether a higher tax bracket is entered on the top income slice.
  • Bracket creep does not affect all taxpayers equally, even if their income is growing at the same rate. The effect is largest for individuals earning just above a tax threshold.
  • Bracket creep has played a key role in fiscal consolidations of the past and it is the most important factor in increasing the tax-to-GDP ratio over the next decade.

The report is available online. See Bracket creep and its fiscal impact (Parliamentary Budget Office)

Where the current tax rates came from

Rates and thresholds applying from the 2012-13 year onwards were established as part of the “Household Assistance” package announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2011, associated with the introduction of the carbon pricing reforms.

This was the most significant uplift of the tax free threshold for many years, from $6,000 to $18,200. This effectively became $20,542 when the LITO of $445 was taken into account for years 2012-13 through to 2017-18.

By lifting the nominal tax-free threshold, one of the stated intentions was to relieve lower income earners from the obligation to lodge a tax return and pay tax.

Separate rules apply to minors and trust beneficiaries, superannuants/retirees and other categories of taxpayer, including seniors, and the actual tax free-threshold in each case will depend on a number of possible factors and circumstances.

Seniors and others entitled to other offsets may have a higher effective tax-free threshold than indicated in the above table.

Tax Thresholds

The lowest tax threshold in Australia for resident adult individuals increased from $6,000 in the 2011-12 tax year, to $18,200 for the 2012-13 financial year (commencing 1 July 2012) and following financial years.

Due to the existence of various tax offsets, the effective level of income at which tax is payable for most residents taxpayers is significantly higher than the nominal tax free threshold amount scale amount.

The range of available tax offsets can significantly lift the taxing threshold for an individual taxpayer. A listing of the more common tax offsets can be found here.

Non-resident adult individual tax scales not do not provide a tax-free zone, or the Low Income Tax Offset, all tax thresholds effectively being zero. On the other hand, non-residents do not normally pay the Medicare levy. The non-resident tax scales can be reviewed here.

Resident minors taxed on “unearned” income receive the lower tax-free threshold of just $416;  non-residents the threshold is zero. See Tax on Children

The tax free thresholds for other entities, including companies is generally zero, with no tax free allowance. An exception is eligible non-profit entities which receive a tax-free allowance of the first $416 of taxable profits.

Claiming The Tax Free Threshold in Your PAYG Tax Withheld

Where entitled, be sure to claim the tax free threshold. Employers are required to follow the Tax Withholding declaration that employees submit to them; so if the tax free threshold is not claimed when entitled, too much tax would be withheld.

This excess tax would normally only become available as a credit or refund after the next annual tax assessment.

More Than One Job – Potentially Too Much Tax Deducted

Since 1 July 2012 when there was an almost threefold increase in the tax free threshold to $18,200 it became more likely that some employees’ total income from more than one job is under the tax free threshold.

There being a general requirement that the tax declaration claiming the tax free threshold can only be lodged with one employer, this can lead to too much tax being deducted at the second job.

In that case it is permissible to lodge a further declaration claiming the tax free threshold at a second job, as long as you are sure that enough tax in total is being collected.

If the income subsequently rises over the limit, a declaration can be resubmitted without a tax free threshold claim, or to withhold extra, in order to avoid or minimise any shortfall on the year-end tax assessment (which could lead to penalties).

The withholding declaration form and instructions can be downloaded from the ATO here,

See also: Changes in average personal income tax rates: distributional impacts (Parliamentary Budget Office, issued 11 October 2017)

This page was last modified 2024-03-12