Salary sacrifice

Get more from your pay through salary sacrifice.

How does it work?

With salary sacrifice, you arrange for your employer to contribute some of your pre-tax salary (or a bonus) into super rather than receiving it as take-home pay.

May be suitable if…

You're an employee.

What are the benefits?

Grow your super.
Pay less tax: the contributions are generally taxed at up to 15%¹view disclaimer, instead of your marginal tax rate, up to a maximum of 47%²view disclaimer.

Case study

William, aged 45, was recently promoted and has received a pay rise of $5,000, bringing his total salary to $150,000 p.a. He’s planning to retire in 20 years and wants to use his pay rise to boost his retirement savings.

He decides to sacrifice the extra $5,000 into super each year. By using this strategy, he’ll save on tax and get to invest an extra $1,200 each year, when compared to receiving the $5,000 as after-tax salary and investing outside super.

Details	Receive pay rise as after-tax salary	Sacrifice pay rise into super
Pre-tax pay rise	$5,000	$5,000
Less income tax at 39%, View disclaimer²	($1,950)	(N/A)
Less 15% contributions tax	(N/A)	($750)
Net amount invested	$3,050	$4,250
Additional amount invested		$1,200

Important things to consider

To make salary sacrifice contributions you must be eligible to contribute to super.
Salary sacrifice contributions count towards the concessional contributions cap, opens in new window and penalties may apply if the cap is exceeded.
Another way to grow super tax-effectively is to make personal deductible contributions, opens in new window.
You can’t access your super until you meet a condition of release, opens in new window, such as reaching preservation age, opens in new page and retiring.
Other eligibility conditions apply – see the Australian Taxation Office (ATO, opens in new window) website for more information.

Disclaimer¹ Individuals with income from certain sources above $250,000 in 2024/25 will pay an additional 15% tax on salary sacrifice and other concessional super contributions within the cap.

Disclaimer² Includes Medicare levy.

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General advice and information only

Any advice and information on this website is general only, and has been prepared without taking into account your particular circumstances and needs. Before acting on any advice on this website you should assess or seek advice on whether it is appropriate for your needs, financial situation and investment objectives.

Tax disclaimer

Any general tax information on this website is intended as a guide only and is based on our general understanding of taxation laws. It is not intended to be a substitute for specialised taxation advice or an assessment of your liabilities, obligations or claim entitlements that arise, or could arise, under taxation law, and we recommend you consult with a registered tax agent.