Moving to Australia from the UK: What Happens to Your Pay
Updated May 31, 2026 · 7 min read
Tens of thousands of Brits move to Australia every year, and the pay packet is a big part of the draw. Here’s exactly what changes about your take-home pay, tax and pension when you swap the UK system for the Australian one.
The headline: you keep more
On a like-for-like 100k salary, Australian take-home is around 77% versus roughly 69% in the UK — and that’s before superannuation. We break the numbers down in UK vs Australia salary.
What changes in your pay
- Tax-free threshold instead of personal allowance. You stop paying tax on the first A$18,200, then face 16% / 30% / 37% / 45% bands.
- Medicare Levy replaces National Insurance. A flat 2% of taxable income (plus a 1–1.5% surcharge above ~A$93k without private hospital cover) instead of NI’s 8%/2%.
- Superannuation replaces your pension. Your employer pays 12% of your salary into super on top of your pay — you don’t fund it from your salary like a UK pension.
- No £100k trap. Australia has no equivalent of the UK’s 60% personal-allowance-withdrawal band, so higher earners keep noticeably more.
Healthcare and pensions
- Medicare: a UK–Australia reciprocal agreement gives visitors some cover, but permanent residents get full access. Many take private hospital cover to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge.
- Your UK pension: you generally can’t transfer it into Australian super easily anymore — most people leave it in the UK. Take regulated advice before moving any pension.
💸 Moving money between countries?
Shifting savings from a UK bank to an Australian one — or getting paid in two currencies during the move — A service like Wise gives you the real mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees — typically far cheaper than a high-street bank, and it works across the US, UK, Australia and Canada.
Before you go: a checklist
- Confirm your visa and work rights.
- Open an Australian bank account (many let you do this before arrival).
- Nominate a super fund once you start work.
- Decide on private hospital cover if you’ll earn over ~A$93k.
- Tell HMRC you’re leaving (form P85) and check your UK pension and ISA position.
Run your numbers
Model your new salary with the Australian calculator, compare it to your UK pay with the UK calculator, or see the full take-home by country picture.
Calculate your own take-home pay
Free, instant, no signup — for the US, UK, Australia & Canada.