§-Career vs cost
Social worker: salary vs cost of living
Job Outlook publishes a full-time weekly-earnings figure of $1800 for Social Workers. After estimated PAYG income tax, the 2% Medicare levy and any HECS-HELP compulsory repayment, take-home pay is approximately $1,311.15 per week.
From gross to take-home
| Component | Annual AUD | Weekly AUD |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $93,600 | $1800 |
| Income tax (2024-25 resident scale) | -$18,868 | -$363 |
| Medicare levy (2%) | -$1,872 | -$36 |
| HECS-HELP compulsory repayment | -$4,680 | -$90 |
| Take-home pay | $68,179.8 | $1,311.15 |
| Without HECS | $72,859.8 | $1,401.15 |
Sanity check: income tax 18868 AUD plus Medicare and HECS-HELP repayment of $4680 AUD.
Rent as a share of take-home pay
The 30% threshold is the conventional definition of rental stress. Anything below is considered comfortable; anything above squeezes everything else.