Free tool · 2026-27 rates

How much should you put aside for tax?

Put in what your business turns over. See what to set aside every week for income tax, GST and super, as a sole trader or through a company. Free, on your phone, no sign-up.

General information only. This is not tax, financial or legal advice, and it does not take your circumstances into account. Every figure is an estimate. Check yours with a registered tax agent. Tradie Business Build is not a registered tax agent.

Your numbers

How is your business set up?

Partnerships and trusts split income differently again, so the numbers below will not fit. Ask your accountant.

What do you invoice?
Typical
$

Everything customers pay you, before you spend a cent. Include the GST if you charge it.

Typical
$

Materials, subbies, fuel, insurance, phone, tools, software. Not your own pay.

Are you registered for GST?

You have to register once your turnover hits $75,000 a year, or you expect it to. You then have 21 days to do it.

Super for yourself?

Nobody pays your super when you work for yourself. 12% matches what an employer pays. The most you can put in and claim is $32,500 for 2026-27.

A bit more about you
$

Wages from a job you had before you went out on your own, or a second job now.

Who is in your household?

This only changes the Medicare levy if your income is low. It makes no difference on a normal trade income.

$

A ute, a trailer, a big load of materials. If you are registered for GST you get the GST back on it, which cuts your next BAS.

Put aside every week

$0

Put in what you invoice to see your number.

Week$0
Fortnight$0
Quarter$0
Your profit a year$0
Effective tax rate on profit0%

This number assumes the money you invoice is money you collect in the same period. Chase late payers, or the set-aside is not sitting there when the bill lands. A planning estimate using published 2026-27 rates. General information only, not tax or financial advice. Your own figure depends on your deductions, your family situation and your timing. Check it with a registered tax agent.

Your answers

What went into this

Planning estimate. General information only, not tax or financial advice. Check with a registered tax agent.

How it works

Set it aside the day you get paid

When you work for someone else, tax and super come out before your pay hits the bank. On your own, nobody does it for you. The whole payment lands in your account and it all looks like yours. It isn't.

  1. Open a second bank account just for tax, GST and super. Call it "Not mine".
  2. Every time a customer pays, move the percentage above into it. Same day, before you spend anything.
  3. Pay the tax office and your super out of that account when the bills come. No nasty surprises.

Why tradies get caught out

Your first tax bill as a sole trader can land almost a year after you start, and it covers the whole year. Then the tax office can put you on quarterly instalments for the year you are already in. Two bills, close together. Put money aside from day one and both are already covered.

Planning estimate. General information only, not tax or financial advice. Check with a registered tax agent.

The full picture

Know Your Numbers

Tax sorted. Now do every other number in the business: your real costs, the hourly rate you need, your break-even week, and 12 months of cashflow you can actually plan against.

Get Know Your Numbers

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Quick answers

How much tax should a sole trader put aside?

Most sole trader tradies land somewhere between 25% and 35% of their profit in income tax and Medicare levy, plus net GST on top if they are registered. The calculator works your own figure out from your own numbers using the published 2026-27 rates.

What is the company tax rate for a small trade business?

25%, if your company is a base rate entity. That means aggregated turnover under $50 million and no more than 80% of its income coming from passive sources like rent, interest or dividends. A normal trade company ticks both. Every other company pays 30%.

Do I have to pay super for myself?

No. The ATO says sole traders and partners do not have to pay super guarantee for themselves, but they can make personal contributions. Nobody else will do it for you. Putting 12% aside matches what an employer pays an employee, and contributions you claim as a deduction are capped at $32,500 for 2026-27.

When do I need to register for GST?

Once your GST turnover reaches $75,000 a year, or you expect it to. You then have 21 days to register. After that, 1/11 of every payment you collect is GST that belongs to the tax office, less the GST in what you buy for the business.

What are PAYG instalments?

Prepayments of tax on your business income, usually quarterly. The ATO enters an individual into instalments when their last return showed instalment income of $4,000 or more, tax payable on the notice of assessment of $1,000 or more, and estimated tax of $500 or more. Instalments are generally due 28 days after the end of each quarter.

What happens if I do not put it aside?

The bill still comes. The ATO charges general interest charge on what you owe, and since 1 July 2025 that interest is no longer tax deductible. Payment plans exist, but interest usually keeps running.

Is this tax advice?

No. It is a planning estimate using the published rates. Your situation will have things in it this tool cannot see. Check with your accountant or a registered tax agent.

Where the numbers come from

Checked 21 September 2026

Rates change. If you are reading this in a later financial year, check the links before you rely on the numbers. Planning estimate. General information only, not tax or financial advice. Check with a registered tax agent.