How Much Can International Students Really Earn in Australia in 2026?
Most answers to this question give you an hourly rate and stop there. That is the least useful number, because your pay is capped by law, not by how many shifts you can find. Here are the real 2026-27 figures, what the 48-hour fortnight rule actually limits, and what lands in your account after tax.
Your Earnings Are Not Set by How Hard You Work. They Are Set by These Three Figures.
Casual minimum from 1 July 2026, including the 25% casual loading. Many awards pay more.
Per fortnight while your course is in session, across every job combined. Not per job.
Tax-free threshold if you are an Australian resident for tax purposes, which most students are.
Multiply the first two and you get roughly $1,586 gross a fortnight at the legal maximum. The third decides how much of that you keep. Everything else in this article is detail on those three numbers.
The Short Version
The national minimum wage is $26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026, or $33.05 casual with the 25% loading. While your course is in session you can work 48 hours per fortnight across all jobs combined. That works out to roughly $1,586 gross a fortnight at the cap, or about $41,200 a year if you worked the maximum every fortnight. During scheduled course breaks the cap does not apply, which is where most students earn the difference.
This guide uses the rates in force for the 2026-27 financial year. If you would rather skip the reading and just see your own numbers, the calculator below does the arithmetic for you.
Work Out Your Own Hours and Take-Home Pay in About 30 Seconds
Enter your hourly rate and shifts across every job you hold. The calculator checks your fortnightly total against the 48-hour cap, then shows your gross pay, the tax withheld, your take-home and your superannuation, using current 2026-27 rates. It also splits the year into study weeks and course breaks, which is the part a static table cannot do.
Open the Student Work Hours & Pay Calculator ->What Is the Minimum Wage for International Students in Australia in 2026?
There is no separate minimum wage for international students. You are entitled to exactly the same pay as an Australian worker doing the same job, and any employer who suggests otherwise is breaking the law, not doing you a favour.
From 1 July 2026 the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 for a 38-hour week. Award-covered employees received a 4.75% increase in the same decision.
Per hour, plus entitlements
You also accrue paid annual leave and sick leave. Lower hourly figure, but the entitlements have real value.
Per hour, including 25% loading
The loading exists because you get no paid leave. Most student jobs are casual, so this is the rate that usually applies.
These are floors, not typical rates. Most jobs sit under a modern award that sets a higher minimum for that industry, and penalty rates for evenings, weekends and public holidays are paid on top. A Sunday hospitality shift can pay considerably more per hour than a Tuesday one.
Check Your Actual Award Rate
The national minimum wage is the absolute floor. Your real entitlement is usually set by the award covering your industry. Fair Work publishes a free Pay Calculator that gives you the exact rate for your role, age and shift times, and it takes about two minutes.
Rates Rose at the Start of This Financial Year
The national minimum wage increased to $26.44 an hour from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. If you have been in the same job since before then and your rate has not moved, check your payslip. Underpayment after a wage decision is common and it is usually an employer error rather than anything deliberate.
Rates change again on 1 July 2027, so any figure you read in an article written before then will be out of date.
How Many Hours Can You Work? The 48-Hour Fortnight Cap Explained
This is the rule that actually decides your income, and it is the one most commonly misunderstood.
What "48 Hours a Fortnight" Really Means
While your course is in session, most student visa holders can work a maximum of 48 hours per fortnight. Three details matter more than the number itself.
A fortnight is fixed. It is a 14-day period that starts on a Monday. It is not a rolling window you can shift, and it does not reset when it suits your roster.
It covers every job together. Two jobs at 30 hours each is 60 hours, and that breaches the cap even though neither employer sees a problem. Each one only sees their own roster. Tracking the combined total is your responsibility.
When the Cap Does Not Apply
| Situation | What Applies |
|---|---|
| Scheduled course break | No fortnightly limit. This means a break published by your provider, such as a semester break. A week you decide to skip classes is not a course break. |
| Masters by research or PhD | No fortnightly limit once your course has commenced. |
| Course completed, cancelled or deferred | The cap generally no longer applies, though your visa status may have changed. Check your own conditions in VEVO. |
| Before your course starts | You cannot work at all. Not reduced hours, none. Work rights begin when the course formally commences. |
| Volunteering | Genuine unpaid volunteer work for a non-profit generally does not count. Unpaid work for a business that would otherwise pay someone usually does. |
Course Breaks Are Where Most Students Earn the Difference.
A student working the cap during 40 weeks of session and 38 hours a week across 12 weeks of break earns roughly $41,500 gross for the year. The same student working only in session earns closer to $26,000. The break weeks are worth more than most people plan for, and they are entirely legal.
What If You Accidentally Work More Than 48 Hours?
It happens, usually through a covered shift or a roster change late in the fortnight. Be honest with yourself about the scale first, because a small overrun and a sustained pattern are different situations.
A breach of condition 8105 can lead to visa cancellation. That is the legal position and it is worth taking seriously. In practice, a one-off overrun caused by a genuine mistake is treated differently from months of consistent overwork, but neither is something to resolve by guessing.
Stop the pattern immediately, keep your own record of hours worked across every job, and if you are worried about a specific breach, speak to a registered migration agent before your next visa application rather than after. Problems here tend to surface at the point you apply for a 485 or a permanent visa, which is the worst possible time to discover them.
Check Your Fortnight Before You Accept the Extra Shift
Add each job separately and the calculator shows your combined fortnightly total against the 48-hour limit, plus how many hours you have left. It turns amber before you reach the cap, so you can see the extra shift coming.
Check My Hours ->How Much Can You Earn Per Fortnight and Per Month?
These figures use the $33.05 casual rate. Adjust upward if your award pays more, which it often does.
| Hours per fortnight | Gross per fortnight | Gross per month | Situation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours | $661 | about $1,432 | Light load alongside a heavy study semester |
| 30 hours | $992 | about $2,148 | Common in-session pattern |
| 40 hours | $1,322 | about $2,864 | Comfortable, still 8 hours under the cap |
| 48 hours | $1,586 | about $3,437 | The legal maximum in session |
| 76 hours | $2,512 | about $5,442 | Full-time during a scheduled course break, no cap |
Monthly figures are annualised across 26 fortnights and divided by 12, which is closer to reality than simply doubling a fortnight. These are gross. Tax comes next, and it changes the picture less than most students expect.
How Much Do International Students Take Home After Tax?
Most international students enrolled in a course longer than six months are treated as Australian residents for tax purposes, even though they hold a temporary visa. Tax residency and immigration status are separate questions, and this one usually works in your favour.
That matters because residents get the $18,200 tax-free threshold. A student earning $30,000 pays tax only on the amount above that.
| Taxable income 2026-27 | Tax on this income |
|---|---|
| $0 to $18,200 | Nil |
| $18,201 to $45,000 | 15c for each $1 over $18,200 |
| $45,001 to $135,000 | $4,020 plus 30c for each $1 over $45,000 |
| $135,001 to $190,000 | $31,020 plus 37c for each $1 over $135,000 |
| $190,001 and over | $51,370 plus 45c for each $1 over $190,000 |
The second bracket dropped from 16% to 15% on 1 July 2026, so a student earning in the $20,000 to $40,000 range keeps slightly more this year than last.
In practice, a student working close to the cap all year on about $41,200 gross pays roughly $3,450 in tax, leaving around $37,700. Working only in session on about $26,000, the tax is closer to $1,170.
No Tax File Number Means 47% Withheld From Every Payslip
If you have not given your employer a Tax File Number, they are legally required to withhold tax at the top rate. On $1,586 a fortnight that is roughly $745 gone instead of about $130.
A TFN is free and takes minutes to apply for online once you have arrived in Australia. Do it before your first shift, not after your first payslip.
Superannuation Is Paid On Top, Not Deducted
Your employer must also pay 12% superannuation into a super fund for you. This is on top of your wage and is not taken out of it, so it does not reduce your take-home pay.
When you leave Australia permanently and your visa has ceased, you may be able to claim that money as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment. It is taxed at a high rate on withdrawal, but it is real money that many students forget exists.
Which Part-Time Jobs Pay the Most for International Students?
With a hard cap on hours, the rate per hour matters far more than availability of shifts. Twelve extra dollars an hour across 48 hours is nearly $600 a fortnight for exactly the same time.
| Type of work | Why the rate differs |
|---|---|
| Aged care and disability support | Higher award rates, strong ongoing demand, and shift loadings for evenings and weekends. Usually requires a certificate and clearances. |
| Nursing and allied health assistants | Higher award rates where you hold a relevant qualification. Often aligns with what you are already studying. |
| Hospitality with penalty rates | The base rate is modest, but weekend, evening and public holiday loadings lift it considerably. Sunday shifts are worth seeking out. |
| Retail | Steady and easy to enter. Penalty rates apply but are generally lower than hospitality. |
| Tutoring and campus work | Good hourly rates and it fits around classes. Hours are often limited and seasonal. |
| Rideshare and delivery | Flexible, but you are usually a contractor rather than an employee, which changes your tax and super position entirely. See the ABN section below. |
If you are studying in a field with ongoing workforce shortages, the part-time work you do now can also count toward later visa pathways. Our guide to early childhood courses and student demand covers one sector where study, work and migration outcomes line up closely.
Can You Work on an ABN as a Student?
You can, but it changes almost everything about your position, and many students take on ABN work without understanding what they have agreed to.
Working under an ABN usually means you are a contractor, not an employee. That means no minimum wage protection, no penalty rates, no paid leave, no superannuation paid for you, and no tax withheld from your payments. You are responsible for setting aside your own tax and lodging it yourself.
Two Things to Watch
First, hours worked under an ABN still count toward your 48-hour fortnight cap. Being a contractor does not exempt you from condition 8105. Second, some employers push ABN arrangements onto workers who are genuinely employees, which is called sham contracting and is unlawful. If you are told when to work, how to do the job and you use their equipment, you are probably an employee regardless of what the paperwork says.
If you are considering going further and running something of your own, the rules are stricter than most students assume. Our guide on whether you can start a business on a student visa covers what is and is not allowed.
Can Part-Time Income Cover Your Living Costs?
Honestly, in most cases part-time earnings cover a meaningful share of living costs but not tuition, and rarely everything. The 48-hour cap exists precisely because you are here to study, and the financial capacity requirement at visa application assumes your income will supplement savings rather than replace them.
Where you study changes the maths more than how many shifts you pick up.
| City | Typical pressure on a student budget |
|---|---|
| Sydney | Highest rents in the country. Capped earnings go furthest when shared housing is arranged well outside the inner suburbs. |
| Melbourne | High but generally below Sydney. Strong public transport reduces the cost of living further out. |
| Brisbane | Moderate rents with a large casual job market. A common middle ground. |
| Adelaide and Perth | Lower living costs relative to earnings. Capped income stretches noticeably further. |
| Regional centres | Lowest costs, and regional study can also carry benefits for later visa pathways. |
If you travel home during semester breaks, factor those costs in too. Our guide on student visa travel rules during holidays covers what you need to have in place before you leave and return.
How to Earn More Without Putting Your Visa at Risk
With a fixed hours ceiling, every strategy that actually works comes down to raising your rate or using the uncapped weeks properly.
- Apply for a Tax File Number before your first shift. This single step is worth more than any other on this list.
- Check your award rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator. Many students are paid the national minimum when their award entitles them to more.
- Seek out weekend and evening shifts. Penalty rates mean the same hour is worth more, and your cap counts hours, not dollars.
- Plan your course breaks in advance. The cap lifts, and this is where the annual difference is made.
- Track hours across all jobs in one place, not per employer. This is the most common way students breach without meaning to.
- Get the certificate your sector requires. A short qualification in aged care or disability support often lifts your hourly rate immediately.
- Keep every payslip. You need them for your tax return, and they are evidence if you are ever underpaid.
- Do not accept cash in hand. No payslip means no super, no protection, and no record of lawful work when you next apply for a visa.
Working in Australia Now and Thinking About What Comes Next?
Your work rights change the moment your course ends, and the decisions you make now about what you study and where you work affect which pathways are open to you later. Tell us your situation and a registered professional will come back with the options that actually apply.
What Happens to Your Work Rights After You Graduate?
The 48-hour cap is a student visa condition. Once your course ends, your situation changes, and so does your earning capacity.
A 485 Graduate Visa Removes the Hours Cap Entirely
The Temporary Graduate visa lets you work without a fortnightly limit, which is usually the single largest jump in income a former student sees. It also has a hard application window after course completion and an age limit, so it is not something to look into once your student visa is nearly finished.
From there, the common routes are employer sponsorship or points-tested skilled migration. Our guides on moving from a 485 to a 189 and on whether PR has become harder for international students set out what has changed and what still works.
If your circumstances change mid-study and you need to move onto a different visa, our guide on switching to a student visa in Australia covers how those transitions work and what they do to your work rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Know What You Can Earn. Then Work Out What Comes Next.
Your work rights change the day your course ends. A short review now tells you which pathways your study and occupation actually open up.
Written by
Founder and Editor, Aussie Migration Guide
Karan Rawat is the Founder and Editor of Aussie Migration Guide. With nearly 4 years of experience in SEO and digital content, including work with Australian migration law clients, he specialises in turning complex Australian visa rules, fees and eligibility criteria into clear, practical guides. Every article is checked against current official sources such as the Department of Home Affairs before it goes live. Karan is not a registered migration agent, and the content on this site is general information, not migration advice.