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Australia salary in peso terms: what the minimum wage and 482 pay floor mean for Filipino workers

Tips · 2026-10-09 · 10 min read

An Australian salary in peso terms can look enormous: the National Minimum Wage of $26.44 an hour is about ₱1,155, and the lowest pay most sponsored 482 workers can be offered, AUD79,423 a year, comes to roughly ₱3,468,000. Both are gross amounts, before income tax and before the cost of living in Australia. Every peso figure here is a rough comparison at the Reserve Bank of Australia rate of 43.67 pesos per Australian dollar published on 08 Oct 2026, and exchange rates change daily.

Once you know what you take home, the next number to budget is the visa itself. See our guide to the Australia work visa cost in pesos for the 482 visa's charges and what your employer must cover.

Australian pay floors converted to pesos

To keep the numbers comparable, one rate is used throughout this guide. Before you plan a budget, redo the maths with the latest figure on the RBA exchange rates page.

Notice that Australians talk about pay by the hour, the week or the year, not by the month as many offers at home do. Mixing those up is the fastest way to misjudge a job.

The minimum wage is a floor, not the going rate

From 1 July 2026 the National Minimum Wage is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week, and the weekly figure assumes 38 ordinary hours. You can read the details on the Fair Work minimum wages page.

Most employees are not actually paid under that base rate. Their minimum comes from the award for their industry or occupation, and award rates may be higher. In its 2026 decision the Fair Work Commission raised award wages by 4.75 per cent, and most of those increases begin with the first full pay period on or after 1 July.

Award examples for trade and kitchen roles

If you are a fitter from Batangas or a line cook from Cebu City, look up the level that matches your work, not just the headline wage. These are minimum award rates from 1 July 2026, with the weekly amount converted at the same rate.

Hands-on roles like these appear on our manufacturing jobs page, and current openings include an automotive panel beater role in Albury and a pasta chef position in Melbourne. An employer can always pay above the award; it cannot lawfully pay below it.

Sponsored jobs: what the 482 salary thresholds mean

Under the Core Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), the employer must pay the Annual Market Salary Rate for your occupation and no less than the Core Skills Income Threshold. For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 that threshold is AUD79,423, up from AUD76,515 the year before. Our Skills in Demand visa guide covers the visa itself.

Spread over a year, AUD79,423 is about AUD6,619 a month, or roughly ₱289,000 at the 08 Oct 2026 rate. That monthly figure is a better match for how most OFWs compare offers, as long as you remember it is still before tax.

The Specialist Skills stream uses a higher figure: AUD146,576 for the same period. Both thresholds are indexed each year and change from 1 July, so a figure you saw last year may already be out of date. Check the Home Affairs salary requirements page before you compare offers.

Before you accept a sponsored offer, see how to test it against the threshold that applies on the day the nomination is lodged in our guide to the 482 visa salary requirement and how to check an offer.

Two rules protect your pay here. The employer must cover every cost of sponsoring and nominating you, including the Skilling Australians Fund levy, and cannot shift those costs to you. Paying an employer for sponsorship, including through deductions from your wages, is illegal and can lead to visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment.

Superannuation: money set aside on top of wages

Super is Australia's retirement savings system. The compulsory super rate is 12% from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, paid by the employer into your super fund.

For a salary at the Core Skills threshold, 12% would be about AUD9,531 a year, or roughly ₱416,000. Read the offer carefully: some quote salary plus super, others quote a package that includes it.

Temporary residents who leave do not simply lose this money. A departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) can be claimed once your temporary visa has ended and you have left Australia, and the ATO suggests starting the claim before you fly out. It is taxed: the DASP rates include 35% on the taxed element, and 65% for working holiday makers.

Casual work, leave and hours

Casual employees covered by no award or agreement receive a 25 per cent loading, so the minimum hourly rate rises to about AUD33.05, roughly ₱1,443. The loading exists because casuals give up things permanent staff receive.

• Full-time and part-time employees get 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year; casual employees do not.
• Full-time employees get 10 days of paid sick and carer's leave a year; casuals get 2 days of unpaid carer's leave per occasion.
• The maximum is 38 hours a week unless the employer asks for reasonable additional hours.

Visa holders have the same workplace rights as everyone else, including pay, leave and final pay.

Why this guide gives no take-home figure

Tax depends on your residency status for tax purposes, and the ATO uses separate tables. Resident rates for 2026-27 start at nil on income up to $18,200, plus a Medicare levy of 2% that is not shown in the table; the ATO resident tax rates page lists every bracket. Foreign residents paid 30c for each $1 up to $135,000 in 2025-26 and do not pay the Medicare levy.

Which table applies to you is decided under the ATO's residency rules, not by your visa label alone. Rather than guess, check your status with the ATO and compare it with your first payslips.

Two practical points help. A tax file number (TFN) is free to apply for online once you have a visa with work rights, and it should arrive within 28 days. Your employer must give you a payslip within 1 working day of payday, showing your earnings, tax withheld and super.

New Zealand pay in pesos, briefly

The RBA does not publish a peso rate for the New Zealand dollar, so this is a cross rate: 1.2413 New Zealand dollars per Australian dollar and 43.67 pesos per Australian dollar, both from 08 Oct 2026. From 1 April 2026 the adult minimum wage in New Zealand is $23.95 an hour before tax, roughly ₱843, or $958 for a 40-hour week, roughly ₱33,703.

Two differences matter. People on a temporary work visa cannot join KiwiSaver, and New Zealand employers cannot charge you fees for a job or pass their recruitment costs on to you.

How to check a salary offer, step by step

1. Write down whether the offer is hourly, weekly or yearly, and convert it to the same unit as the pay floors above.
2. Find your award and level, then confirm the offer is at least that rate.
3. For a sponsored 482 role, confirm the salary meets the current Core Skills or Specialist Skills threshold for the year the nomination is lodged.
4. Check whether super is paid on top of the salary or included in a package.
5. Convert to pesos with one current official rate, and label the result as gross.
6. Keep every payslip and compare it with the contract during your first pay periods.

Common mistakes when comparing Australian pay with home

• Comparing gross with net. Your peso salary at home may be quoted after deductions, while Australian figures are usually before tax.
• Using a stale rate. A conversion from last year can be thousands of pesos off; always note the date of the rate you used.
• Agreeing to hand back part of your wage. Cashback arrangements, where an employer requires payment in exchange for a job, are illegal in Australia.
• Overpaying an agency at home. Under the 2023 DMW rules a placement fee, where allowed, is equivalent to one month's basic salary, paid only after you sign the DMW-approved contract and with a BIR-registered receipt. No other fees may be charged beyond those listed.
• Forgetting super when you leave. Start the DASP claim before departure so the money does not sit unclaimed.

For the full path from your current trade to a visa and your OFW Pass, read our guide on the honest route to jobs in Australia for Filipinos.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the minimum wage in Australia in pesos?

From 1 July 2026 the National Minimum Wage is $26.44 an hour or $1,004.90 for a 38-hour week. At the RBA rate of 43.67 pesos per Australian dollar on 08 Oct 2026, that is roughly ₱1,155 an hour or ₱43,885 a week, before tax.

Is the 482 salary threshold the same as my take-home pay?

No. The Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD79,423 is the lowest salary an employer can nominate for most Core Skills positions, and the market rate for your occupation can be higher. Income tax comes out of it, and your payslip shows how much was withheld.

Do I get superannuation as a temporary visa holder?

Visa holders have the same workplace rights as other employees, and super is part of the pay picture. The compulsory super rate is 12% for the year starting 1 July 2026. If you leave Australia for good, you may be able to claim it back as a departing Australia superannuation payment.

Can my employer deduct sponsorship costs from my salary?

No. The sponsoring employer must pay the costs of sponsorship and nomination and cannot pass them, or the Skilling Australians Fund levy, on to you. Paying an employer for sponsorship, including through salary deductions, is illegal and can lead to visa refusal or cancellation.

Which exchange rate should I use to convert my Australian salary?

Use one official rate for every figure so the comparison is fair. This guide uses the Reserve Bank of Australia rate for 08 Oct 2026. Rates change daily, so check the current figure before you sign anything or plan remittances.

Key takeaways

• The Australian minimum wage is $26.44 an hour, about ₱1,155 gross at the 08 Oct 2026 rate.
• Most workers are paid under an award, which can be higher than the minimum wage.
• Sponsored 482 Core Skills roles must pay at least AUD79,423 a year, roughly ₱3,468,000 gross.
• Super at 12% sits alongside wages and can be claimed back after you leave, minus DASP tax.
• Tax depends on your ATO residency status, so judge net pay from your real payslips.

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