Marine Technician Salary: What Reaches Your Bank After Tax and Medicare

Understanding Your Marine Technician Salary

If you work as a marine technician in Australia, your pay depends on the award that covers your role, your experience, and where you work. The Australian Bureau of Statistics lists marine technician (occupation 351435) as a skilled role, but no official salary figure is published for this occupation. Instead, your marine technician salary is set by the minimum rates in a modern award or by an enterprise agreement.

How Pay Is Set

Most marine technicians are covered by an award such as the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award or the Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award. The Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database contains the minimum hourly rates, allowances, and penalty rates for each classification. You can use the Clearance tool to estimate your take-home pay once you know your award rate. The national minimum wage of $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week applies only if no award covers you. Award rates are usually higher.

Tax and Medicare

Once you know your annual marine technician salary, you can work out your take-home pay. For the 2026–27 tax year, the tax brackets are:

• $0 – $18,200: nil
• $18,201 – $45,000: 15c for each $1 over $18,200
• $45,001 – $135,000: $4,020 plus 30c for each $1 over $45,000
• $135,001 – $190,000: $31,020 plus 37c for each $1 over $135,000
• Over $190,000: $51,370 plus 45c for each $1 over $190,000

You also get the Low Income Tax Offset (LITO) if your taxable income is below $66,667. The maximum LITO is $700, reducing by 5c per dollar between $37,500 and $45,000, then by 1.5c per dollar up to $66,667.

The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income. The latest published single-person thresholds are $28,011 and $35,013. If you earn below $28,011, you pay no Medicare levy. Between $28,011 and $35,013, you pay 10c per dollar over the lower threshold. Above $35,013, you pay the full 2%. For a full-time marine technician earning above that, the full 2% applies.

Superannuation

From 1 July 2026, your employer must pay superannuation at 12% of your ordinary time earnings, up to a maximum contribution base of $270,830 per year. Super is paid on top of your salary, so it does not reduce your take-home pay unless you choose to salary sacrifice. When you see a job ad for a marine technician salary, check whether the figure is base salary plus super or inclusive. Most ads quote base plus super.

Take-Home Pay Examples

Because your marine technician salary is not a fixed number, we show how tax and Medicare affect two benchmark pay levels. These are not specific to marine technicians but illustrate the system.

National minimum wage – $52,255 per year (38 hours/week at $26.44/hour)

• Tax: $4,020 + 30c over $45,000 = $4,020 + 0.30 × ($52,255 – $45,000) = $4,020 + $2,176.50 = $6,196.50
• LITO: $325 – 1.5c per dollar over $45,000 = $325 – 0.015 × ($52,255 – $45,000) = $325 – $108.83 = $216.17 (but limited to reduce tax to zero? Actually LITO can't reduce tax below zero, so tax after LITO = $6,196.50 – $216.17 = $5,980.33)
• Medicare levy: 2% × $52,255 = $1,045.10
• Total deductions: $5,980.33 + $1,045.10 = $7,025.43
• Take-home: $52,255 – $7,025.43 = $45,229.57 per year
• Fortnightly: $45,229.57 ÷ 26 = $1,739.60

Full-time adult ordinary time earnings – $108,352 per year (ABS average)

• Tax: $4,020 + 30c over $45,000 = $4,020 + 0.30 × ($108,352 – $45,000) = $4,020 + $19,005.60 = $23,025.60
• LITO: Not applicable (income above $66,667)
• Medicare levy: 2% × $108,352 = $2,167.04
• Total deductions: $23,025.60 + $2,167.04 = $25,192.64
• Take-home: $108,352 – $25,192.64 = $83,159.36 per year
• Fortnightly: $83,159.36 ÷ 26 = $3,198.44

Your actual marine technician salary may be different. Use the Take-home pay guide to calculate your own figures.

What Changes Your Fortnight

Three main factors affect how much lands in your bank account each fortnight:

1. Tax brackets – As your income rises, you move into higher marginal rates. The first $18,200 is tax-free, then 15c, then 30c, and so on.
2. Medicare levy – A flat 2% for most full-time workers, but with a low-income exemption below $28,011.
3. Superannuation – Not deducted from your pay, but if you salary sacrifice, your take-home decreases while super increases.

Understanding these helps you plan your budget and negotiate your marine technician salary. For more details, see Tax and Medicare and Super.