Store Manager Salary: What You Take Home After Tax in Australia

Store Manager Salary Under the General Retail Industry Award

If you work as a store manager in retail, your minimum pay is likely covered by the General Retail Industry Award 2020. The award sets minimum hourly and weekly rates for eight classification levels. A store manager is usually classified at Retail Employee Level 7 or Level 8, depending on the size of the store and the number of staff you supervise. From 1 July 2026, the minimum rates are:

• Level 7: $32.67 per hour, $1,241.40 per week (38 hours)
• Level 8: $33.99 per hour, $1,291.80 per week (38 hours)

These figures come from the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guide and the award itself . Your actual store manager salary may be higher if your employer offers above-award rates, but the award sets the legal minimum.

From Gross Salary to Take-Home Pay

Once you know your annual store manager salary, you can estimate what reaches your bank account after tax and the Medicare levy. Let's use the Level 7 full-time annual rate of about $64,500 (rounded from $1,241.40 × 52 weeks). Here's how the 2026–27 tax system applies:

Step 1: Income tax

• $0 – $18,200: No tax
• $18,201 – $45,000: 15c for each dollar over $18,200
• $45,001 – $135,000: $4,020 plus 30c for each dollar over $45,000

For a $64,500 salary:

• Tax on first $18,200: $0
• Tax on $18,201 to $45,000 ($26,800): 15c × $26,800 = $4,020
• Tax on $45,001 to $64,500 ($19,500): 30c × $19,500 = $5,850
• Total tax before offsets: $4,020 + $5,850 = $9,870

Step 2: Low Income Tax Offset (LITO)

For 2026–27, the maximum LITO is $700. It reduces as your income rises:

• Full $700 if taxable income ≤ $37,500
• Then reduces by 5c per dollar until $45,000
• Then reduces by 1.5c per dollar from $45,001 to $66,667

At $64,500, the offset is $325 minus 1.5c per dollar over $45,000. That's $325 – (1.5c × $19,500) = $325 – $292.50 = $32.50. So your tax becomes $9,870 – $32.50 = $9,837.50.

Step 3: Medicare levy

The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income, unless you qualify for a reduction. The latest single-person thresholds are $28,011 and $35,013. If your income is below $28,011, you pay no levy. Between $28,011 and $35,013, the levy is phased in at 10c per dollar over the lower threshold. Above $35,013, you pay the full 2%. At $64,500, you pay the full 2%: $64,500 × 0.02 = $1,290.

Step 4: Take-home pay

• Gross annual salary: $64,500
• Income tax: $9,837.50
• Medicare levy: $1,290
• Total deductions: $11,127.50
• Annual take-home: $53,372.50
• Fortnightly take-home: $53,372.50 ÷ 26 ≈ $2,052.79

This is an estimate. It excludes HELP/HECS repayments, the Medicare levy surcharge, salary sacrifice, and payroll rounding. Use our Take-home pay guide for a more detailed calculator.

How Super Affects Your Store Manager Salary

Your employer must contribute 12% of your ordinary time earnings into superannuation from 1 July 2026. This is on top of your salary, not deducted from it. For a $64,500 salary, the super contribution would be $7,740 per year. Your take-home pay is calculated from the $64,500 base, and the super goes into your fund separately. When job ads say "plus super", the advertised figure is before super is added.

Other Factors That Change Your Take-Home Pay

• Casual loading: Casual employees get a 25% loading on the minimum hourly rate. For Level 7, that's $40.84 per hour. But casuals don't get paid leave.
• Penalty rates: Evening, Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday work attract higher rates. For example, Sunday work for a full-time Level 7 employee is paid at 200% of the base rate ($65.34 per hour).
• Allowances: The award includes meal allowances ($24.56) and other expense-related allowances that may be paid on top of your hourly rate.

For a full breakdown of how tax and Medicare apply to different salary levels, see our Tax and Medicare page.

Summary

Your store manager salary under the General Retail Industry Award depends on your classification. The minimum rates for Level 7 and Level 8 are set by the Fair Work Ombudsman and apply from July 2026. After income tax and the Medicare levy, a Level 7 full-time salary of about $64,500 would leave you with roughly $53,370 per year, or $2,053 per fortnight. Remember that super is additional, and your actual pay may be higher if you receive above-award rates or penalty payments.