Contractor vs Permanent Salary Calculator
Compare a day-rate contract with a permanent salary package — including super, leave and your business costs.
How it works
The permanent side adds up your salary, superannuation contribution, bonus and other benefits, and values your paid annual and personal leave at your base daily rate — these are paid days, not extra cash. The contracting side multiplies your daily rate by your billable days, then subtracts your estimated business costs. Both figures are gross (before tax).
Worked example
A $150,000 salary with 12% super versus a $900/day contract for 220 billable days:
- Permanent package
- $150,000 + 12% super = $168,000
- Contract gross
- $900 × 220 = $198,000
- Contract net
- minus your business costs (accounting, insurance, etc.)
Frequently asked questions
No. Paid annual and personal leave are valued as part of your permanent package at your base daily rate — the same days you'd otherwise be paid for — not as an additional cash bonus on top.
Sources
Last reviewed: 10 August 2026