How much is Paid Parental Leave per week in 2026-27?

$1,004.70 per week before tax, paid as $200.94 per day across the 130-day entitlement. That's the National Minimum Wage rate. Total maximum entitlement is approximately $26,122.20 across the full 26 weeks. PPL is taxable and counts toward your income for the year. Super at 12% is also paid by the government on top of the PPL, from 1 July 2026 onward.

How many weeks of PPL do I get for a baby born in 2026-27?

26 weeks (130 days) for babies born on or after 1 July 2026. Of those, 20 days are reserved for the partner — use-it-or-lose-it. So the primary claimant gets 110 days (22 weeks); the partner gets 20 days (4 weeks) that can only be claimed by them, not transferred. Both parents can take PPL concurrently for up to 10 days.

What's the PPL income test in 2026-27?

Two tests. INDIVIDUAL income test — your individual adjusted taxable income for the reference year must be at or below $180,000. FAMILY income test (alternative) — combined family ATI at or below $373,094 if individual test fails. Either pass = eligible. Above both = no PPL. Reference year is usually the FY immediately before the baby's birth.

What's the PPL work test?

You must have worked at least 330 hours in 10 of the 13 months before your child's birth, with no gap longer than 12 weeks between paid work days. Casual, contractor, self-employed, salary — all forms of paid work count. Failed work test = no PPL (though you may still qualify for Newborn Supplement via FTB-A).

Does PPL come with super contributions?

Yes — from 1 July 2026 onward, the government pays 12% super contributions on top of the PPL itself. So at $1,004.70/week × 26 weeks × 12% = about $2,958 super on top of the PPL itself. Paid into your nominated super fund. Doesn't count toward your concessional contribution cap.

Can I get PPL and the Newborn Supplement?

Not for the same child. PPL pays ~$24,650; the Newborn Supplement pays up to $2,052.05 (first child) + $683 Upfront = ~$2,735. You choose one per child. With twins you can claim PPL for one and the Newborn Supplement for the other. PPL is significantly larger for families who qualify; the Newborn Supplement is the path when you don't (failed work test or over the $180k income cap).

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How much PPL will your family get?

FY 2026-27rates. Five questions, 60 seconds. We’ll show your days, weekly pay, total gross, and whether you pass the work + income tests. Same engine as our paid planner.

This is the basic PPL estimator — same depth as Services Australia's own. NestWise's full planner adds:

Extra Day calculator — return-to-work decisions after tax + lost CCS + FTB clawback
Specialty paths — adoption, surrogacy, multiples, same-sex couples, self-employed + other situations
After-tax + PPL Super — your real take-home, not just the gross
Employer Leave Decoder — week-by-week combined cashflow for top-up / standalone / lump-sum patterns
Partner Coordination, Return-to-Work Planner, Pre-Birth Money Map with bridging-gap
PPL ↔ FTB-A interaction — how your leave year changes FTB and CCS together

Expected birth or adoption placement date

Drives which PPL tier applies (130 days from 1 July 2026; 120 days before that).

Are you partnered (married or de facto)?

Your annual gross income

Use last year's income — the figure off your tax return. We'll explain the exact rule on the result page if it matters for you.

Your partner's annual gross income

Used for the family income test (the cap depends on the FY of your due date — we show the right reference year in the result).

Have you worked at least 10 of the last 13 months?

Rough proxy for the work test (330 qualifying hours over ≥295 days, no >12-week gap). Full check in the paid planner.

Your PPL — quick estimate

$26,122 over 26 weeks

Total days

130

Weekly rate (gross)

$1,005

Your share

110 days

Reserved for partner

20 days

Quick eligibility check

✓

Work test

Looks OK based on your answer. Services Australia will verify exact hours.

✓

Income test

Below the cap (individual ≤ $180,007 OR family ≤ $373,094 for FY2025-26).

✓

Residency

Assumed yes — you must be an Australian resident on the relevant days. Full check at Services Australia.

This is an estimate using the official PPL day rate ($201/day) and the rules in our PPL guide. Confirm eligibility with Services Australia before relying on it for cashflow.

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Free account. Saves scenarios, does partner coordination, employer top-up modelling, return-to-work planning, and the specialty paths (adoption, surrogacy, multiples, and other situations).

Not financial advice · FY 2026-27 rates from Services Australia · NestWise estimate, verify before claiming · FY2027

How this calculator is built

Built by an Australian Chartered Accountant— the same engine the paid NestWise dashboard runs. Every rate table is verified against the source below every 1 July, 20 March, and 20 September and covered by a 200+ scenario regression suite.

Sources: Services Australia — Parental Leave Pay

How Paid Parental Leave is calculated

Australian Paid Parental Leave pays the National Minimum Wage to eligible parents around the birth (or adoption) of a child. The rate is fixed by law, not based on your actual salary. What varies is HOW MANY days you get and HOW you can split them between partners.

The two eligibility tests

Work test. You must have worked at least 330 hours across 10 of the 13 months before the child’s birth (or adoption placement), with no gap longer than 12 weeks between two work days.
Income test. Your individual income must be under ~$180,007 in the relevant financial year. There’s also a family income test cap (~$373,094 combined) that opens an alternative path when individual income is over.

The 2026-27 expansion

PPL is expanding to 130 days total by 1 July 2026 (130 days = ~22 weeks). Of these, a number are reserved for each parent on a use-it-or-lose-it basisto encourage sharing. From 1 July 2025 the government also pays superannuation on PPLat the standard guarantee rate — a meaningful boost to retirement balance for parents (mostly mothers) taking the full leave.

The calculator above applies the current FY day count + your eligibility flags. Numbers should match Services Australia’s assessment within rounding.

Worked example: Sarah and Tom

Sarah is having their first baby in October 2026. Sarah earns $85,000/year as a marketing manager; Tom earns $110,000 as a software engineer. Both have been continuously employed for 3+ years.

Eligibility

Sarah’s individual income ($85k) is well under the $180,007cap — passes the income test. She’s worked continuously full-time — passes the work test. Tom’s individual income ($110k) also passes both tests. Sarah is the birthing parent so she’s the primary claimant.

Days + rate

The family pool is 130 days. As the partnered primary claimant, Sarah can take up to 110 days; 20 days are reserved for Tom on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. Sarah plans to take 90 days (~18 weeks); Tom takes 20 days (his 20 reserved + 0 from the shared pool). At National Minimum Wage of$1,005/week (per lib/rates.ts), Sarah’s gross PPL = 90 days ÷ 5 × $1,005≈ $18,085 gross. Tom’s gross PPL = 20 days ÷ 5 × $1,005≈ $4,019 gross.

Super on PPL (from 1 July 2025)

12% super guarantee on the PPL amount = Sarah ~$2,170 added to super, Tom ~$482. Goes to their nominated super funds automatically.

Tax

PPL is taxable income. Sarah’s marginal rate at $85k + PPL ≈ 30%, so net PPL ~$12,207. Tom’s marginal rate at $110k + PPL ≈ 35%, so net PPL ~$2,612. These are illustrative; your actual marginal rate depends on total taxable income.

Family combined net PPL: ~$14,819, plus ~$2,652 to combined super.

Plug Sarah and Tom’s numbers into the calculator above to see the gross figure with current FY rates and the work + income test traffic lights.

How NestWise compares to the Services Australia calculator

Services Australia’s Payment and Service Finder will tell you whether you qualify for PPL and roughly how much. The NestWise calculator implements the same day-count + rate formula with source-traced figures.

What NestWise surfaces that the official tool doesn’t

Work test + income test traffic lights. Quick green/amber/red on each test so you see at a glance whether eligibility is solid or marginal.
Per-partner split. Plan how the 130 days divide between you, including the reserved use-it-or-lose-it days. The official tool calculates one claimant at a time.
Live recalc. Drag the day count between partners, change the projected birth date, watch the figures move — useful when planning around employer top-ups.
Super on PPL surfaced. From 1 July 2025 the 12% super guarantee is paid on PPL — we show the per-partner super amount alongside the cash figure.

What NestWise doesn’t model in this free calc

Employer top-up payments. Many employers pay PPL on top of (or instead of paying through) the government scheme. The free calc shows the government portion only; check your employer’s PPL policy separately.
Dad and Partner Pay legacy. The old DAPP scheme has been folded into the unified PPL since 2023 — we calculate against the current law, not the legacy scheme.
Multiple births / adoption-of-multiple-children. Standard rules apply; talk to Services Australia for the specifics.

For pre-baby planning scenarios, NestWise is faster. For the formal claim, lodge through myGov → Centrelink → Parental Leave Pay — ideally 3 months before the birth date.

Five common mistakes when planning PPL

Forgetting PPL is taxable. The gross figure is the PRE-tax amount. Net is meaningfully lower — budget on net, not gross.
Missing the 12-week work-test gap rule. You can’t have a gap longer than 12 weeks between two work days in the 13 months before the birth. A long sabbatical or career break can disqualify even if total hours look fine.
Claiming when individual income > $180,007 without checking the family path. If your individual income is over the cap, the family income test (~$373,094 combined) opens an alternative — but only if your partner’s income brings the family under the cap.
Not planning the partner split before applying. Reserved use-it-or-lose-it days are real money. If your partner takes none, those days don’t transfer to you — they’re gone.
Forgetting to nominate a super fund for the PPL super contribution. From 1 July 2025 super is paid on PPL automatically — but only if your super fund is on file with Services Australia.

When to re-estimate your PPL

PPL rates and rules change at 1 July annually, plus the 110-day expansion is phased in across 2024-2026. Re-run the calculator when:

Your due date shifts. Crossing a financial year changes which rate applies + the phase-in stage of the 110-day expansion.
Your income changes near the $180,007 cap. A pay rise that pushes you over the individual cap forces you onto the family path (or off PPL entirely if family income is also over).
You change employer or take a break. The work test counts the 13 months BEFORE birth — an extended gap or new job affects eligibility.
You revisit the partner split. Use-it-or-lose-it reserved days mean the split that lands best for your family isn’t always 50/50.
An employer policy lands. If your employer announces top-up PPL or matches super at a higher rate, your total package changes — though the government calculation here stays the same.

Run the calculator above with your new numbers, then read the full PPL 2026-27 guide and lodge through myGov in the 3 months before the due date.