Receiving your first salary in Australia can be exciting, but understanding your payslip is just as important. Today you'll learn how Australian workers get paid, how to read a payslip, and how to speak confidently with Payroll.
Beginner – Intermediate
60–90 Minutes
Payroll & Salary
Real Australian Video
Learn how Australian workers are paid.
Understand every section of an Australian payslip.
Learn important workplace vocabulary.
Ask Payroll questions naturally.
Discuss these questions with your teacher.
How are workers paid in Vietnam?
Have you ever received a payslip?
Do you usually check your salary?
What happens if your salary is wrong?
Watch the video once. Don't worry if you don't understand everything. Just listen.
Let's learn the most common words used in Australian workplaces.
/ˈsæl.əri/
A fixed amount of money paid regularly by your employer.
"My salary is paid every fortnight."
/ˈpeɪ.slɪp/
A document showing your earnings and deductions.
"I checked my payslip yesterday."
/ˈpeɪ.rəʊl/
The department responsible for paying employees.
"Please contact Payroll."
/ɡrəʊs peɪ/
Your pay before tax and deductions.
"My gross pay was $1,250."
/net peɪ/
The money deposited into your bank account.
"My net pay is lower than my gross pay."
/ˈɔː.dɪ.nər.i peɪ/
The money you earn for your normal working hours before overtime or penalty rates are added.
"I worked 38 ordinary hours this week."
/tæks/
Money deducted and paid to the government.
"Tax is automatically deducted."
/ˌsuː.pər.æn.juˈeɪ.ʃən/
Money saved for your retirement.
"My employer pays super."
/dɪˈdʌk.ʃən/
Money taken away from your pay.
"There are several deductions."
/ˈaʊə.li reɪt/
How much you earn per hour.
"My hourly rate is $31."
/ˈəʊ.və.taɪm/
Extra hours worked beyond normal hours.
"I worked four hours of overtime."
/əˈlaʊ.əns/
Extra money paid for certain work conditions.
"I receive a cold room allowance."
/ˈpeɪ.deɪ/
The day employees receive their wages.
"Friday is payday."
Watch the video again. Try to answer each question before revealing the answer.
Gross Pay is the total amount of money you earn before tax, superannuation, or any other deductions are taken out.
Net Pay is the amount of money that is deposited into your bank account after tax and other deductions have been taken out.
Employers deduct PAYG (Pay As You Go) tax from your wages and send it to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on your behalf.
Superannuation is money your employer contributes to your retirement savings fund. It helps support you financially after you retire.
Workers should check their payslip to make sure their hours, pay rate, overtime, deductions, and net pay are all correct.
Example answers:
Every payday, your employer calculates your wages, deducts tax, pays your superannuation, and transfers your net pay into your bank account.
Imagine this...
You have just started working at ABC Meat Processing in Australia.
It's your second Friday. Everyone is excited because today is payday.
Your supervisor says,
"Payroll has processed everyone's wages."
You open your banking app...
Would you know what to say? By the end of today's lesson, you will.
Below is an example payslip from a meat processing company. Study the information carefully.
Employee Payslip
| Employee | Nguyen Thi |
| Employee ID | MP24815 |
| Pay Period | 1 July – 14 July |
| Pay Date | 15 July |
| Hours Worked | 38 Hours |
| Hourly Rate | $31.20 |
| Gross Pay | $1,185.60 |
| Tax Deducted | -$176.40 |
| Superannuation | $136.34 |
| Net Pay | $1,009.20 |
Who is the employee?
_________________________________How many hours did the employee work?
_________________________________What is the hourly rate?
_________________________________How much is the gross pay?
_________________________________How much tax was deducted?
_________________________________How much money was deposited into the bank account?
_________________________________Read the Vietnamese sentence first. Try to say it in English before clicking to reveal the answer.
I haven't received my salary yet.
Could you explain my payslip?
Why is my net pay lower?
Can you check my payroll details?
Have I been paid correctly?
When will my salary arrive?
I need to speak with Payroll.
I've changed my bank account details.
I need to update my bank details.
When is payday?
I think my hours are incorrect.
I think my overtime pay is missing.
Imagine today is your first week working at an Australian meat processing factory. Your supervisor says,
"You're covered by an Award. Please make sure you understand your pay."
Your mission is to research your employment conditions using official Australian websites. Do not reveal the answer until you have searched for it yourself. After completing each task, explain your answer to your teacher in English.
Find the Award that covers meat processing workers in Australia.
Search Google: Fair Work Meat Industry Award
The correct Award is the Meat Industry Award (MA000059). It covers many employees working in abattoirs, boning rooms, meat processing plants and packing operations.
Find the minimum hourly pay for a Level 1 employee.
Open the latest Fair Work Pay Guide and find: Level 1 — Ordinary Hourly Rate
There isn't one fixed answer. The hourly rate changes every year. Always use the latest Fair Work Pay Guide.
Research how overtime is paid.
Search inside the Award for: Overtime Look for:
Employees are usually paid a higher rate for overtime. Common overtime rates include:
Find the penalty rate for working on Sundays.
Open the Pay Guide. Look under Penalty Rates.
Sunday work is usually paid at a higher penalty rate than ordinary hours. The exact percentage depends on your Award and employee classification. Always check the latest Pay Guide.
Research one allowance that meat workers may receive.
Search the Award for Allowances. Examples include:
Possible answers include:
Research PAYG using the Australian Taxation Office website.
Search: ATO PAYG meaning
PAYG means Pay As You Go. It is income tax that your employer deducts from your wages and sends to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Research what Superannuation is and who pays it.
Search: ATO Superannuation
Superannuation is money that your employer contributes to your retirement savings fund. It is generally paid in addition to your ordinary wages.
Find one interesting fact about the Meat Industry Award that we did not learn in today's lesson. Be ready to explain it to your teacher in English.
(4–5 mins)
Answer directly → explain → give a personal example.
Yes, I do. / No, I don't. Usually, I ______ because ______. For example, when I ______, I realised ______. Overall, I think ______ because ______.
Yes, I do. I always check my payslip to make sure my salary and working hours are correct.
Yes. If you understand your salary, you can check whether you have been paid correctly.
Yes, I would. I think it is better to ask questions than to make incorrect assumptions.
(1 minute preparation · 1–2 minutes speaking)
Describe a time when you received your salary or learned something about a payslip.
I'd like to talk about a time when ______. At that time, I was working as ______. I received my salary by ______. While checking my payslip, I noticed ______. After that, I ______. This experience taught me that ______.
I'd like to talk about the first time I learned how to read an Australian payslip. Although I wasn't familiar with terms like gross pay, net pay and superannuation, I watched a lesson and asked my teacher to explain them. After that, I understood how my salary is calculated and why tax is deducted before the money goes into my bank account. I think this knowledge is important because every worker should understand how they are paid.
(4–5 mins)
State your opinion → explain your reason → give an example → conclude.
In my opinion, ______. One reason is ______. For example, ______. However, ______. Overall, I believe ______.
Employees should understand their payslip because it helps them check their working hours, deductions and final salary. It also helps them identify mistakes quickly.
Governments collect income tax to pay for public services such as hospitals, schools, roads and emergency services.
Yes. Many young people start working without understanding payslips, tax or superannuation. Learning these skills early can help them avoid financial problems.
Yes. Knowing your Award helps you understand your minimum pay, overtime rates, allowances and workplace rights. It also helps you check whether you are being paid correctly.
Today, most employees receive their salary by direct bank transfer and can download electronic payslips online. This is faster and more convenient than paper records.
The easiest thing I learned today was...
The most difficult thing was...
One new sentence I can say confidently...
One thing I want to practise before next lesson...
Excellent work! You can now: