Put Your Bonus Into Super? Cash vs Salary Sacrifice at Four Salaries
A $10,000 bonus taken as cash or sacrificed into super: what you keep each way at four salaries, and the timing rule you must follow.
By the MoneyBackKit AU team · Updated 28 October 2026 · 2 min read
If a bonus is coming and you don't need the cash, you can ask to have some or all of it paid into super as a salary sacrifice. It's taxed at 15% in the fund instead of your marginal rate.
A $10,000 bonus: cash or super
| Salary | Cash after tax | In super after 15% | Extra in super | Cap room left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $6,700 | $8,500 | $1,800 | $25,300 |
| $100,000 | $6,800 | $8,500 | $1,700 | $20,500 |
| $160,000 | $6,100 | $8,500 | $2,400 | $13,300 |
| $200,000 | $5,300 | $8,500 | $3,200 | $8,500 |
Rules to follow
- Set up the sacrifice before you become entitled to the bonus. Once it's earned, it can't be redirected tax-effectively.
- Put the arrangement in writing with your employer.
- Make sure employer super plus the sacrifice stays under the concessional cap; carry-forward amounts may give more room.
- Above $250,000 of income (including the sacrifice), Division 293 tax adds another 15%, so the gain is smaller.
- Money in super is locked away until preservation age.
- Your employer may still pay super guarantee on the bonus if it's ordinary time earnings, but salary sacrifice can't be used to cut their SG.