In the app

ABN or TFN: what ABN pay really means for you.

The ABN or TFN explainer is a calculator in the Chaana app that shows what you give up when a job pays you on an ABN instead of as an employee, and the hourly rate you would need to come out even. It opens from any ABN-paid job and is free to use.

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ABN or TFN

What each one means for your pay

Being paid on an ABN can be completely legitimate. The problem is when a job is really an employee job, but you are put on an ABN anyway — you then pay costs your employer should have covered.

What an ABN costs you

Enter the rate you have been offered and your usual hours.

Hourly rate

$30

Hours per week

To match this as an employee, an ABN rate needs to be about

$37.98 /hr

roughly 27% more than $30.00, because the ABN rate has to fund what follows

Superannuation (12%)

An employer pays this on top of your wage. On an ABN, usually nobody does.

$7,114

Paid annual leave (4 weeks)

Time off an employee is paid for. On an ABN, time off is unpaid.

$4,560

Paid sick leave (10 days)

If you are sick on an ABN, you simply earn nothing that day.

$2,280

Difference over a year$13,954

Cost: Free, inside the Chaana app
Opens from: Any job paid on an ABN, and the ABN notice before you apply
Compares: 12% super, 4 weeks annual leave and 10 days sick leave
Sources: Links to the Fair Work Ombudsman and the ATO

What you can do.

A side-by-side calculator: Enter the hourly rate and hours a week (38 to start). It shows what an employee gets that an ABN worker does not: super at 12%, 4 weeks of paid annual leave and 10 days of paid sick leave.
The rate you would need: It works out the ABN hourly rate that leaves you as well off as an employee, and the difference over a year. At $30 an hour for 38 hours, that is about $37.98 an hour.
The costs nobody mentions: It reminds you that on an ABN you pay your own tax, have no workers compensation, and must register for GST once you reach $75,000.
Are you really a contractor?: Six yes-or-no questions: does the business set your hours, supervise you, provide the equipment, need you to do the work yourself, pay you for your time, and is it your only payer? Four or more yes answers means the work points to employment, and being paid on an ABN may not be lawful.
Where to check: Links to the Fair Work Ombudsman and the ATO, so you can confirm your own situation.

How it works.

How to check an ABN job

Open a job in the Chaana app that is paid on an ABN.
Tap "What ABN pay means for you". It also opens from the ABN notice before you apply.
Enter the hourly rate and your hours a week.
Read what you give up, the ABN rate you would need, and the difference over a year.
Answer the six questions about how the work is done.
If it points to employment, check with the Fair Work Ombudsman before you accept.

What you get.

Decide before you start
You see the real gap between an ABN rate and an employee rate while you can still say no.
A number to negotiate with
If an ABN job is legitimate, you know the rate that makes it fair.
Plain language
Being paid on an ABN can be completely legitimate. The explainer shows when it is not, without jargon.

How you are protected.

The safety rules and limits, stated plainly.

Every job paid on an ABN shows a notice before you apply: no superannuation, no leave, no workers compensation, and you pay your own tax. It always shows; it is never skipped.
The figures come from the national employment standards and were last reviewed in September 2026. They are estimates; Fair Work and the ATO have the final word on your situation.
If a job asks you to pay to start, or the pay is under $20 an hour, the safety note before you apply says "Take extra care" and tells you why.

Questions people ask.

What is the difference between ABN and TFN work?

On a TFN you are an employee: your employer pays super, you get paid annual and sick leave, and tax is taken out for you. On an ABN you are a contractor: no super, no paid leave, no workers compensation, and you pay your own tax.

How much more should an ABN job pay?

Enough to cover what you give up. The Chaana calculator adds 12% super, 4 weeks of annual leave and 10 days of sick leave and shows the ABN hourly rate you would need; at $30 an hour for 38 hours a week, that is about $37.98.

Can an employer make me work on an ABN?

If the work looks like employment, being paid on an ABN may not be lawful. The explainer's six questions check this: four or more yes answers point to employment, and it links to the Fair Work Ombudsman.

When do I need to register for GST on an ABN?

Once you reach $75,000 a year. The explainer reminds you of this alongside your own tax.

Where do I find the ABN calculator?

In the Chaana app, on any job paid on an ABN, tap "What ABN pay means for you". It also opens from the ABN notice that appears before you apply.

Know what an ABN job pays before you say yes.

The calculator is one tap from every ABN job in the Chaana app.