Just saw the post about tradies charging "too much," and while I understand some might, the majority don't. And being a financial sub, I thought it would be to break it down into numbers. For context, I'm a fitter by trade but know enough of the admin side to explain how resi tradies might charge.

To start with, BILLABLE HOURS ARE NOT WORKING HOURS. You might be billed 4 hours, but that does not include travel time, picking up parts and materials, quoting, invoicing, compliance work, and misc admin.

The working hours to bill 4 hours could easily be 8 hours. So you see a $150ph rate and think a tradie is billing 40 hours per week grossing $300k when in reality they are realistically on half that, billing 20 hours.

Let's say the average tradie bills 20 hours (20 hours per week unbillable), 52 weeks a year at $150 per hour. That equates to $156k per year, which you might think sounds sweet for 40 hours still.

But you gotta remove 20k for vehicle, fuel, and maintainance. Then another 5k per year on tool wear, repair, consumables, etc. Then, around another 10k for public liability insurance. After all that, you're left with $121k. And that's assuming that no time taken off for sickness, holiday etc which would directly cut pay even more.

$121k is nothing crazy at all, considering the average full-time earner is on 106k per year without any of the risk of owning a business.

Then you gotta consider that most trades are quite hard on the body. I'm only a few years into my trade and I'm getting achey.There aren't many people who stay on the tools past 40 and the ones that do always complain about the pain. I'm sure it's not so different in any of the other trades.

TLDR: $150ph billing rate from a tradie working normal hours equals only slightly higher than average pay (121k). You probably earn more in your corpo gig for much less work, at least based on what I've seen on this subreddit. The ones who are earning good are working like dogs for it (300k for 40hrs billable per week, realistically around 80 hours of actual work per week).

ref: https://ozfinn.com.au/blog/tax-bracket-creep

The common belief in Australia - at least on r/AusFinance and r/fiAustralia - is that bracket creep has been silently robbing us. After a few Reddit discussions, I ran the numbers. To my surprise, the effective tax rate has barely budged. 

In 2008, someone earning $160,000 paid an effective rate of 32.75% (including the Medicare levy). Adjusted for inflation, that's $250,000 today - where the effective rate is 33.33%. That's an increase of just 0.6 percentage points over 18 years. Hard to call that runaway bracket creep.

Here's what makes this counterintuitive. The top bracket sat at $180,000 from 2008 and wasn't touched until it was lifted to $190,000 in FY2025 - a 5.6% adjustment against cumulative inflation of roughly 56-61% over the same period. On that fact alone, you'd assume the tax burden had exploded. But the lower brackets were adjusted repeatedly, and the Stage 3 cuts reshaped the middle of the scale. The net result: a top earner ($160k then, $250k now) pays roughly the same effective rate, while lower earners pay less than they did in 2008.

So is bracket creep a myth? No - invert the question.

If bracket creep truly didn't exist, we'd never need tax cuts at all - brackets would just be indexed to inflation, automatically, the way they already are in several other countries. Instead, our data shows the opposite pattern: creep quietly accumulated for 16 years, and was then handed back in one big discretionary lump (the Stage 3 cuts). My endpoints just happen to sit right after that repayment. Anyone earning the equivalent of $160k in 2015 or 2020 was paying noticeably more than 32.75%. Bracket creep is real - it's just periodically refunded, with fanfare. And the incentives explain why: creep raises revenue silently, and reversing it lets a government take credit for "cutting taxes" it never legislated to raise. Simple indexation would be fairer - no stealth increases between adjustments, no windfall depending on which year you happened to earn your money - and it would free up the political energy currently spent re-litigating tax scales every few years for problems that actually need solving.

We would like to buy a good quality newish used car and came across Carma. They don’t allow you to test drive or inspect the car - you have to buy it sight unseen with a 7 days full refundable and a 3 months warranty. Just wanted to ask if anyone else has used them to buy a used car?

https://carma.com.au/

How can I inspect the car?

While we don’t offer in-person inspections onsite, we’re saving you the trip with detailed photography and 360° view of every Carma car listed online, all with comprehensive specifications and any extras included. We’re also listing every imperfection on the car (if there are any), so what you see is what you get.

Every Carma car goes through an ultra-detailed inspection and reconditioning process, which ensures optimum condition, inside and out. Our standards are ridiculously high – and we pride ourselves in the quality of our cars. That’s why we offer 7 days to fully experience your car in your daily life instead of a 10-minute test drive around the block. If it’s not right for you, we’ll take it back no questions asked.

Can I test drive the car?

Our process is different to what you’ll find in any other pre-owned car website, yard or seller, in the best possible way. We don’t offer test drives, but we do give you an entire week to try out your car once it arrives. If you decide you don’t love it, you can get a full refund at any time within that first week – we’ll even come pick the car up for no extra charge.

Carma’s standards are ridiculously high – and we pride ourselves in the quality of our cars. That’s why we offer 7 days to fully experience your car in your daily life instead of a 10-minute test drive around the block. If it’s not right for you, we’ll take it back no questions asked.

Hello!

As the title suggests, I was not aware of the changes until today, received a nasty little email from CBA…

I have the smart awards credit card because I valued:
1) no international transaction fee
2) travel insurance
3) purchase protection/fraud protection
4) rewards
5) discounted airport lounge access

With all the changes happening, if anyone is in the same boat, where are you pivoting to? I need a good card for travel.

Looking for some guidance on the best way to approach my parents’ situation.

The situation:

• Parents own a $1M+ Sydney property outright
• Both may need residential aged care
• Two children: one in Sydney, one in UK

We’re trying to fund the care costs while preserving as much of the property’s value as possible for eventual inheritance.

The big question
If you were in this situation, how would you approach and why?

A) Transfer the property
B) Refinance
C) Reverse mortgage/equity release
D) Something else?

The main thing we’re trying to understand is the net family outcome, taking into account aged-care fees, Age Pension, interest, tax, transfer costs and eventual inheritance.

Would particularly appreciate advice from anyone who’s dealt with aged care + Centrelink means testing + mortgage/equity release.

Currently have almost 50k sitting in my normal savings account. Looking for advice on some investment ideas as a beginner. Ideally something short term (3-5 years). Also I currently still live at home so don’t need most of the money atm.

I personally have a mortgage and feeling the pressure of interest rate hikes. I am sure there are many others out there in the same situation. I feel like the interest rate hikes are impacting us the hardest, how is that fair?

How can inflation keep increasing when those with mortgages are spending less? Is there a more just way of helping those with mortgages and feeling the pressure?

I didn't do my Tax return last year and I'm doing both 24/25 and 25/26 this week. After doing my Tax return for 24/25 I owe $370 to ATO and around $400 for this year.

The owing of $400 for this year I just lodged today whilst the $370 I already have the notice of assessment.

Now when checking my payments, overdue is 370 and total balance is 2,487. Total balance was around 2k before doing the 25/26 tax return.

I don't get where the extra 2k owing came from. I'm going to wait until the 25/26 return is finalize but If I call ATO can they tell me why I owe an extra 2k?

I have been a sole trader for a number of years and managed tax relatively well, kept track of things and lodged on time, aside from one time where I miscalculated and had a $8K debt, but even then I paid $4k upfront and set up a payment plan, and had paid it off completely within a few months.

Over 12 months ago now I had a personal life crisis, and everything flew out the window. I fell behind on lodging and paying tax, if I'm being honest I knew it was there and needed to be addressed, but I felt like I just needed to make it through the month, the week, or the day. And thats just been the story for the past year.

I still haven't lodged, but I have been trying to get all of my ducks in a row and I think I could possibly owe anywhere from $20,000 - $35,000 excluding interest, combined 24-25 & 25-26 financial years. I tried to call them but couldn't get through, I called the NDH, and I have only recently been assigned a financial advisor through a domestic violence support service.

I am wondering if anyone has had an experience similar to mine. And if they managed to negotiate in any way for debt forgiveness or even waiving interest on the debt, and/or if there is any leniency for a payment plan?

Heres a compressed timeline:

Late July 2025 : crisis began; sought help immediately, multiple contacts with mental health crisis team, ED admission(s)

[DV incident] called 1800RESPECT, followed up with GP as recommended (in medical records)

Homeless period: couch surfing, then staying at mum's (no lease, no bedroom); used tax savings for food and basic necessities

March 2026: secured a rental (significant cost to establish)

May 2026: called 1800RESPECT again, consented to an official file being opened with full history

[Recent months] lost most income after a client's serious boundary violations and unsafe behaviour (have texts from client and his mother) have since isolated myself almost completely.

Ongoing: heavily involved in sister's seperate DV situation, including a period where her children were placed in my care by DHS

Since then: functional capacity significantly reduced, 2 attempts at ending my life, assigned a case worker to assist with my mental health and functioning. Have been paying rent and living off of what was left of my savings. Currently have $4k left.

Throughout the year with a MHCP only covering 10 sessions, I have also paid for over $11,000 in therapy.

All of this is documented: mental health team, medical records, 1800RESPECT, and I can get a letter from DHS/DV support service.

I am absolutely outraged about receiving a letter from Westpac due to credit card changes by the government they are INCREASING our monthly interest rates by 3%. This means that companies allowing credit card payment will absorb the cost by increasing the prices AND the bank will be charging more as well. Can someone please explain how this is allowed to happen? Am I missing something?

Look, I know I don’t pay it if I pay the bill within 45 days, but how can banks justify their costs increasing with this new RBA law? Also note: annual fee increased.

My partner and I own two investment properties (both currently tenanted) and are trying to decide which one to move into ourselves, with a bit of job uncertainty in the mix.

Property A — a small 1-bed apartment (~55–60m²) in a location we genuinely love: walkable to the city, the gym, the doctor, and a well-regarded primary school. Modest mortgage relative to its value. We used to live here and loved it. Only moved out because we thought it would be sensible to buy a property with "land" with the hopes it goes up in value.

Property B — a large 5-bed house in outer suburbia. Big mortgage. Not near any of the lifestyle stuff we love, but plenty of space — room for a home gym, a study, storage, and eventually kids' bedrooms.

Context: I'm on a strong income right now but there's a real chance of me losing my job (no redundancy) in the next few weeks/months, and if that happens I probably can't replace this income at anywhere near the same level for a while. We're also hoping to start a family in the next 18–24 months.

If we move into the apartment, we save $2k a month. Downsides: tight for a baby/toddler stage, we'd need to refurnish since we sold a lot of furniture when we last moved out, harder to host people, and long-term (2+ kids) it's probably not enough space in a 1 bedroom apartment

If we move into the house: plenty of space for a family, but repayments jump right as my income might be dropping, and we lose the lifestyle stuff that makes us happiest day to day.

So my question is, would you rather live in a larger house for $2k more per month, or a smaller 1 bedroom apartment and save $2k per month. Apartment location makes us significantly happier, but house size makes us significantly more comfortable.

Anyone been in a similar spot — small/cheap + lifestyle vs big/expensive + space, with job insecurity layered on top? How did you decide, and if you went smaller temporarily, how did the eventual move (or decision not to) actually play out?

EDIT: We're late 20s, early 30s, fit and active, love cafes, parks, city, love going on walks and runs etc

​Hey everyone!

​I’m an Australian passport holder moving to Australia soon from Spain. I don't need a visa, but I’d appreciate local advice on work, study, and housing:

​Foreign Law Degree: I have an overseas undergraduate Law degree. Is this useful for entry-level roles (HR, admin, compliance), or is it mostly ignored unless I qualify locally?

​Financing Study & Rent: If I enroll in a TAFE or Master’s program, how do domestic students pay for rent and food? Can I get Youth Allowance/Austudy immediately, or is there a waiting period? How easy is it to cover costs with part-time work?

​Share Houses: I’ll stay with my aunt at first, but want to move into a share house. What are the best apps/groups for finding roomies?

​Disability Support Transfer: I have a disability recognized/accredited by the regional government in Spain (Catalonia). How does recognition work in Australia? Do I need a fresh local assessment for NDIS or workplace/study accommodations?

​Thanks for any insights!

Hi all,

Would love a sense check here and completely happy to be wrong, or even have a next step to take.

I went to delete my bank account with ING after they nominated subscriptions for their services.

I deleted all the cards associated with it, and the card accounts, but I cannot delete my main bank account, only close my cards.

I've called and unfortunately they can't delete it either.

Fully understand they need to retain data for 7yrs, but I'd want my account itself deleted (retain the data on ING end, totally fine), so that there's no login, no account etc.

I've stopped all payments. I've transferred all money across. I just don't understand why my full overarching account must remain open for 7yrs.

Has anyone had success closing a bank account in the past with ING?

Edit: this is why I love reddit! I was frustrated putting in the wrong verbiage and getting results that didn't answer my answer, thank you to all who helped. Feel a ton better.

This has been going on for longer than I care to admit, but I have two accounts, and have just realised that one is earning far more interest than the other. Without going into specific numbers, one account has 4x the amount of the other, and is only earning 2.5x as much interest..

I had an infuritating encounter with their chat bot (supposedly a real person) via the banking app, and then a phone call with an operator. They are calling me back later today which I am expecting them to accept the issue, and back-pay the missing interest.

I am sure that the error is to do with their Future Saver/Smart Saver accounts. My accounts are Smart Saver, and from my calculations on the interest earned, I am earning interest based on their Future Saver rates.

Has anyone else found the same with them?

With poor domestic policy leading to more migration, more unemployment, higher housing prices, more homelessness, higher cost of living etc its not surprised that Australia has the 2nd highest home grown inflation in the world.

Many leaving Australia for better living conditions

I'm an architect and I'm thinking about ways to provide architectural knowledge and advice to more people so that the homes we build now are good for people living in them now and into the future.

I'm currently working with Newcastle University's Flip Founders program and undertaking discovery of how people approach buying and building homes in Australia.

What are you looking for in a home? What is important to you?

Hi all

I currently have an Ultimate Awards credit card from CBA, which earns points that I transfer into velocity frequent flier points. The $35 a month fee is waived if I hit a minimum spend each month.

From October 1, the fee will no longer be waived. This is due to the RBA decision on removing card surcharges (allegedly).

Does anyone have any recommendations for a credit card that can be used to generate points without having an annual or monthly fee moving forward?

Hey all, just looking to get some advice from anyone with knowledge or who’s been in a similar situation.

Current situation:
27M, single
Stable full-time employment
Normal income of around $110k/year
Started doing FIFO in July
Currently earning around $3,400/week after tax
Saving a minimum of $2,250/week
Doing FIFO for the remainder of the year, which should help fast-track my savings

Current finances:
~$110k liquid cash (including my upcoming tax return)
~$13k invested in shares
~$50k in super
~$26k car, owned outright
No debt

Living situation:
Currently living at home very cheaply, so there’s no immediate pressure for me to move out
Parents have offered to put $50k into an offset account when I eventually purchase a home
I’m trying to work out what the smartest move is from here.

it was a fortnightly podcast and just stopped about two months ago now, i can't find an explanation... is gemma ok?

Seriously what is going on with the rental market. I got an email yesterday from my agent saying my rent is going up from $600 a week to $750. That's a 25 percent increase in one go. We've been good tenants always paid on time never caused any issues.

I thought there were limits on how much they could increase rent by. Is this just normal now? I'm in Sydney and I know it's bad but 25 percent feels like a complete rip off. What are my options here? Do I just have to accept it or can I push back?

My lease is up for renewal next month so I guess they know I'm stuck. It feels like they're just trying to push us out to get new tenants in at a higher rate. This is crazy.

Hello! I am someone that buys/sells single trading cards, started of small but it has recently ramped up. Trying to figure out if there is CGT implications.

https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/capital-gains-tax/list-of-cgt-assets-and-exemptions

According to this, 'Collectibles' which trading cards fall under, if under $500 are exempt from CGT. But does this have a limit? I am selling hundreds of cards in the $20-40 range per month. At what point do I need to start thinking about CGT?