How the tools work
The conventions every tool follows, the Australian rates they use and where those come from, what happens to what you enter, and what the results are and are not.
Conventions
- Money
- Australian dollars, before income tax unless a tool says otherwise. GST is left out unless a tool includes it.
- Interest
- A yearly rate r is charged each period at r divided by the number of repayments a year, so it compounds at the repayment frequency: monthly, fortnightly or weekly.
- Timing
- Repayments are made at the end of each period. Dated cash flows count actual days in a 365 day year.
- Precision
- Figures are worked out without rounding along the way and rounded only for display: totals to the dollar, repayments to the cent, rates to two decimal places.
- Results that do not exist
- When a figure has no meaningful value, such as a break-even point when every sale loses money, or a rate of return when cash never flows back, the tool says so rather than showing a number.
- Scenarios
- A scenario starts from the base case and keeps only the inputs you change. Scenarios are assumptions you choose, not forecasts or probabilities.
The level repayment that takes a balance B to a residual R over m periods at a periodic rate i is
S = (B − R × (1 + i)^−m) × i / (1 − (1 + i)^−m)
and the present value of dated cash flows at a yearly rate r is
NPV(r) = Σ CF_k / (1 + r)^((day_k − day_0) / 365)
An internal rate of return is a rate at which the present value is zero. The tools look for every such rate between −99.9% and 10,000% a year. If there is none, or more than one, they say so, because the measure is then unreliable.
How they are checked
Every method is written down before it is built. A second, separate set of reference calculations is then written from that description alone, without sight of the tools' own code, and the two are compared on more than 1,600 test cases: textbook examples, edge cases such as a zero rate or a loan repaid early, and random cases across the range of inputs. A tool is published only when every case agrees, and the checks are run again before any change to a tool is published.
Each tool is also run on thousands of random inputs inside its limits, to make sure nothing fails and no result reads as an error, and every tool page is tested in a browser on a phone and a desktop: the figures on screen against the calculations run directly, every ready-made scenario, the downloads and accessibility.
The checks include, for example, that an interest only loan of $100,000 at 12% a year costs $1,000 a month; that a loan of $1.2 million against a property worth $2 million is 60% of its value; that $250,000 available to service $200,000 of yearly debt service is cover of 1.25 times; and that a $1.5 million purchase with $75,000 of costs, funded by $600,000 of equity and $900,000 of debt, is $75,000 short.
Rates and rules
Some tools start from Australian rates that change from year to year. They are defaults only: each can be changed in the tool. These are the rates in use and their sources.
| Rule | Rate | Applies | Where | Note and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superannuation guarantee | 12% of qualifying earnings | From 1 July 2025 | Commonwealth | From 1 July 2026 (Payday Super) the guarantee is worked out on qualifying earnings, which include ordinary time earnings, and is due within seven business days of payday. The maximum contributions base is now yearly: $270,830 for 2026-27. Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 s 19(2) |
| Payroll tax | 5.45% of yearly wages above $1,200,000 | From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 | New South Wales | Wages include superannuation. The threshold is for a full year and is shared across a group of related businesses. Revenue NSW, Payroll tax thresholds and rates |
| Transfer duty, general rates | up to $18,000: $1.25 for every $100; $18,000 up: $225 plus $1.5 for every $100 over $18,000; $38,000 up: $525 plus $1.75 for every $100 over $38,000; $103,000 up: $1,662 plus $3.5 for every $100 over $103,000; $387,000 up: $11,602 plus $4.5 for every $100 over $387,000; $1,290,000 up: $52,237 plus $5.5 for every $100 over $1,290,000; at least $20 | From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 | New South Wales | General rates, which apply to commercial property. Premium property duty applies to residential land only and is not included. The rate year follows the contract date. Revenue NSW, Calculate transfer duty |
| National minimum wage | $26.44 an hour, $1,004.90 a week | From 1 July 2026 | National system | Fair Work Ombudsman, minimum wage increase from 1 July 2026 |
| Leave | 4 weeks of annual leave, 10 days of personal leave; 17.5% leave loading where an award provides it | National system | Four weeks of annual leave and ten days of personal or carer's leave a year are National Employment Standards. A 17.5% annual leave loading is common but comes from awards and agreements, not the Standards. Fair Work Ombudsman, Annual leave | |
| Casual loading | 25% | National system | The usual loading for casual employees in modern awards and for award-free employees. Check the award that applies. | |
| Company tax | 25% or 30% | Commonwealth | 25% for base rate entities (turnover under $50 million and no more than 80% passive income), otherwise 30%. |
Checked 2026-10-14. Reviewed each 1 July, when most of these change.
Your information
The tools run in your browser. What you enter is not sent to Threefold Capital or anyone else, is not stored on a server, is not added to the page address and is not recorded in any log. You do not need an account, an email address or a phone number.
Downloads are made in your browser and saved to your device. The only thing a tool keeps is the list of tools you have used recently on that device, so the directory can show it; it holds no figures, and the directory has a button to clear it. Closing the page clears everything you entered.
What the results are
The tools are generic calculators for general information. They work only from the figures you enter, and they do not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. They do not recommend any financial product, lender or course of action.
An estimate of what a loan costs is not an offer of credit or credit assistance, and an estimate of borrowing capacity is not approval: lenders apply their own tests. A valuation from a multiple or a discounted cash flow is not an independent valuation. A tax or payroll estimate is not an assessment or advice on an award. A stress test is not a credit rating, and a projected return is not a forecast or a promise.
The results should not be relied on to make a financial decision. Consider advice from a licensed professional who knows your circumstances: a lender or broker, an accountant, a lawyer or a licensed financial adviser. Threefold Capital does not hold an Australian financial services licence or an Australian credit licence.