The high income threshold, and what happens if you earn above it
Earning above the threshold does not automatically rule you out if a modern award or enterprise agreement covers your role.
The high income threshold, the earnings cut-off that can cost an employee their unfair dismissal eligibility, is $190,100 for a dismissal on or after 1 July 2026, according to the Fair Work Commission, up from $183,100 the year before. It rises every 1 July.
Who it actually applies to
The threshold is a limit on eligibility specifically for people not otherwise covered. The Fair Work Commission's guidance frames it this way: "If an employee is not covered by a modern award, and an enterprise agreement does not apply to them, they must have earnings of less than the high income threshold." That is the key qualifier: someone earning above the threshold is not automatically excluded if a modern award or an enterprise agreement covers their employment. This site has not sourced the detailed rules for working out which awards cover which roles, so it cannot tell you whether a specific award applies to a specific job.
How it interacts with the compensation cap
The same figure, half the high income threshold, feeds into the separate compensation cap calculation for anyone whose claim succeeds. That is a different use of the same number, covered on its own guide, and should not be confused with the eligibility question addressed here.