Earning and Managing Money
Wages, Salary and Overtime · Taxation and Budgeting
HSC Mathematics Standard 1 topic guide
Financial Mathematics
Financial Mathematics is a core part of HSC Mathematics Standard 1. This guide connects the syllabus ideas behind Earning and Managing Money, Simple Interest and Purchasing, shows how they appear in worked problems, and points you to the formulas and full lessons needed for exam revision.
What you will learn
Financial Mathematics syllabus outline
The units below follow the structure used in the full Study to Learn course. Use the outline to identify exactly which idea needs attention, then work through the public example before continuing to the complete lesson path.
Simple Interest and Purchasing
Simple Interest · Buying Goods
Free worked preview
Wages, Salary and Overtime
This complete preview comes from the Earning and Managing Money unit. It introduces the core language, shows the method in context, and gives you a real example of the lesson quality before you create an account.
Ways of Being Paid
Salary vs Wages
Salary: a fixed annual amount, usually paid in equal instalments (weekly, fortnightly, monthly) regardless of hours worked. Wages: paid per hour worked — total pay depends directly on hours.
Overtime Rates
Overtime is usually paid for hours beyond a standard threshold (e.g. 38 hours/week), often at a higher rate.
Common ErrorWhen converting a salary to a weekly or fortnightly amount, use the correct number of pay periods per year — 52 weeks, 26 fortnights, or 12 months — not an approximation like "52 ÷ 4 = 13 per month."
Worked Example
A worker earns $28/hour for a standard 38-hour week, plus time-and-a-half for any overtime. Find their pay for a week with 5 hours of overtime.
1Standard hours at normal rate
2Time-and-a-half rate
3Overtime hours at the overtime rate
Practice QuestionAn employee on an annual salary of $70,200 is paid fortnightly. Find their fortnightly pay.
Reviewed by the Study to Learn editorial team · Updated 2026-07-24