No it not binary at all as there is only one outcome if you earn over $250k.
And I hate to break it to you but you pay 47% including Medicare levy for all income over $180k, starting next month it will be anything over $190k.
If you have a spouse I suggest you speak with your accountant about income splitting. If your employer would allow you to become a consultant that would be a bonus as you could start a company with a trust structure. This is what I operate with which allows me to bump my spouse up to the $180k with an affective tax rate of 30%, full concessional contributions x 2 into our SMSF.
