Teacher Pay Calculator
Pick your pay range, point and area. Teachers’ Pension contributions come off before tax at a tiered rate.
Updated 2026-10-03 · 2026/27 HMRC rates
| Gross salary | £34,069 |
| Teachers' Pension (7.4%) | £2,521 |
| Income tax | £3,796 |
| National Insurance | £1,720 |
| Student loan | £421 |
| Take-home | £25,611 |
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Key facts
- England 2025/26: a 4% rise to all pay and allowance ranges from 1 September 2025, following the STRB 35th report (STPCD 2025).
- England 2026/27: the Education Secretary accepted the STRB 36th report in full on 1 July 2026, giving 3.5% from September 2026 and 3% from September 2027.
- From September 2026, the minimum unqualified teacher salary outside London rises by 5% to £23,732, so it stays above the National Living Wage.
- Starting salary (M1) outside London: £32,916 from September 2025 and £34,069 from September 2026. In Inner London: £40,317 and £41,729.
- Schools are expected to pay for the first 1% of each award from their existing budgets. The government is adding £1.8 billion of schools funding over 2 years.
- Pay may arrive after 1 September but is backdated. Academies can choose whether to follow the national award.
- Teachers' Pension Scheme contributions from 1 April 2025 range from 7.4% (under £34,873) to 12% (over £100,591). Tiers 2–6 rose by 0.3 percentage points.
Related
Teacher take-home pay by point from September 2026
This table shows monthly take-home pay for each main and upper pay range point outside London on the 2026/27 scales, after income tax, NI and the Teachers' Pension contribution for that salary. It assumes full-time, no student loan and a standard tax code.
| Point | Salary | Teachers' Pension rate | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £34,069 | 7.4% | £2,169.37 |
| M2 | £36,042 | 8.9% | £2,241.97 |
| M3 | £38,400 | 8.9% | £2,369.46 |
| M4 | £40,941 | 8.9% | £2,506.84 |
| M5 | £43,529 | 8.9% | £2,646.77 |
| M6 | £46,940 | 8.9% | £2,831.19 |
| U1 | £49,134 | 9.9% | £2,917.06 |
| U2 | £50,956 | 9.9% | £3,017.78 |
| U3 | £52,835 | 9.9% | £3,127.51 |
How much London teachers earn
Schools in and around London use higher pay ranges. The table compares the starting point, the top of the main range and the top of the upper range in each pay area for 2026/27.
| Pay area | M1 | M6 | U3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of England | £34,069 | £46,940 | £52,835 |
| London fringe | £35,602 | £48,479 | £54,328 |
| Outer London | £39,196 | £52,241 | £58,120 |
| Inner London | £41,729 | £54,131 | £64,684 |
Why your annual pay for tax is a mix of two pay scales
Teacher pay awards start on 1 September, but the tax year starts on 6 April. So your pay for any tax year is roughly five months on the old scale and seven months on the new one. An M6 teacher outside London earned £45,352 from September 2025 and £46,940 from September 2026, so their 2026/27 pay is about £46,278, not £46,940.
When an award is confirmed late, the September rise is backdated and paid as arrears. Income tax on arrears usually evens out under a cumulative tax code, but NI and student loan are worked out per pay period, so the arrears month can show higher deductions.
How Teachers' Pension contributions affect take-home pay
Teachers' Pension Scheme contributions are tiered by salary, from 7.4% to 12.0%. They are taken before income tax, so tax relief is automatic. They do not reduce National Insurance.
At M1 outside London (£34,069), the contribution is £2,521 a year, but take-home falls by only £2,017 compared with no pension, because income tax is £504 lower.
Part-time teachers and student loans
Part-time teachers are paid a pro rata share of the full-time salary for their point. A teacher on M3 outside London working 0.6 of a full-time timetable earns £23,040 rather than £38,400. Take-home falls by less than 40%, because the Personal Allowance and NI threshold are not pro-rated: about £1,562.04 a month, against £2,369.46 full-time.
Most early-career teachers also repay a student loan. On M1 outside London, a Plan 2 loan takes about £421 a year (9% above £29,385). Newer graduates on Plan 5, which started repayments in April 2026, repay 9% above £25,000: about £816 a year at M1. Repayments are worked out on gross pay, so Teachers' Pension contributions do not reduce them.
What the September 2027 award will add
The multi-year deal accepted in July 2026 gives a further 3% from September 2027. Applying 3% to today's scales gives an estimate of next year's pay; the official figures will be rounded and published in the pay and conditions document.
| Point (outside London) | From Sept 2026 | Estimate from Sept 2027 | Estimated extra take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £34,069 | £35,091 | £21.19 |
| M6 | £46,940 | £48,348 | £43.90 |
| U3 | £52,835 | £54,420 | £92.57 |
Unqualified teacher pay and take-home
Unqualified teachers are paid on a separate six-point range. From September 2026 the minimum outside London rose to £23,732, an increase of 5.0% on the previous £22,601, larger than the 3.5% award for qualified teachers. The bigger rise keeps it above the National Living Wage.
| Point (outside London) | Salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Unqualified 1 | £23,732 | £1,600.14 |
| Unqualified 2 | £26,075 | £1,729.16 |
| Unqualified 3 | £28,758 | £1,876.91 |
| Unqualified 4 | £31,124 | £2,007.19 |
| Unqualified 5 | £33,811 | £2,155.16 |
| Unqualified 6 | £36,494 | £2,266.41 |
Who these pay scales apply to
The School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document applies to local-authority-maintained schools in England. Academies can choose whether to follow the national award and scales, so check your trust's pay policy. Teachers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are paid on separate scales and are not covered by this calculator.
Beyond the main and upper ranges, unqualified teachers outside London are paid from £23,732 to £36,494, leading practitioners from £53,847 to £81,861, and the leadership range runs from £53,586 to £148,829. Teaching and learning responsibility payments and SEN allowances are added on top of these figures.
The government's July 2026 announcement put the average school teacher salary at over £52,800 from September 2026 and over £54,400 from September 2027, with schools expected to fund the first 1% of each award from existing budgets.
Frequently asked questions
When do teachers get their pay rise?
Teacher pay awards in England apply from 1 September each year, often paid with back pay once confirmed.
How much does a newly qualified teacher take home?
On M1 outside London (£34,069 from September 2026), about £2,169.37 a month after tax, NI and the 7.4% Teachers' Pension contribution, with no student loan.
How much more do teachers earn in Inner London?
M1 in Inner London is £41,729, £7,660 more than outside London.
Are Teachers' Pension contributions tax-free?
They are deducted before income tax, so you get tax relief at your top rate automatically. National Insurance is still charged on your full salary.
Why does my September payslip not show the pay rise?
Awards are often confirmed or processed after 1 September. The rise is backdated and paid as arrears once payroll applies it.
What pay rise will teachers get in 2027?
The government accepted a 3% rise from September 2027 as part of the multi-year deal announced on 1 July 2026. On M1 outside London that would take pay from £34,069 to roughly £35,091, before official rounding.
Sources
Figures are taken from official government publications and were last reviewed on 2026-10-03.
- DfE – School teachers' pay and conditions document 2025
- DfE – Teachers' Pension Scheme: reasons for changes to the member contribution rates 2025
- School Teachers' Review Body 36th Report: 2026 (Appendix F)
- DfE: Teachers to benefit from multi-year pay deal (1 July 2026)
- DfE: School teachers' pay and conditions
- HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027