Teacher Pay Calculator 2026/27 (England)
Work out your take-home pay as a teacher in England from 1 September 2026, after income tax, National Insurance, Teachers' Pension and student loan. Choose your pay area, range and point, and add part-time hours.
Teacher pay scales 2026/27: take-home pay by area
Each cell shows take-home pay a month, with the full-time yearly salary underneath. The figures are for a full-time teacher paying into the Teachers' Pension, with tax code 1257L and no student loan.
Main pay range (M1 to M6)
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £2,169£34,069 | £2,254£35,602 | £2,412£39,196 | £2,549£41,729 |
| M2 | £2,278£36,042 | £2,329£37,647 | £2,523£41,246 | £2,657£43,713 |
| M3 | £2,369£38,400 | £2,455£39,979 | £2,640£43,403 | £2,769£45,787 |
| M4 | £2,507£40,941 | £2,592£42,513 | £2,763£45,673 | £2,886£47,961 |
| M5 | £2,647£43,529 | £2,730£45,070 | £2,912£48,438 | £3,001£50,666 |
| M6 | £2,831£46,940 | £2,914£48,479 | £3,093£52,241 | £3,203£54,131 |
See tax, NI and part-time figures for each point on the main pay scale page.
Upper pay range (U1 to U3)
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | £2,917£49,134 | £2,998£50,625 | £3,198£54,047 | £3,450£59,650 |
| U2 | £3,018£50,956 | £3,105£52,442 | £3,311£56,047 | £3,576£62,581 |
| U3 | £3,128£52,835 | £3,215£54,328 | £3,384£58,120 | £3,667£64,684 |
More detail on the upper pay scale page.
Unqualified teacher range
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point 1 | £1,600£23,732 | £1,665£24,909 | £1,820£27,727 | £1,909£29,336 |
| Point 2 | £1,729£26,075 | £1,813£27,589 | £1,968£30,412 | £2,056£32,018 |
| Point 3 | £1,877£28,758 | £1,960£30,272 | £2,116£33,094 | £2,204£34,702 |
| Point 4 | £2,007£31,124 | £2,090£32,636 | £2,246£35,465 | £2,297£37,068 |
| Point 5 | £2,155£33,811 | £2,238£35,321 | £2,356£38,146 | £2,442£39,747 |
| Point 6 | £2,266£36,494 | £2,348£38,004 | £2,501£40,831 | £2,587£42,429 |
More detail on the unqualified teacher pay scale page.
Leading practitioners and school leaders
These ranges have a minimum and maximum only. Your school sets your pay within the range, so use the calculator above with your own salary.
| Range | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leading practitioner minimum | £3,187£53,847 | £3,273£55,332 | £3,384£58,120 | £3,638£64,024 |
| Leading practitioner maximum | £4,362£81,861 | £4,425£83,347 | £4,543£86,136 | £4,795£92,043 |
| Leadership minimum | £3,171£53,586 | £3,257£55,060 | £3,372£57,837 | £3,625£63,709 |
| Leadership maximum | £6,737£148,829 | £6,794£150,301 | £6,900£153,042 | £7,125£158,863 |
At the top of the leadership range outside London (£148,829), the Teachers' Pension rate is 12% and pay after pension is £130,969.52. That is over £125,140, so there is no Personal Allowance and take-home is about £6,737 a month.
How teacher pay works in England
Teachers in maintained schools in England are paid under the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD). It sets pay ranges for unqualified teachers, qualified classroom teachers (the main and upper pay ranges), leading practitioners and school leaders, in four pay areas.
Only the minimum and maximum of each range are set nationally. The points in between, such as M2 to M5, are advisory: they are a guide, not a rule. Each school has a pay policy that decides where you start and how you move up, so pay progression is decided by your school, not set automatically each year.
Academies and free schools can set their own pay, so if you work in one, check your contract or your trust's pay policy.
The 2026 pay award
The School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) recommended a 3.5% rise to all pay ranges and advisory points for teachers and school leaders in England from 1 September 2026, with 5% on the minimum of the unqualified teacher range outside London. The Government accepted the recommendations in full on 1 July 2026, and the award is back-dated to 1 September 2026. It also accepted a 3% rise from 1 September 2027.
The figures here come from the pay tables in the STRB 36th Report. The formal School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2026, which puts the new pay ranges into effect, is due to be published (the Department for Education said in mid-October). We will check these figures against it when it is.
For example, M1 outside London goes from £32,916 in 2025/26 to £34,069, and U3 goes from £51,048 to £52,835.
London pay areas
There are four pay areas: Inner London, Outer London, the London fringe and the rest of England. Each has its own pay ranges, with Inner London the highest. Your pay area depends on where your school is, not where you live. If you are not sure which pay area your school is in, ask your school.
Teachers' Pension contributions
If you are in the Teachers' Pension Scheme, you pay one rate on all your pensionable salary. The rate depends on your actual yearly salary rate for that job, so part-time teachers use their part-time salary, not the full-time figure. These tiers apply from 1 April 2026.
| Actual yearly salary | Rate on all pensionable pay |
|---|---|
| Up to £36,198.99 | 7.4% |
| £36,199 to £48,727.99 | 8.9% |
| £48,728 to £57,776.99 | 9.9% |
| £57,777 to £76,572.99 | 10.5% |
| £76,573 to £104,413.99 | 11.6% |
| £104,414 and above | 12% |
Teachers' Pensions says members do not pay tax on their contributions: they come off your pay before income tax is worked out. National Insurance is still worked out on your full pay. The tiers usually change each April, and the tiers from April 2027 had not been published on 12 October 2026.
Because one rate applies to all your pay, moving into a higher tier raises the rate on every pound. A full-time teacher on M1 outside London (£34,069) pays 7.4%, which is £2,521 a year. On M6 (£46,940) the rate is 8.9%, which is £4,178 a year.
Part-time teachers
Part-time teachers are paid pro rata: the full-time salary × your share of a full-time contract. For example, M1 outside London at 0.6 of full time is £20,441.40 a year. That is in the 7.4% pension tier, and take-home is about £1,419 a month. Enter your percentage in the calculator above to see your own figures.
What is not included
These figures are basic salary only. Teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments, special educational needs (SEN) allowances and other allowances are paid on top and are not included. Supply teachers paid by an agency, and teachers in academies that set their own pay, may be paid differently. The calculator uses England income tax rates and a tax code of 1257L.
Related calculators
See every point in detail on the main pay scale, upper pay scale and unqualified teacher pay scale pages. Working in the NHS? Try the NHS pay calculator. Council and school support staff on the NJC pay spine can use the council pay calculator. Compare with any other salary using the take home pay calculator, check repayments on each plan with the student loan calculator, or scale any salary to your hours with the pro-rata salary calculator.
How this is worked out
We take the full-time salary for your pay area, range and point from the pay tables in the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) 36th Report, which the Government accepted, and multiply it by your part-time percentage. Your Teachers' Pension rate is picked from that actual yearly pay and taken off before income tax. Income tax, National Insurance and student loan then use the same 2026/27 rules as our take home pay calculator.
What this calculator assumes
- Pay ranges and advisory points for teachers in England from 1 September 2026, as recommended in the STRB 36th Report and accepted by the Government on 1 July 2026. The formal School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2026 had not been published on 12 October 2026; it is due to be published, and we will check these figures against it.
- The 2026/27 tax year: England income tax rates, tax code 1257L and no other income. Tax rates and pension tiers can change from April 2027.
- Teachers' Pension is one rate on all your pensionable pay, chosen by your actual yearly salary (after any part-time reduction), using the tiers in force from 1 April 2026. It comes off before income tax; National Insurance and student loan are worked out on full pay.
- Not included: teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments, special educational needs (SEN) allowances, other allowances, extra duties, salary sacrifice schemes and employer pension contributions.
- The same pay every month, rounded to the nearest pound. Your payslip works out tax and NI each month, and back pay for the award can make one month look different.
Sources
- School Teachers' Review Body 36th Report 2026 (PDF, GOV.UK)
- School Teachers' Review Body 36th report: 2026 (GOV.UK)
- Teacher pay: everything you need to know about the latest multi-year pay award (DfE Education Hub, 16 September 2026)
- School teachers' pay and conditions (GOV.UK)
- Calculating contributions (Teachers' Pensions)
- What is a Teachers' Pension? (Teachers' Pensions)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
- Repaying your student loan: what you pay (GOV.UK)
Checked against GOV.UK, the Department for Education and Teachers' Pensions on 12 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
Teachers in England get a 3.5% rise to all pay ranges and advisory points from 1 September 2026 (5% on the unqualified minimum outside London). The Government accepted the STRB's recommendations on 1 July 2026, and the rise is back-dated to 1 September 2026. The formal pay and conditions document for 2026 is due to be published.
A full-time teacher on M1, the minimum of the main pay range, earns £34,069 a year outside London. With Teachers' Pension contributions of 7.4% and no student loan, that is about £2,169 a month after income tax, National Insurance and pension. In Inner London, M1 is £41,729, about £2,549 a month.
Yes. Teachers' Pensions says members do not pay tax on their pension contributions: they come off your pay before income tax is worked out. National Insurance and student loan repayments are still worked out on your full pay.
Your rate is set by your actual yearly salary, not the full-time salary. For example, M1 outside London at 0.6 of full time is £20,441.40 a year, which is in the 7.4% tier. A full-time teacher on M6 (£46,940) pays 8.9%.
No. Teacher pay in Wales has been set by the Welsh Government since 2018, and the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document applies to England only. Scotland and Northern Ireland also have their own teacher pay arrangements.
No. Only the minimum and maximum of each pay range are set nationally. M2 to M5 on the main pay range, U2 on the upper pay range and points 2 to 5 on the unqualified range are advisory. Your school's pay policy decides where you are paid and how you move up.