Teacher upper pay scale 2026/27
U1 is £49,134 and U3 is £52,835 outside London from 1 September 2026. Full time, that is about £2,917 to £3,128 a month after tax, NI and Teachers' Pension.
Upper pay range 2026/27
The upper pay range is for experienced classroom teachers in England. It runs from U1 to U3. U1 is the statutory minimum and U3 the statutory maximum; U2 is an advisory point.
Take-home a month in each pay area
Full time, paying into the Teachers' Pension, tax code 1257L and no student loan. Each cell shows take-home pay a month, with the full-time yearly salary underneath.
| 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 |
Pay and deductions by area
Yearly figures for a full-time teacher. Pension is the Teachers' Pension contribution, with the rate in brackets. Each figure is rounded to the nearest pound, so the columns may not add up exactly.
Rest of England
| Point | Pay a year | Pension | Income tax | NI | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | £49,134 | £4,864 (9.9%) | £6,340 | £2,925 | £35,005 |
| U2 | £50,956 | £5,045 (9.9%) | £6,668 | £3,030 | £36,213 |
| U3 | £52,835 | £5,231 (9.9%) | £7,007 | £3,067 | £37,530 |
London fringe
| Point | Pay a year | Pension | Income tax | NI | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | £50,625 | £5,012 (9.9%) | £6,609 | £3,023 | £35,981 |
| U2 | £52,442 | £5,192 (9.9%) | £6,936 | £3,059 | £37,255 |
| U3 | £54,328 | £5,378 (9.9%) | £7,276 | £3,097 | £38,576 |
Outer London
| Point | Pay a year | Pension | Income tax | NI | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | £54,047 | £5,351 (9.9%) | £7,225 | £3,092 | £38,380 |
| U2 | £56,047 | £5,549 (9.9%) | £7,631 | £3,132 | £39,735 |
| U3 | £58,120 | £6,103 (10.5%) | £8,239 | £3,173 | £40,605 |
Inner London
| Point | Pay a year | Pension | Income tax | NI | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | £59,650 | £6,263 (10.5%) | £8,787 | £3,204 | £41,396 |
| U2 | £62,581 | £6,571 (10.5%) | £9,836 | £3,262 | £42,912 |
| U3 | £64,684 | £6,792 (10.5%) | £10,589 | £3,304 | £43,999 |
Part-time pay
Part-time pay is pro rata: the full-time salary × your share of a full-time contract. Your Teachers' Pension rate is set by your actual salary, so it can be lower when you work part time. These examples are for U1 and U3 outside London.
| Example | Pay a year | Pension rate | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1, full time | £49,134 | 9.9% | £35,005 | £2,917 |
| U1, 0.8 of full time | £39,307.20 | 8.9% | £29,022 | £2,419 |
| U1, 0.6 of full time | £29,480.40 | 7.4% | £23,000 | £1,917 |
| U3, full time | £52,835 | 9.9% | £37,530 | £3,128 |
| U3, 0.8 of full time | £42,268 | 8.9% | £30,943 | £2,579 |
| U3, 0.6 of full time | £31,701 | 7.4% | £24,468 | £2,039 |
For example, U1 at 0.6 of full time is £29,480.40 a year, which is in the 7.4% pension tier. Use the calculator above for any other percentage.
Moving onto and up the upper pay range
Moving from the main pay range to the upper pay range is not automatic. Teachers usually apply, and the school decides using its pay policy. Your school's pay policy also decides how you move from U1 towards U3.
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.
U1 outside London rises from £47,472 in 2025/26 to £49,134, and U3 from £51,048 to £52,835. 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.
More teacher pay
See every range and pay area in the teacher pay calculator, or compare with the main pay scale and unqualified teacher pay scale pages. Working in the NHS? Try the NHS pay calculator. For any other salary, use the take home pay 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
Full time, with Teachers' Pension contributions and no student loan, U3 takes home about £3,128 a month outside London (£52,835 a year) and about £3,667 a month in Inner London (£64,684).
It is not automatic. Teachers usually apply to move from the main pay range, and the school decides using its pay policy. Check your school's pay policy for how and when to apply.
Full time outside London, the Teachers' Pension rate is 9.9% at every point. In Inner London it is 10.5% at every point, because pay there is higher.