Teacher pay in England · 2026/27 tax year
Teacher pay scales after tax 2026/27
Teacher pay in England rose 3.5% from 1 September 2026. Outside London the main pay range runs from £34,069 (M1) to £46,940 (M6) and the upper pay range tops out at £52,835 (UPS3). After the Teachers' Pension, Income Tax and National Insurance, M1 takes home £2,169.37 a month, M6 £2,831.19 and UPS3 £3,127.51. Pick a point for London figures and student loan effects.
Pay scales and pension tiers checked against the DfE, the STRB report and Teachers' Pensions on .
M1 take-home
£2,169
a month outside London
M6 take-home
£2,831
a month outside London
UPS3 take-home
£3,128
a month outside London
Pay award
3.5%
from 1 September 2026
Teacher take-home pay a month by pay area, 2026/27
Full-time pay from 1 September 2026 after the Teachers' Pension, Income Tax and National Insurance, with no student loan.
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unqualified point 1 (minimum) | £1,600.14 | £1,664.96 | £1,820.13 | £1,908.74 |
| Unqualified point 2 | £1,729.16 | £1,812.53 | £1,967.99 | £2,056.42 |
| Unqualified point 3 | £1,876.91 | £1,960.28 | £2,115.68 | £2,204.22 |
| Unqualified point 4 | £2,007.20 | £2,090.46 | £2,246.24 | £2,297.44 |
| Unqualified point 5 | £2,155.16 | £2,238.31 | £2,355.73 | £2,442.29 |
| Unqualified point 6 (maximum) | £2,266.41 | £2,348.05 | £2,500.90 | £2,587.30 |
| M1 | £2,169.37 | £2,253.78 | £2,412.50 | £2,549.45 |
| M2 | £2,278.01 | £2,328.75 | £2,523.33 | £2,656.72 |
| M3 | £2,369.46 | £2,454.83 | £2,639.96 | £2,768.85 |
| M4 | £2,506.84 | £2,591.84 | £2,762.69 | £2,886.39 |
| M5 | £2,646.77 | £2,730.09 | £2,912.18 | £3,000.85 |
| M6 | £2,831.19 | £2,914.40 | £3,092.82 | £3,203.20 |
| UPS1 | £2,917.06 | £2,998.45 | £3,198.30 | £3,449.70 |
| UPS2 | £3,017.78 | £3,104.56 | £3,311.29 | £3,575.98 |
| UPS3 | £3,127.51 | £3,214.71 | £3,383.79 | £3,666.59 |
| Leading practitioner minimum | £3,186.62 | £3,273.34 | £3,383.79 | £3,638.15 |
| Leading practitioner maximum | £4,361.60 | £4,424.81 | £4,543.43 | £4,794.68 |
| Leadership group minimum | £3,171.37 | £3,257.45 | £3,371.59 | £3,624.58 |
| Leadership group maximum | £6,736.92 | £6,793.84 | £6,899.82 | £7,124.90 |
Teacher pay scales from September 2026
Gross annual salaries after the 3.5% award (5% for the bottom unqualified point outside London). M and UPS points are advisory; only each range's minimum and maximum are fixed.
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unqualified point 1 (minimum) | £23,732 | £24,909 | £27,727 | £29,336 |
| Unqualified point 2 | £26,075 | £27,589 | £30,412 | £32,018 |
| Unqualified point 3 | £28,758 | £30,272 | £33,094 | £34,702 |
| Unqualified point 4 | £31,124 | £32,636 | £35,465 | £37,068 |
| Unqualified point 5 | £33,811 | £35,321 | £38,146 | £39,747 |
| Unqualified point 6 (maximum) | £36,494 | £38,004 | £40,831 | £42,429 |
| M1 | £34,069 | £35,602 | £39,196 | £41,729 |
| M2 | £36,042 | £37,647 | £41,246 | £43,713 |
| M3 | £38,400 | £39,979 | £43,403 | £45,787 |
| M4 | £40,941 | £42,513 | £45,673 | £47,961 |
| M5 | £43,529 | £45,070 | £48,438 | £50,666 |
| M6 | £46,940 | £48,479 | £52,241 | £54,131 |
| UPS1 | £49,134 | £50,625 | £54,047 | £59,650 |
| UPS2 | £50,956 | £52,442 | £56,047 | £62,581 |
| UPS3 | £52,835 | £54,328 | £58,120 | £64,684 |
| Leading practitioner minimum | £53,847 | £55,332 | £58,120 | £64,024 |
| Leading practitioner maximum | £81,861 | £83,347 | £86,136 | £92,043 |
| Leadership group minimum | £53,586 | £55,060 | £57,837 | £63,709 |
| Leadership group maximum | £148,829 | £150,301 | £153,042 | £158,863 |
Teachers' Pension contribution tiers 2026/27
Member rates from 1 April 2026 (Teachers' Pensions). Your rate is set by your actual annual salary rate, not the full-time equivalent, and applies to all of it.
| Annual salary rate | Contribution rate |
|---|---|
| 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% |
TLR and SEN allowances from September 2026
Paid on top of salary for extra responsibility or special needs roles. The same values apply in every pay area.
| Allowance | Minimum a year | Maximum a year |
|---|---|---|
| TLR payment 1 | £10,531 | £17,819 |
| TLR payment 2 | £3,651 | £8,913 |
| TLR payment 3 (fixed term) | £727 | £3,600 |
| SEN allowance | £2,885 | £5,690 |
How the Teachers' Pension changes take-home
Contributions come off before Income Tax but not National Insurance. On M1 outside London the £2,521 contribution saves £504 in Income Tax, so it really costs £2,017 a year.
Where the figures come from
The School Teachers' Review Body recommended these pay levels in July 2026 and the government accepted them. The 2026 pay document itself is due in mid-October, and the award is backdated to 1 September. A further 3% is planned from September 2027.
London pay areas
Inner London, outer London and the fringe each have their own scales. M1 in inner London is £41,729, which leaves £2,549.45 a month after deductions.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
These are England pay scales. Wales has set its own teacher pay since 2018, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate arrangements, so their scales differ.
Guides and definitions
- High Income Child Benefit Charge: how it is worked out and cut (Guide)
- How to read your payslip: every line explained, with an example (Guide)
- National Insurance rates 2026/27: what you pay and how it works (Guide)
- Emergency tax code (An emergency tax code, marked W1, M1 or X, taxes each payday on its own, as if you were paid that amount every period of the year.)
- Marginal tax rate (Your marginal tax rate is the share of your next pound or dollar of income that goes in tax and deductions.)
- P60 (A P60 is the yearly summary of your pay and tax from one employer, due by 31 May if you work there on 5 April.)
- Personal Allowance (The Personal Allowance is the income you can earn each UK tax year before Income Tax starts: £12,570 for 2026/27.)
- Tax code (A UK tax code tells your employer or pension provider how much tax-free pay to give you; 1257L, meaning £12,570, is the most common.)
Every teacher pay point
- Unqualified teacher pay (£1,600 a month at the minimum)
- M1 teacher pay (£2,169 a month outside London)
- M2 teacher pay (£2,278 a month outside London)
- M3 teacher pay (£2,369 a month outside London)
- M4 teacher pay (£2,507 a month outside London)
- M5 teacher pay (£2,647 a month outside London)
- M6 teacher pay (£2,831 a month outside London)
- UPS1 teacher pay (£2,917 a month outside London)
- UPS2 teacher pay (£3,018 a month outside London)
- UPS3 teacher pay (£3,128 a month outside London)
- Leading practitioner pay (£3,187 a month at the minimum)
- Leadership and headteacher pay (£3,171 a month at the minimum)
UK take-home pay calculator · Work out your own teacher take-home pay
Common questions
How much is a new teacher paid after tax?
The main pay range for qualified teachers starts at M1: £34,069 outside London from September 2026. After a £2,521 Teachers' Pension contribution, £3,796 Income Tax and £1,720 National Insurance, that is £26,032 a year or £2,169.37 a month.
When does the 2026 teacher pay rise start?
The 3.5% award applies from 1 September 2026. The 2026 pay document is due in mid-October, so many schools pay the rise later and backdate it to September. A further 3% is planned from September 2027.
What Teachers' Pension rate will I pay?
It depends on your actual salary rate. From 1 April 2026 the tiers run from 7.4% on a salary up to £36,198.99 to 12% on £104,414 and above. M1 outside London pays 7.4%, M6 pays 8.9% and UPS3 9.9%.
Do Teachers' Pension contributions reduce National Insurance?
No. Contributions come off your gross pay before Income Tax, which gives you tax relief at your top rate, but HMRC charges National Insurance on your pay before any pension contribution.
Are these figures for Wales or Scotland?
No. They use the England pay scales and Income Tax for England. Wales has set its own teacher pay since 2018, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own scales, so take-home pay there is different.
Sources and assumptions
- Full-time pay in England from 1 September 2026 after the 3.5% award, shown as a full year at that rate. Schools set their own pay policies, and academies may choose whether to follow the national scales.
- Teachers' Pension contributions use the tier for your actual annual salary rate from 1 April 2026, charged on all of that pay, and come off before Income Tax but not National Insurance.
- Income Tax and National Insurance use 2026/27 rates for England and the standard 1257L tax code. Student loans are left out unless a figure says otherwise.
- TLR payments, SEN allowances and other extra pay are not included. Payroll works deductions out each month, so your payslip can differ by a few pounds.
- STRB 36th report 2026, appendix F: recommended pay levels from 1 September 2026 (published 1 July 2026)
- DfE press release: Teachers to benefit from multi-year pay deal (1 July 2026)
- DfE Education Hub: Teacher pay, the latest multi-year pay award (16 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Calculate teacher pay (updated 1 July 2026)
- School teachers' pay and conditions document 2025 and guidance (valid from 1 September 2025)
- Teachers' Pensions: Calculating contributions (tiers from 1 April 2026)
- Teachers' Pensions: Tiered contributions member factsheet (March 2026)
- HMRC National Insurance Manual NIM02365: pension contributions and Class 1 NICs
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances
- National Insurance: how much you pay
- Repaying your student loan: what you pay
These are estimates, not financial advice. Your payslip depends on your school's pay policy, your hours, tax code, pension tier and any allowances.