Teachers’ Pay UK 2026/27 — Take-Home After Tax and Pension

Last updated: 25 May 2026How we verify

UK teachers received a 5.5% pay award for 2024/25 — the largest uplift in many years. This guide covers every pay point on the Main Pay Range and Upper Pay Range in England, explains Teachers Pension Scheme contributions, and shows estimated take-home pay after all deductions.

Main Pay Range (MPS) — England Outside London 2024/25

Take-home estimates include TPS pension contribution and standard Income Tax and NI. Student loan not included.

Pay point	Gross salary	TPS pension	Est. take-home
M1 (NQT/ECT)	£31,650	7.4% (£2,342)	£1,997/mo
M2	£33,483	7.4% (£2,478)	£2,096/mo
M3	£35,524	8.6% (£3,055)	£2,170/mo
M4	£37,652	8.6% (£3,238)	£2,283/mo
M5	£40,012	8.6% (£3,441)	£2,407/mo
M6	£43,607	8.6% (£3,750)	£2,597/mo

Upper Pay Range (UPS) — England Outside London 2024/25

UPS requires a successful pay threshold application demonstrating sustained performance.

Pay point	Gross salary	TPS pension	Est. take-home
U1	£45,877	9.7% (£4,450)	£2,675/mo
U2	£46,394	9.7% (£4,500)	£2,702/mo
U3	£47,185	9.7% (£4,577)	£2,743/mo

London Pay Ranges 2024/25

Teachers working in London receive higher pay on the Inner London, Outer London, or London Fringe pay ranges. These are separate pay ranges (not supplements added to the national scale).

Pay range	M1 (entry)	M6 (top MPS)	U3 (top UPS)	M1 est. take-home
Inner London	£44,419	£56,316	£60,462	£2,640/mo
Outer London	£38,766	£49,539	£53,482	£2,341/mo
London Fringe	£36,745	£47,290	£51,234	£2,235/mo
Rest of England	£31,650	£43,607	£47,185	£1,997/mo

Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS) — Key Facts

Scheme type: Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) defined benefit — you build up 1/57th of your pensionable pay each year as pension.
Revaluation:Each year’s pension entitlement is revalued by CPI inflation each April until you draw it.
Normal pension age: 65 (or State Pension age if higher). Early access from age 55 with actuarial reduction (currently approximately 4% per year early).
Employer contribution: 28.68% of your pensionable pay (paid by your school/LA — not shown in your payslip, but a huge additional benefit).
Tax relief: All employee contributions reduce your taxable income — a 20% taxpayer effectively pays only 80p in the pound on pension contributions.
Lump sum: No automatic lump sum in the 2015 Career Average scheme (unlike the pre-2015 final salary schemes). You can commute up to 25% of pension for a lump sum at retirement.

Salary range	TPS contribution rate
Up to £32,135	7.4%
£32,136 – £43,259	8.6%
£43,260 – £51,292	9.7%
£51,293 – £67,431	10.2%
£67,432 – £84,816	11.7%
£84,817 and above	12.4%

Teaching Allowances

Allowance	Rate (2024/25)	Notes
TLR1	£3,391 – £8,706	Significant additional responsibility, permanent
TLR2	£781 – £2,873	Specific teaching responsibility
TLR3	Up to £781	Fixed-term, time-limited project
SEN Allowance	£2,679 – £5,541	Special educational needs roles
Leading Practitioner	Within MPS/UPS + allowance	Promoting excellent teaching beyond own school

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the starting salary for a teacher in England in 2025?

Following the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, newly qualified teachers (NQTs/ECTs) in England start on M1 of the Main Pay Range: £31,650 outside London, £36,745 in the London Fringe, £38,766 in Outer London, and £44,419 in Inner London. These are the minimum pay point salaries set by the STRB.

What is the difference between MPS and UPS for teachers?

The Main Pay Range (MPS, M1–M6) is for teachers working towards qualified teacher status and newly qualified teachers building experience. The Upper Pay Range (UPS, U1–U3) requires a performance threshold assessment — you apply to your headteacher to move to UPS once you have been on the maximum of MPS. UPS salaries range from £43,607 to £47,185 outside London for 2024/25.

How much do teachers contribute to their pension in 2025?

Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS) contributions for 2024/25 in England and Wales are tiered: 7.4% on salary up to £32,135; 8.6% on £32,136–£43,259; 9.7% on £43,260–£51,292; 10.2% on £51,293–£67,431; 11.7% on £67,432–£84,816; 12.4% on £84,817 and above. Employer contributions are 28.68%. All member contributions attract tax relief.

Show 5 more questions

What take-home pay does a teacher on M6 receive?

A teacher at M6 in England (outside London) earns approximately £43,607 gross in 2024/25. After Income Tax (£6,207), National Insurance (£2,477), and Teachers Pension (£3,750 at 8.6%), take-home is approximately £31,173 per year or £2,598 per month.

What allowances do teachers receive on top of basic pay?

Teachers can receive various allowances: Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) payments for additional responsibilities (TLR1: £3,391–£8,706; TLR2: £781–£2,873; TLR3: up to £781 fixed-term). SEN allowances of £2,679–£5,541 for special educational needs roles. Recruitment and retention factors in high-cost areas. These are pensionable.

Do Scottish teachers follow the same pay scale?

No. Scottish teachers follow a separate pay scale negotiated by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT). In 2024/25, main grade classroom teachers in Scotland earn from approximately £33,291 (probationer) to £46,867 (top of main grade) to £55,576 (Principal Teacher). Scottish Income Tax rates differ from England and Wales.

How is headteacher pay determined?

Headteacher pay is set by the governing body within eight Leadership Groups (L1–L50) based on school size and complexity. Leadership Group pay ranges in 2024/25 run from £49,085 (L1) to £136,814 (L50) outside London. The STRB sets the minimum and maximum of each group, and governing bodies must use individual school ranges within those limits.

What is the Teachers Pension Scheme and how does it benefit me?

The Teachers Pension Scheme is a defined benefit (Career Average) public sector scheme. From April 2022, all members build up 1/57th of their pensionable pay each year as pension (revalued by CPI). Normal pension age is 65 (or State Pension age, if higher). The employer contributes 28.68% on top of your contributions. This makes TPS one of the most generous UK pension schemes.

Related Calculators

Income Tax Calculator

Work out how much income tax you owe using the latest 2025/26 UK tax bands.

National Insurance Calculator

Calculate your National Insurance contributions for 2025/26.

Student Loan Calculator

Calculate monthly student loan repayments for Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5.

Salary Sacrifice Calculator

Calculate how much tax and National Insurance you save by making salary sacrifice contributions to a pension, cycle to work scheme or EV car scheme.

About the author

Emma Clarke

UK Tax Writer

Emma Clarke has been writing about UK personal tax since 2018, with a particular focus on Self Assessment, PAYE coding and the practical mechanics of how HMRC actually applies the rules to ordinary salaries. Her work concentrates on translating the dense language of HMRC manuals and Finance Act schedules into worked examples that show, pound by pound, how income tax and National Insurance reduce a gross salary to the figure that lands in a UK bank account. Emma covers the full PAYE lifecycle: tax codes (1257L, BR, K codes, emergency codes), the Marriage Allowance, the High Income Child Benefit Charge, salary sacrifice arrangements and their effect on pensionable pay, the Apprenticeship Levy, and the differences between the rUK and Scottish income-tax regimes. She is particularly interested in the edge cases that catch PAYE employees out — the £100,000 personal-allowance taper, the 60% effective marginal rate it creates, and the interaction between student-loan plans and pension contributions. Every figure in Emma's articles is verified against the current HMRC rates pages and worked through a Self Assessment calculation by hand before publication. She writes to CalcHub's editorial standards: primary-source citations, plain English, no promotional language, and clear "this is general information, not financial advice" disclaimers where appropriate.

Personal-finance writer since 2018
UK tax specialism — PAYE, Self Assessment, National Insurance
Writes to CalcHub editorial standards (primary-source citation, annual review)

income-taxself-assessmentpayenational-insurancetax-codessalary-sacrificestudent-loansscottish-income-tax