Graduate Teacher First Year: Pay, Load and Support 2026

On this page (7 sections)

What you'll be paid in your first year
Reduced load, release time and induction
Registration tasks in year one
Money tasks to sort in your first term
Contract, permanent or casual?
Surviving the workload
FAQs

The short answer

Graduate teachers in government schools start on about $80,000 to $96,000 in 2026, plus 12% super. In NSW that's $92,882, about $2,659 a fortnight after tax and HECS-HELP. Most systems give first-year teachers reduced load or release time and a mentor while you build evidence to reach Proficient registration.

NSW Step 1 to Step 2 after 203 days of full-time service: $92,882 to $99,889.
ACT New Educators teach 18.5 hours (primary) or 17 hours (secondary) a week in year 1.
Tasmania gives 4 hours a fortnight release in year 1 and 2 hours in year 2.
HECS-HELP repayments start once your income passes $69,528.

What you'll be paid in your first year

Graduate teacher salaries in government schools, October 2026

State	Graduate step	Salary	Next step	Note
NSW	Step 1	$92,882	Step 2: $99,889 after 203 days FT	From 9 Oct 2026
VIC	CT 1-1	$79,589	CT 1-2: $81,676	Proposed VGSA 2026 would lift 1-1 to $92,882 from 1 Oct 2026 (pending FWC approval)
QLD	Band 2 Step 1	$90,164	Annual step	From Sep 2026; arbitration continuing
TAS	Band 1 Level 5	$85,313	Level 6: $89,651	Isolated schools start at Level 8 ($99,010)
ACT	TL1	$91,396	TL2: $100,006	Common increment date 27 January
NT	CT1	$96,180	CT2: $100,777	Rapid progression to CT4 possible in year 3
WA	Level 2.1	$88,178	Level 2.2: $95,627	Since 6 Dec 2025, plus a $2,000 Graduate Teacher Allowance for 2 years; new agreement due. See WA
SA	Step 1	$84,971	Step every 207 duty days	From 8 May 2026. See SA

From each state's current award, agreement or salary schedule. Catholic and independent schools set their own scales; in NSW the Catholic systemic scale mirrors the government one.

Worked example

Your first full fortnight in NSW on $92,882 (2026-27)

Gross salary per year: $92,882
Income tax after LITO: $18,385
Medicare levy: $1,858
HECS-HELP repayment: $3,503
Employer super (paid on top): $11,146

Take-home $69,137 a year, about $2,659 a fortnight

Without a HELP debt, take-home is $72,640 (about $2,794 a fortnight). Figures from our 2026-27 tax engine. Your actual payslip also reflects any salary sacrifice, union fees or super choices.

Free calculator

Teacher take-home pay calculator

Check your first payslip: enter your state and step to see your fortnightly pay after tax, Medicare and HECS-HELP.

Check my pay

Reduced load, release time and induction

Every system recognises that first-year teachers need time to plan, observe and be mentored, but the amount differs a lot. Ask at interview exactly what you'll get, and make sure it appears on your timetable.

Early-career support in government schools (where confirmed)

State	What first-year teachers get
VIC	Scheduled duties reduced by at least 5% for first-year teachers
ACT	New Educator face-to-face load: 18.5 hours (primary) or 17 hours (secondary) in year 1; 19.5 or 17.5 hours in years 2 and 3. Standard maximum is 21 (primary) or 19 (secondary)
TAS	4 hours a fortnight time release in year 1 and 2 hours in year 2 (full-time), plus a 4-day paid induction before Term 1
QLD	One-off beginning teacher payment of $1,000 to $2,000 when appointed to a rural or remote school (transfer ratings 4 to 7)
NT	Rapid Incremental Progression: jump to CT4 at the start of year 3 after 2 years in NT schools and 2 postgraduate units
WA	0.05 FTE extra release in year 1, plus a $2,000 a year Graduate Teacher Allowance for the first two years
SA	Beginning teachers teach less face-to-face: 18h54m a week (secondary) or 20h15m (primary), against standard maximums of 21h and 22h30m
NSW	School-based support and mentoring; 5 days sick leave credited on appointment for new teachers with no prior service

From each state's agreement or department page. Release time is usually pro rata for part-time graduates.

Registration tasks in year one

Paperwork that affects your job and pay

1

Check your registration category

You'll be on provisional registration (conditional or provisional accreditation in NSW). Check the expiry date. In Victoria, provisional registration lasts 2 years.
2

Pay your annual fee on time

NSW $100, Victoria $131.30 by 30 September ($173.10 late), WA $95 by the end of March, SA $137, ACT $115, Tasmania $121.32, NT $111 (2025-26). In NSW, non-payment leads to suspension.
3

Sort your working with children check

In NSW you need a WWCC ($112 for paid workers). In WA, SA, the ACT and NT you need the local clearance. In Victoria, VIT registration covers it.
4

Start collecting Proficient evidence

Keep lesson plans, student work with your feedback, and observation notes as you go. You need at least 80 days of teaching before you can apply for full registration.
5

Agree a plan with your mentor

Map out when you'll be observed and when you'll apply. In NSW, moving from Step 2 to Step 3 pay depends on Proficient accreditation.

Our Proficient accreditation guide covers evidence sets, annotations and timing in detail.

Money tasks to sort in your first term

First-term money checklist

Check your first payslip: correct step, tax-free threshold claimed with your main employer only, HELP flagged if you have a debt.
Choose your super fund, or check the default your employer uses, and add your TFN to it.
Look at salary packaging. Government schools mainly offer super, cars and devices; non-government schools are usually rebatable employers with a bigger benefit. See teacher salary packaging.
Keep receipts for classroom resources, union fees and registration renewals. See teacher tax deductions.
Note the $1,000 standard deduction from 2026-27: it applies automatically and only itemising more than $1,000 needs records for everything.
If you're on a contract, check your end date and what happens over the summer holidays.

Your HECS-HELP debt from your degree is repaid through PAYG once your repayment income passes $69,528 in 2026-27. At $92,882 the repayment is about $3,503 a year. The 20% HELP debt cut has already been applied to balances as at 1 June 2025, so you don't need to apply for it. See HECS-HELP for teachers.

Contract, permanent or casual?

Many graduates start on a temporary contract or as a casual relief teacher (CRT) rather than in a permanent job. Contracts usually pay the same step as a permanent role and count towards progression. Casual work is paid by the day: in NSW a CT1 casual earns $480.43 a day from 9 October 2026. Casual days generally count towards the 80 days you need for full registration, though building Proficient evidence is harder without your own class. See how to get a permanent teaching job and casual relief teacher pay.

Temporary or permanent role

Annual salary on your step, paid through the holidays
Your own class: easiest route to Proficient evidence
Release time and mentoring usually apply
Counts fully towards step progression

Casual relief teaching

Paid by the day, with no pay in school holidays
Flexible, and a good way into a school
Harder to show impact on student learning over time
Service usually counts towards progression on a days basis

Surviving the workload

The first year is hard for almost everyone. Some habits help. Reuse and adapt units your faculty already has rather than writing everything from scratch. Batch your marking and set a stop time. Ask your mentor to look at one lesson plan a week instead of none. Learn your state's rules: Victorian teachers have a 38-hour week with capped face-to-face teaching, ACT New Educators have a lower load, and NSW has caps on regular after-school meetings. Knowing the rules makes it easier to say no to extras in your first term.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a graduate teacher earn in Australia?

In government schools in October 2026, from $84,971 in SA and $85,313 in Tasmania to $96,180 in the NT, with NSW at $92,882 and QLD at $90,164. Victoria pays $79,589 now; its proposed agreement would lift that to $92,882 from 1 October 2026 if the Fair Work Commission approves it.

How much does a graduate teacher take home per fortnight?

In NSW on $92,882, about $2,659 a fortnight after tax, Medicare and HECS-HELP in 2026-27, or about $2,794 without a HELP debt.

Do first-year teachers get a reduced load?

In some systems. ACT New Educators teach 18.5 hours (primary) or 17 hours (secondary) a week in year 1, Tasmania gives 4 hours a fortnight release, and Victoria reduces first-year scheduled duties by at least 5%.

When do graduate teachers get a pay rise?

Two ways: annual step progression (in NSW after 203 days of full-time service) and agreement pay rises that lift every step. In NSW the Step 2 to 3 move also needs Proficient accreditation.

Do I have to be Proficient by the end of my first year?

No. You need at least 80 days of teaching before applying, and up to 5 years nationally to get there. Your regulator sets your own deadline, so check it in your registration account.

Do casual teaching days count towards full registration?

Generally yes: the national rule is 80 days of teaching in an Australian or NZ school, and casual days are teaching days. Check how your regulator counts them. It's harder to gather Proficient evidence without your own class, so many teachers apply once they have a longer contract.

Can graduates start higher than the first step?

Sometimes. Tasmania starts graduates in isolated schools at Band 1 Level 8, Victoria adds a subdivision for each year of approved teaching experience, and a NSW teacher already accredited Proficient starts at Step 3.

Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16

About this page

Written and fact-checked by the TeacherPay AU editorial team against the enterprise agreements, awards and official pages listed in the sources. It is general information, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it, usually within a day. See our editorial policy and how we calculate.

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