Transfer Teacher Registration Interstate: 2026 Guide

On this page (8 sections)

Why registration doesn't follow you automatically
How the process works
Regulator by regulator
What category you'll get
Working with children checks: the step people miss
Keeping two registrations, and the cost
Registration is not your pay step
FAQs

The short answer

Teacher registration does not transfer automatically. Teaching is exempt from Automatic Mutual Recognition, so you apply to the new regulator under the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 (or the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 from NZ). You get the equivalent category, often as deemed registration while it decides within a month, and usually need a local working with children check.

You need current, practising registration in your home state.
Qualifications are generally not reassessed under mutual recognition.
Fees are lower than a first registration in some states, but you pay each regulator you're registered with.
Your new employer, not the regulator, decides your pay step.

Why registration doesn't follow you automatically

Since 2021 many licensed workers can use Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) to work interstate on their home licence. Teachers can't. Each state has exempted teacher registration, citing child safety and the need for national information-sharing between regulators. The Northern Territory's exemption runs until 30 June 2027, the ACT says teaching is exempt until 1 July 2027, and Tasmania's 2024 declaration exempts teacher registration for two years from 1 July 2025. NESA says AMR does not currently apply to teachers in NSW.

So you rely on the older, application-based scheme. Under the Mutual Recognition Act 1992, a person registered for an occupation in one state is entitled to registration for the equivalent occupation in another. The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 does the same between New Zealand and Australia. Mutual recognition means the new regulator checks your current registration and character, not your degree.

Work out your take-home pay

⚙Your details

State or territory

Salary

Pay step (NSW, from 9 October 2026)

Load (FTE)100% full-time

I have a HECS-HELP debtCompulsory repayments use the 2026–27 marginal thresholds.

Show results

Take-home pay fortnightly

$2,794

From $92,882 a year · New South Wales · effective tax rate 21.8%

Gross pay

$3,572

Income tax

$707

After the low income tax offset

Medicare levy

$71

Employer super

$429

12.0% paid on top

Where each dollar goes

Take-home$72,640 (78%)
Income tax$18,385 (20%)
Medicare levy$1,858 (2%)
HECS-HELP$0 (0%)
Salary sacrifice & packaging$0 (0%)

Period	Gross	Tax + Medicare	Super (employer)	Take-home
Annually	$92,882	$20,242	$11,146	$72,640
Monthly	$7,740	$1,687	$929	$6,053
Fortnightly	$3,572	$779	$429	$2,794
Weekly	$1,786	$389	$214	$1,397

What your payslip should show

PAYG withheld each fortnight should be about $780 (ATO Scale 2, tax-free threshold claimed). Small differences come from rounding and 27-pay years. Your marginal rate is 32% including Medicare, so each extra $1,000 of salary adds about $680 to take-home.

Estimates for an Australian resident for 2026–27 who claims the tax-free threshold, with no other income, no dependants and private hospital cover not required. Medicare levy uses the 2025–26 low-income thresholds (2026–27 not yet published). Pay data: Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024, verified 16 October 2026.

How the process works

Mutual recognition, step by step

1

Check you're eligible

You need current, financially paid-up, practising registration. You can't be suspended, cancelled or under disciplinary proceedings. Permission-to-teach and conditional holders are generally not eligible (VIT says so explicitly).
2

Get your local working with children check started

Most states need their own check before you can work. See the table below.
3

Apply online to the new regulator

Say you're registered in another state or NZ. You'll usually sign a statutory declaration and give consent for the regulator to verify your registration.
4

Upload evidence and pay

Proof of current registration (card, certificate or online record), identity documents and the fee. QLD and WA registrants applying to NESA need an authority to release information form.
5

Deemed registration

Where the regulator uses it, you're treated as registered once it has your complete application, fee and verification from your home regulator. QCT says this lets you teach in a Queensland school while it continues assessing.
6

Decision within a month

Under the mutual recognition principle the regulator then has one month to grant, postpone or refuse substantive registration.

Free calculator

Teacher interstate move checker

Pick the state you're leaving and the one you're moving to. See the registration steps, checks, fees and how your pay compares.

Check my move

Regulator by regulator

Mutual recognition with each teacher regulator (as checked 16-17 October 2026)

Moving to	Regulator	What we confirmed	Fees
NSW	NESA	Apply through eTAMS and answer yes to the interstate/NZ question. Need current provisional or full registration, transcript, testamur, NSW WWCC and three ID documents. Mutual recognition can result in Provisional accreditation; you may need further study to reach Proficient if your degree wasn't accredited. About 10 business days for an initial response if documents are complete.	Annual fee $100 a calendar year (2026)
VIC	VIT	Statutory declaration (separate trans-Tasman form for NZ) plus evidence of registration; NZ teachers also give their practising certificate. Provisional elsewhere gives provisional in Victoria; full gives immediate full.	Initial registration $203 (interstate/overseas) + criminal history check $77.40; annual $131.30 if paid by 30 Sep
QLD	QCT	Qualifications optional. Deemed registration once complete and verified; one month to decide. References needed for some recent teaching (e.g. NSW non-government schools, overseas). International police check if you lived 12+ months abroad in the last 10 years.	Calculated in myQCT; annual fee reported as $100.70 (not confirmed)
WA	TRBWA	Mutual recognition category on the TRBWA site; separate WA Working with Children Check.	Application $140 (provisional) or $178 (full) for an Australian or NZ qualification; annual $95
SA	TRB SA	Apply under mutual recognition; SA does not accept interstate working with children checks.	Application $218; annual $137 (to 31 Jan 2027)
TAS	TRB Tas	Apply under mutual recognition; Tasmania's AMR exemption for teachers runs two years from 1 July 2025.	Application $65.09; annual $121.32 (2026-27)
ACT	TQI	Like-for-like registration under mutual recognition; ACT Working with Vulnerable People registration also needed.	$115 a year (2026)
NT	TRB NT	Equivalent NT category, subject to a complete application and verification with your home regulator. Ochre Card also needed.	Mutual recognition applicants $155 (2025-26 schedule; likely higher from July 2026)

Sources: NESA mutual recognition page; VIT interstate and overseas page and fee order (Ministerial Order 1514); QCT mutual recognition fact sheet; TRBWA, TRB SA, TRB Tas, TQI and TRB NT fee and mutual recognition pages. QCT fees could not be fetched directly; check myQCT.

What category you'll get

Mutual recognition gives you the equivalent category, not an upgrade. If you're provisional in Queensland, you'll be provisional in Victoria, and your time towards full registration may need to be completed under the new state's process. Victoria grants immediate full registration to teachers fully registered elsewhere. NSW is the outlier: NESA says mutual recognition can result in Provisional accreditation, and if you didn't complete an accredited teaching degree you may need more study before NESA grants Proficient.

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher certification is national and portable, so it travels with you. Whether it carries a pay rise depends on the new employer: see HALT.

Working with children checks: the step people miss

Do you need a separate check in your new state?

State	What teachers need
NSW	NSW Working with Children Check ($112 for paid workers, valid 5 years); NESA asks for it with your application
VIC	VIT-registered teachers are exempt from a separate WWC Check
QLD	QCT-registered teachers are generally exempt from a separate blue card (check with QCT)
WA	WA Working with Children Check from the Department of Communities, separate from TRBWA
SA	SA Working with Children Check from the DHS Screening Unit; interstate checks are not accepted
TAS	Working with Vulnerable People requirements are handled with TRB registration (confirm with TRB Tas)
ACT	Working with Vulnerable People registration through Access Canberra
NT	Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card) from SAFE NT

Full detail and fees in our working with children check guide.

Keeping two registrations, and the cost

You can be registered in more than one state at once, which suits border-town teachers and anyone doing relief work on both sides. You pay each regulator's annual fee and meet each one's renewal rules (professional learning hours, teaching days, criminal history checks). If you've moved for good, let the old registration lapse at renewal or switch to non-practising where offered, rather than paying twice.

Worked example

A fully registered Queensland teacher moving to Melbourne (2026-27 fees)

VIT initial registration (interstate): $203.00
National criminal history check through VIT: $77.40
Separate WWC Check: $0 (VIT registration is enough)

Upfront cost to register in Victoria $280.40

Then $131.30 a year if you renew by 30 September. Registration fees are generally tax deductible once you're working; your QCT fee is too while you hold it for work.

Registration is not your pay step

The regulator registers you; your employer decides your salary. Government employers count interstate service, but each has its own rules and paperwork. NSW, for example, credits interstate teaching in whole terms of 50 days and backdates your salary only if you apply within 6 months of approval to teach. Victoria places you at 1-1 plus one subdivision for each year of approved experience. Ask for your step in writing before you sign. See how overseas and interstate experience sets your pay step and compare scales with which state pays teachers the most.

Long service leave: there's no national portability scheme for school teachers. Recognition of prior interstate service is employer-specific, so ask before you resign.
Super: your fund moves with you. Just give your new employer your existing fund details.
Sick leave: usually doesn't transfer between state departments. Check your new agreement.

Frequently asked questions

Is teacher registration recognised in all states?

Not automatically. Teaching is exempt from Automatic Mutual Recognition, so you apply to the new state's regulator under mutual recognition and get the equivalent registration category.

How long does it take to transfer teacher registration interstate?

Once your application is complete and verified, many regulators grant deemed registration and then decide within one month. Allow 4 to 6 weeks overall, longer if documents are missing.

Can I teach while my interstate registration is being processed?

In some states, yes. QCT gives deemed registration once it has your complete application and verification, which lets you teach in Queensland while it finishes assessing. Check with your new regulator.

Do I need a new working with children check if I move states?

Usually. NSW, WA, SA, the ACT and the NT need their own checks. Victoria and Queensland generally treat teacher registration as enough.

Does my full registration stay full in the new state?

Usually. Victoria grants immediate full registration to fully registered interstate teachers. NSW may grant Provisional accreditation through mutual recognition and assess Proficient separately.

Do NZ teachers use the same process?

Yes, under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997. You need current NZ registration and a practising certificate. See our guide for NZ teachers.

Is my HALT certification recognised interstate?

Yes. Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher certification is national and portable. The pay attached to it depends on your new employer.

Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-17

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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