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Free calculator 2026–27 rates

Teacher aide and school support staff pay calculator

Pay for teacher aides, SLSOs, education support, SSOs and school admin staff in every state: your level, hours and term-time pay worked out after tax.

⚙Your details

Government schools only. Catholic and independent schools use different agreements.

h/wk

Full-time NSW SLSO is 31.25 h a week. You've entered 100% of full-time.

weeks

52 = paid all year, including school holidays (payroll annualises this as 52.18 weeks). 40 = school terms only.

Take-home pay per fortnight

$2,002

NSW SLSO 1 · 31.25 h/week · paid all year · $62,500 a year before tax

Hourly rate

$38.33

Official rate

Gross a year

$62,500

100% of full-time $62,500

Gross a fortnight

$2,404

26 equal pays

Employer super

$7,500

12% paid on top, a year

Your pay should be about $2,404 a fortnight before tax on SLSO 1. Is your payslip right?Check your hourly rate, hours, holiday pay and tax against the NSW agreement, and get an email to payroll drafted if it's wrong. Your first check is free.Check my payslip free →

Where each dollar goes

  • Take-home$52,043 (83%)
  • Income tax$9,208 (15%)
  • Medicare levy$1,250 (2%)
  • HECS-HELP$0 (0%)

What this means

At 31.25 h a week you're on 100% of a full-time SLSO load. Paid all year, that's $62,500 before tax and about $2,002 in your account each fortnight, including the school holidays. Tax withheld from a $2,404 fortnight should be about $406 (tax-free threshold claimed). Your marginal rate is 32% including Medicare.

Holiday pay in New South Wales: accrued, paid across the year

Permanent and long-term temporary staff are paid 26 equal fortnightly pays across the year (hourly rate x weekly hours x 52.17857 / 26), so pay continues through school holidays. Vacation pay is earned as a share of days worked in the preceding term. Short-term temporaries (one term or less) are paid only for hours worked, with a 15% loading instead of recreation leave.

Term-time vs 52-week averaging: if you're paid all year, your salary is spread over 26 equal fortnights, so holiday fortnights look the same as term ones. If you're paid only for weeks worked (casual or short-term), you get a higher loaded rate while you work and nothing in the holidays. Set the weeks to match your contract.

Every SLSO level at your hours and weeks

LevelHourlyFull-time a yearYour gross a yearTake-home / fn
SLSO 1 (start)$38.33$62,500*$62,500$2,002
SLSO 2$39.01$63,609*$63,609$2,030
SLSO 3$41.77$68,109*$68,109$2,146
SLSO 4$44.53$72,610*$72,610$2,264
SLSO SHS$46.06$75,105*$75,105$2,329

* Calculated from the official figure (hourly from annual or annual from hourly), not published. Full-time = 31.25 h a week.

About School Learning Support Officer (SLSO)

New SLSOs start at SLSO 1 and move up one step a year of continuous service (subject to satisfactory performance), whatever their hours. SLSO PS 1-4 (preschool) and Vision/Hearing/Bilingual SLSOs are paid the same rates. Most SLSO jobs are part-time: pay is the hourly rate x contracted hours. Allowances 2026: first aid $0.67/h, administration of medication $0.27/h, health support $0.57/h.

Estimates for an Australian resident for 2026–27 who claims the tax-free threshold, with no other income and no allowances or overtime. Super is the 12% Super Guarantee on these earnings. Annual pay is the full-time salary x your share of full-time hours x weeks paid / 52.18; casual pay is the loaded hourly rate x hours x weeks. Pay data: Crown Employees (School Administrative and Support Staff) Award 2024. Rates: First pay period on or after 1 July 2026. In force. The final 3% rise applied from the first pay period on or after 1 July 2026. The award expires 30 June 2027; no further claims until then. Source: https://psa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Crown-Employees-School-Administrative-And-Support-Staff-Award-2024.pdf. Checked 17 October 2026.

In short

Teacher aides in Australian government schools start on about $30 to $38 an hour as at October 2026: $38.33 for a NSW SLSO, $32.18 for a Queensland teacher aide, $34.75 for a WA education assistant and $36.28 for a Tasmanian teacher assistant. Full-time hours differ by state (31.25 to 38 a week), and most aides work part-time.

How to use the teacher aide & support staff pay

  1. 1

    Pick your state, role and level

    Choose your state, then your role (SLSO, education support, teacher aide, SSO, admin or business manager). The typical starting level is pre-selected; change it to your step or pay point from your payslip.

  2. 2

    Enter your hours per week

    The box starts at your state's full-time hours for that role. Change it to your contracted hours: most aides work 0.6 to 0.8 of full-time.

  3. 3

    Check the weeks paid

    52 means you're paid all year, including school holidays, which is how permanent staff are paid in most states. Use 40 if you're paid for school terms only, or switch on the casual or short-term option where your state has one.

  4. 4

    Read your pay, tax and super

    See your hourly rate, gross pay a year and a fortnight, take-home after 2026–27 tax, the 12% super paid on top, and every level in your role side by side.

Starting pay for teacher aides and support staff by state

Government school entry rates, full-time equivalent, October 2026
StateEntry roleHourlyFull-time a yearFull-time hours
NSWSLSO 1$38.33$62,500 (calculated)31.25 h
VICES Range 2, 2-1$32.26 (calculated)$63,959 from 1 Oct 2026 (VGSA 2026, back-paid)38 h
QLDTeacher Aide TAOO2 PP1$32.1842$63,81438 h
WAEducation Assistant 1.1$34.75$58,929 (calculated)32.5 h
SASSO1 Tier 1$29.83 (estimate)about $58,360 from May 202637.5 h
TASTeacher Assistant Band 2 L2$36.28$69,59336.75 h
ACTLearning Support Assistant SA2/3-1$36.63 (calculated)$59,72531.25 h
NTAboriginal Team Teacher AT1$32.03 (calculated)$61,41536.75 h

Sources: NSW SASS Award 2024, VGSA 2026, Queensland DoE salary schedule (1 September 2026), WA Education Assistants' Agreement 2025, SA DfE SSO table (2025, plus the 3% May 2026 rise), DECYP salary scale (27 August 2026), NT Educators' Agreement 2024–2027, ACTPS Administrative and Related Classifications EA 2023–2026 (rates from 4 December 2025). Checked 28 October 2026.

Because full-time hours differ so much, compare hourly rates, not annual salaries. A NSW SLSO's full-time year is 31.25 hours a week, while a Victorian ES or Queensland teacher aide's is 38. For the detail behind each state, see teacher aide salary in Australia and the school support staff pay hub.

How part-time pay is worked out

Most aides are part-time, so the full-time salary isn't what lands in your account. Your pay is the full-time salary multiplied by your share of full-time hours. In NSW the award spells out the formula: hourly rate x weekly hours x 52.17857, paid in 26 equal fortnights. Other states pay a time fraction of the annual salary, which comes to the same thing.

Worked example

NSW SLSO 1, 25 hours a week, permanent

Hourly rate (from 1 July 2026)
$38.33
Share of full-time (25 of 31.25 hours)
80%
Gross pay a year (80% of $62,500)
$50,000
Income tax and Medicare (tax-free threshold claimed)
$6,270
PAYG withheld each fortnight
about $250
Employer super (12%, paid on top)
$6,000
Take-home pay $43,730 a year, about $1,682 a fortnight

Calculated with the site's 2026–27 tax engine (scripts/tax.mjs), no HECS-HELP debt and no other income.

Are teacher aides paid in the school holidays?

In most states, yes, if you're permanent or on a long-term contract. The calculator defaults to 52 weeks for that reason. How it works differs: NSW pays 26 equal fortnights, with vacation pay earned as a share of the days you worked. Victoria pays ES staff 52 weeks, with 20 days' annual leave plus 30 days' additional leave covering the holidays. WA EAs are paid for student vacation days in proportion to days worked. The NT pays stand-down salary between terms, and the ACT pays school assistants through every holiday with annual leave plus paid stand-down. SA has three pay models, including what appears to be a 16% loading for weeks worked only. For Queensland and Tasmania we haven't been able to confirm the rule, so check your contract.

Casual and short-term staff are different: you're paid only for the hours you work, at a higher rate. NSW short-term temporaries (one term or less) get 15% more, and Queensland and WA casuals get 25% more. The full detail is in are teacher aides paid in school holidays?

Worked example

Victorian ES 2-1, 0.8 time fraction (30.4 hours a week)

Old rate (VGSA 2022, 80% of $56,580)
$45,264 a year
Take-home at the old rate
$40,581 a year, about $1,561 a fortnight
VGSA 2026 (80% of $63,959, from 1 Oct 2026)
$51,167 a year
Take-home under VGSA 2026
$44,506 a year, about $1,712 a fortnight
Difference under VGSA 2026 about $151 a fortnight more take-home

2026–27 tax, tax-free threshold claimed, no HECS-HELP. Full-time ES is 38 hours a week.

State guides for support staff pay

Thinking of moving from aide to teacher? Compare your pay with a graduate teacher's using the teacher take-home pay calculator, or read how to become a teacher in your state.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a teacher aide earn per hour in Australia?
Starting rates in government schools run from about $29.83 (SA SSO1 Tier 1, estimated) to $38.33 (NSW SLSO 1) as at October 2026. Queensland pays $32.18, Victoria $32.26 for ES 2-1 (calculated from the annual salary), WA $34.75 for a mainstream EA and Tasmania $36.28.
How much does an SLSO earn in NSW?
SLSO 1 is $38.33 an hour from the first pay period on or after 1 July 2026, rising to $44.53 at SLSO 4. Full-time is 31.25 hours a week, which works out to about $62,500 to $72,610 a year.
Do teacher aides get paid during school holidays?
Permanent and long-term staff are paid through the holidays in NSW, Victoria, WA, the ACT and the NT, through leave, accrued vacation pay or stand-down salary. Casual and short-term staff are paid only for hours worked, at a loaded rate. The rule for Queensland and Tasmania isn't verified.
What is the pay for education support staff in Victoria?
ES Range 2 starts at $63,959 full-time from 1 October 2026 under the VGSA 2026, approved on 16 October 2026 (up from $56,580 under VGSA 2022, with $58,277 from 10 August 2026). Both rises are back-paid. Certificate-qualified roles start at 2-4.
Why is a teacher aide's annual salary lower than the full-time figure?
Because most aides work part-time. Pay is the full-time salary times your share of full-time hours, so 25 hours a week as a NSW SLSO (80% of 31.25 hours) earns $50,000 a year, not $62,500.
Do teacher aides get super?
Yes. In 2026–27 the Super Guarantee is 12% of your earnings, paid on top of your pay. A NSW SLSO earning $50,000 a year gets $6,000 in super.
How do teacher aides move up a pay level?
It depends on the state. NSW SLSOs move up one step for each year of continuous service, whatever their hours. NT Aboriginal Team Teachers move up yearly from AT1 to AT5. In Victoria, starting level depends on the role's qualifications. SA's top tier needs a relevant qualification.

Guides that go with this tool

Support staff pay

Teacher aide salary in Australia: 2026 pay in every state

What teacher aides, SLSOs, education assistants and SSOs earn in government schools in every state and territory, on a like-for-like hourly basis, with dates and sources.