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Teacher career earnings calculator

Project your whole teaching career: salary at each stage, total lifetime earnings, and how HALT, leadership or part-time years change the total.

⚙Your details

One step a year to the top of the classroom scale.

years
years
None (today's dollars)

Lifetime teaching earnings to age 67

$5.72m

44 years in NSW from $92,882 · in today's dollars

Take-home

$4.30m

After tax and Medicare

Employer super

$685.9k

12% paid on top

Peak salary

$133,422

Average a year

$129,910

Salary and take-home by age

  • Gross salary
  • Take-home

$133.4k

AgesRole / step at endAvg salaryGrossTake-homeEmployer super
23–27Step 5$104,264$521,320$401,898$62,558
28–32Step 7$131,677$658,384$495,101$79,006
33–37Step 7$133,422$667,110$501,035$80,053
38–42Step 7$133,422$667,110$501,035$80,053
43–47Step 7$133,422$667,110$501,035$80,053
48–52Step 7$133,422$667,110$501,035$80,053
53–57Step 7$133,422$667,110$501,035$80,053
58–62Step 7$133,422$667,110$501,035$80,053
63–66Step 7$133,422$533,688$400,828$64,043

What this means

On today's NSW scale, a career from age 23 to 67 earns about $5,716,052 before tax and $4,304,035 after it, with another $685,926 paid into your super. Because it uses today's pay and today's tax rates, the totals are in today's dollars: compare them with a house price or salary today, not in 30 years.

Uses the NSW pay column from 9 October 2026 held constant in real terms, one classroom step a year, and 2026–27 tax rates for every year (bracket creep ignored). Leadership and HALT salaries are the published state figures. Allowances, casual work and Catholic or independent pay are not included. Pay data: Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024, verified 16 October 2026.

In short

A NSW teacher who starts on Step 1 and reaches Step 7 on time earns about $3.85 million over a 30-year career at today's pay rates (October 2026), before any future pay rises. Gaining HALT accreditation after a year at Step 7 adds about $197,000. Five years at three days a week takes about $267,000 off the total.

How to use the career earnings calculator

  1. 1

    Pick your state and starting step

    Choose where you teach and the step you start (or started) on. The calculator uses that state's real scale.

  2. 2

    Set your career length

    Enter the number of years you expect to teach. The default is 30 years.

  3. 3

    Add the big changes

    Add HALT certification, a move into leadership, part-time years or a career break, each with the year it starts and how long it lasts.

  4. 4

    Read your lifetime total

    See your salary at each stage, total career earnings and how each scenario changes the total, in today's dollars.

How the projection works

The calculator walks through your career one year at a time. Each year it looks up the salary for the step you'd be on, applies your FTE if you're part-time, and adds it to the total. It moves you up a step each year until you reach the top of the classroom scale, then keeps you there unless you add HALT, leadership or another change.

All figures are in today's dollars: the scale in force now, with no guesses about future pay rises. Real salaries will be higher, because each new agreement lifts every step, but nobody can say by how much. Using today's dollars keeps scenarios comparable and stops the total being inflated by assumptions.

Worked example

30-year career in NSW government schools, today's dollars

Years 1–6: Steps 1 to 6
$646,016
Years 7–30: Step 7 at $133,422
$3,202,128
Total classroom career
$3,848,144
Same career with HA/Lead ($141,997) from year 8
$4,045,369
Same classroom career with 5 years at 0.6 FTE
$3,581,300
Lifetime value of HALT accreditation about $197,225 before tax

NSW scale from October 2026. Assumes a teacher who gains Proficient accreditation on time and stays full-time unless shown. Before tax and super.

What changes the total most

  • Time at the top. Most of a teacher's career is spent at the top classroom step, so the top-step salary matters far more than the starting rate. In NSW, 24 of 30 years are at Step 7.
  • HALT or leadership. A move off the classroom scale changes every remaining year. NSW HA/Lead pays $8,575 a year more than Step 7; head teacher pays $20,109 more.
  • Part-time years. Each year at 0.6 FTE at NSW Step 7 costs about $53,369 before tax. They're often worth it, but they're also the biggest single cost in most projections, particularly for super.
  • Your state. The NT's top step ($136,997) is $18,934 a year above Victoria's current top ($118,063). Over 20 years at the top that's a big gap, though Victoria's new agreement would close most of it.
Top classroom step by state, October 2026
StateTop classroom stepAccomplished / lead step
NSW$133,422HA/Lead $141,997
VIC$118,063 (pending $133,456)Leading Teacher / LS up to $129,544
QLD$119,357 (Band 3 Step 4)HAT $134,694 · Lead $147,050
WA$127,737 (Level 2.9)L3CT up to $141,551
SA$123,236 (Step 9)HAT $133,736 · Lead $141,365
TAS$122,393 (L13)AST $129,640
ACT$129,106 (TL8)HALT payment $7,495 a year at the top
NT$136,997 (CT9)HA allowance $13,938 · Lead $29,184

Sources: state agreements and schedules checked 16 October 2026.

Earnings and super are linked

Employer super is 12% of salary, so every dollar of career earnings also builds your retirement balance. The $3.85 million NSW career above carries about $462,000 in employer contributions before the 15% contributions tax and before investment returns. Part-time years and breaks reduce both. To see what that means at 60 and 67, use the teacher super calculator.

Read teacher career progression in Australia and Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) for what each path involves.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a teacher earn in a lifetime in Australia?
Roughly $3.3 million to $3.9 million over 30 years at October 2026 pay rates, before future rises: about $3.29 million in Victoria on current rates and $3.92 million in the NT. A NSW classroom teacher who reaches Step 7 on time earns about $3.85 million in today's dollars.
How much is HALT worth over a career?
In NSW, about $197,000 before tax over 23 years, because HA/Lead pays $141,997 against $133,422 at Step 7. In the NT, the Lead Teacher allowance of $29,184 a year is worth far more.
How much does part-time work cost over a career?
Each year at 0.6 FTE at NSW Step 7 costs about $53,369 before tax compared with full-time. Five years costs about $267,000, plus the employer super on that amount.
Does the calculator include future pay rises?
No. It uses today's scale so scenarios compare fairly. Real salaries will rise with each new agreement, so treat the total as a measure of buying power in today's dollars.
When do teachers reach their peak salary?
Classroom teachers reach the top step after about 6 to 10 years, depending on the state. After that, pay only rises with new agreements, HALT or a leadership role.
Is it better to go into leadership or stay in the classroom?
Financially, leadership usually pays more over a career, but after tax the gap narrows. A NSW head teacher earns $20,109 more than Step 7 before tax and about $12,377 more after tax, often for longer hours.

Guides that go with this tool

Career

Teacher career progression in Australia: steps, accreditation and promotion in every state

The three ways teachers move up in Australia (steps, certification, promotion) and the timelines in every state.

HALT

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT): what it is, what it pays and whether to go for it

What HALT certification is, how it differs from Proficient, and what it is worth in each state's pay scale.