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Free calculator 2026–27 rates

Is the promotion worth it after tax?

Compare your current role with a head teacher, assistant principal, deputy or principal role: the real gain per fortnight after tax, and per extra hour worked.

⚙Your details

Leadership pay comes from your state's agreement. Ranges show the bottom, middle and top.

48 h
+6 h
42 weeks

Extra take-home pay per fortnight

+$476

$133,422 → $153,531 a year (+$20,109 gross) · New South Wales

Gross gain / year

$20,109

After-tax gain / year

$12,377

You keep 62% of the rise

Extra super / year

$2,413

12% employer super

Per extra hour

$49.11

After tax, over 252 extra hours

Is it worth it?

Each extra hour pays $49.11 after tax, less than the $49.71 you earn per hour now. The role breaks even at about 5.9 extra hours a week; beyond that you're working for less per hour than today.

The rise is taxed at your marginal rate: $7,732 of the $20,109 goes in tax and Medicare. Your after-tax hourly rate moves from $49.71 to $49.64 once the extra hours are counted. The extra $2,413 of employer super is on top and is easy to overlook: over 10 years at a 4% real return it grows to about $24,626 in today's dollars.

NowNew roleDifference
Salary$133,422$153,531$20,109
Income tax$30,547$37,876$7,330
Medicare levy$2,668$3,071$402
Take-home / year$100,207$112,584$12,377
Take-home / fortnight$3,854$4,330$476
Employer super / year$16,011$18,424$2,413
Marginal rate32%39%

After-tax pay per extra hour, at different workloads

Extra hours a weekExtra hours a yearGain per extra hourHourly rate overallvs now
+0 h0all gain$55.85+$6.14
+2 h84$147.34$53.61+$3.91
+4 h168$73.67$51.55+$1.84
+6 h252$49.11$49.64−$0.07
+8 h336$36.84$47.87−$1.84
+10 h420$29.47$46.22−$3.49
+15 h630$19.65$42.55−$7.16

2026–27 resident tax rates, tax-free threshold claimed, no other income. Leadership salaries are the published figures for each role in your state and may be dated differently from the classroom scale (column from 9 October 2026); school size and complexity can move principal-class pay. Allowances (e.g. year adviser, rural) are not included. Pay data: Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024, verified 16 October 2026.

In short

Moving from the top of the NSW classroom scale ($133,422) to head teacher or assistant principal ($153,531) adds $20,109 a year before tax but about $12,377 after tax, or roughly $476 a fortnight, on 2026–27 rates. If the role adds 200 hours a year, that's about $62 an hour after tax for the extra work.

How to use the promotion pay calculator

  1. 1

    Choose your state and current role

    Pick your state and your current step or role, such as the top classroom step.

  2. 2

    Choose the role you're considering

    Select head teacher, assistant principal, deputy principal or principal. The salary comes from your state's current leadership scale.

  3. 3

    Estimate the extra hours

    Enter how many extra hours a week, and weeks a year, you expect the role to add. Ask someone who does the job now.

  4. 4

    Read the real gain

    See the rise per year and per fortnight after tax and HELP, and what each extra hour is worth.

Leadership pay by state, October 2026

Government school leadership salaries in force on 16 October 2026
StateMiddle leaderDeputy principalPrincipal range
NSWHead Teacher / AP $153,531$179,255$184,175 – $236,318
VICLeading Teacher / LS $129,544 (top)AP $136,022 – $191,811$156,335 – $238,676
QLDHOD $145,320 – $148,003$161,746 – $164,605Level 1 $146,776 to Level 10 $242,573
WALevel 3 Classroom Teacher $137,567 – $141,551Set by school classificationLevel 3 $150,934 to Level 6 $206,662
SABand B coordinator from $128,390Band B up to $172,842Band A $146,492 – $222,484
TASAST $129,640 · AP $143,334$151,590$151,590 – $211,264
ACTExecutive Teacher $145,938 – $149,107$168,900 – $173,125$195,885 – $225,158
NTSenior Teacher $145,286 – $196,907Senior Teacher streamPLO1 $147,068 – PLO7 $214,369

Sources: state agreements and salary schedules, checked 16 October 2026. Victorian figures are the VGSA 2022 rates still in force; the VGSA 2026 lifts them once approved. Principal levels are set by school size or complexity.

Why a promotion is worth less than the headline

Two things shrink a leadership pay rise. The first is tax: most teachers already pay 32 cents in each extra dollar (30% plus Medicare), and above $135,000 the rate rises to 39%. Many promotions cross that line, so part of the rise is taxed at the higher rate. The second is HECS-HELP: under the 2026–27 system, repayments take 15 to 17 cents of each extra dollar of income until the top band, where the repayment becomes 10% of your whole income.

Worked example

NSW Step 7 teacher becomes a head teacher, 2026–27

Step 7 salary
$133,422
Step 7 take-home
$100,207 ($3,854 a fortnight)
Head teacher salary
$153,531
Head teacher take-home
$112,584 ($4,330 a fortnight)
Gross rise
$20,109
Take-home rise
$12,377 a year ($476 a fortnight)
Value of each extra hour, if the role adds 200 hours a year about $62 after tax

Site tax engine, 2026–27 rates, no HELP. The 200 extra hours (5 a week for 40 weeks) is an example input. Employer super rises too, from about $16,011 to $18,424.

Things the calculator can't weigh for you

  • Teaching load. Leaders usually teach less. NSW high school head teachers teach 22 periods a week and deputies 14, against 28 for classroom teachers. Fewer classes can offset some extra admin time.
  • Super. Employer super is 12% of salary, so a $20,109 rise adds about $2,413 a year to your super. Over a decade that's meaningful.
  • Long service leave and parental leave. These are paid at your salary, so they're worth more on a leadership salary.
  • The alternative path. HALT certification can lift classroom pay without a leadership role: $141,997 for NSW HA/Lead teachers, $147,050 for Queensland Lead Teachers and a $29,184 allowance for NT Lead Teachers.

Deputy and principal: the bigger jumps

In NSW, deputy principal pays $179,255. That's $45,833 more than Step 7 before tax, and about $28,069 more after tax: $128,276 against $100,207. Most of the extra is taxed at 39%. Principal salaries in NSW run from $184,175 to $236,318, depending on the school's funding allocation. Read is promotion worth it for teachers and how to become a principal for the non-financial side, and the state role pages such as NSW head teacher salary and NSW deputy principal salary.

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See the lifetime effect

Model a leadership move or HALT certification across your whole career, including super.

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Frequently asked questions

How much more does a head teacher earn than a classroom teacher?
In NSW, $20,109 more before tax from October 2026: $153,531 against $133,422 at Step 7. After 2026–27 tax and Medicare that's about $12,377 a year, or $476 a fortnight.
Is becoming a head teacher worth it?
Financially, it depends on the extra hours. If the role adds 200 hours a year, the NSW rise works out at about $62 an hour after tax. Many teachers also weigh the lower teaching load: NSW head teachers teach 22 periods a week, not 28.
How much does a deputy principal earn in Australia?
Roughly $133,736 to $206,662 across the states as at October 2026, depending on the school. NSW pays $179,255, Queensland $161,746 to $164,605, the ACT $168,900 to $173,125, SA $133,736 to $172,842, Tasmania $151,590, and Victorian assistant principals $136,022 to $191,811.
What tax rate applies to a promotion?
Usually 32% (30% plus 2% Medicare) on income up to $135,000 and 39% above it in 2026–27. Many leadership salaries cross $135,000, so part of the rise is taxed at the higher rate.
Does a promotion increase my HECS repayment?
Yes. Under the 2026–27 marginal system you repay 15 cents of each dollar between $69,528 and $129,717, and 17 cents above that, up to $186,050. Above $186,050 the repayment is 10% of your whole repayment income.
Is HALT a better option than leadership?
It can be, if you want to stay in the classroom. NSW HA/Lead teachers earn $141,997, Queensland Lead Teachers $147,050 and NT Lead Teachers get a $29,184 allowance, without the management load of a leadership role.

Guides that go with this tool

Promotion

Is promotion worth it for teachers? The after-tax maths on head teacher, HALT, deputy and principal

What each promotion step adds to your take-home pay after tax, and the workload and tenure costs that come with it.

Leadership

How to become a school principal in Australia: the pathway, the selection process and the pay

The steps from classroom teacher to principal, how selection panels work, which programs help and what principals earn in each state.