On this page (9 sections)
The short answer
HALT stands for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher: the two voluntary top career stages of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. You apply to your state's certifying authority, and external assessors judge your evidence and watch you teach. In NSW government schools it moves you from Step 7 ($133,422) to $141,997 from 9 October 2026. Other states pay it differently, and Victorian government schools don't use it.
- Voluntary and nationally portable. Valid for 5 years, then renewed.
- Two levels: Highly Accomplished (expert classroom teacher who lifts colleagues) and Lead (leads improvement across a school or beyond).
- Pay ranges from an extra $7,495 a year (ACT, at top of scale) to a $29,184 Lead allowance (NT, 2026).
- NSW fees: $605 for Highly Accomplished, $715 for Lead.
What HALT actually is
The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers set out what teachers should know and do at four career stages: Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead. Graduate and Proficient are compulsory. You need them to stay registered or accredited (see Proficient teacher accreditation). Highly Accomplished and Lead are voluntary. Certification at either level is what people call HALT.
AITSL's Standards describe Highly Accomplished teachers as highly effective, skilled classroom practitioners who work to improve their own practice and their colleagues'. Lead teachers lead processes to improve student performance across a school, evaluate and revise programs, analyse data and represent the school in the community. The test is not a list of years served or courses done. It's whether your evidence shows that practice, and its impact on students and colleagues, at that level.
Each Standard is split into focus areas (37 in total, e.g. 5.4 Interpret student data). Each focus area has a descriptor at each career stage, so '5.4.3' means focus area 5.4 at Highly Accomplished and '5.4.4' means Lead.
Highly Accomplished vs Lead: which level fits you
You don't need Highly Accomplished before applying for Lead (TRB NT Guide to Certification).
Highly Accomplished
- Your impact centres on your own classes plus colleagues you work closely with
- You mentor, model lessons, share strategies and support pre-service teachers
- Typical applicant: an experienced classroom teacher, often with an informal leadership role
- NSW and NT: you need 2 recent satisfactory annual performance reviews
Lead
- Your impact reaches across a faculty, stage, whole school or network
- You initiate and lead improvement, evaluate programs and use data at scale
- The NT process also asks for a written description of a Lead initiative
- NSW and NT: you need 3 recent satisfactory annual performance reviews
A practical test: if your best evidence is about what happened in your classroom and the two or three colleagues you coached, aim for Highly Accomplished. If it's about a change you designed and drove across a team or school, with data showing what moved, Lead fits. Many teachers who apply for Lead too early end up revising. The extra descriptors need evidence of leading other teachers, not only working beside them.
What HALT pays in each state (October 2026)
AITSL runs the national framework, but it doesn't set pay. Each employer decides what certification is worth, so the same certificate pays very differently depending on where you teach. These are government-school figures from the current agreements.
QLD rates are interim and may change when the QIRC arbitration ends. NT 2027 allowances: $14,537 (HA) and $30,439 (Lead). In NSW you also need at least 1 year at Step 7 before the HA/Lead rate applies.
What the pay rise is worth after tax
NSW: Step 7 to Highly Accomplished, full-time, 2026-27 tax
- Step 7 salary (from 9 Oct 2026)
- $133,422
- Step 7 take-home a year
- $100,207
- HA/Lead salary
- $141,997
- HA/Lead take-home a year
- $105,548
- Extra employer super (12%)
- +$1,029
Tax after LITO and Medicare levy, no HELP debt. Part of the rise is taxed at 39% (37% + Medicare), because $141,997 crosses the $135,000 threshold.
Against NSW fees of $605 or $715, the pay pays back the fee within the first month. Over the 5-year certification period, the gross difference is about $42,875, before you count any future pay rises. The real cost is time. Most applicants spend months building evidence, and that time comes out of evenings and weekends.
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Compare HALT, head teacher, deputy and principal pay in your state, after tax and super.
Compare promotionsWho certifies you
Certification is portable. If you move states you don't reapply, but the new authority will ask for proof of current certification and eligibility. Whether your new employer pays for it is a separate question, set by its agreement.
Eligibility: can you apply yet?
Common eligibility rules (NSW, NT and TAS, checked October 2026)
- Australian citizen or permanent resident (NSW and NT)
- Proficient accreditation or full registration in that state
- Satisfactory annual performance reviews: the 2 most recent for Highly Accomplished, 3 for Lead (NSW and NT)
- Your principal's support. NT and TAS require the principal's endorsement before you start
- An authentic teaching role with an ongoing program, assessment and reporting (NT)
- Tasmania: at least 3 years' teaching and 1 year of full registration
Look at the extra rules in your teacher career progression path too. In NSW, being certified isn't enough on its own for the HA/Lead pay rate. You also need a year at Step 7.
How the assessment works
Every authority uses the same national framework, but the paperwork differs. The national model has two stages. Stage 1 is a portfolio of annotated evidence, observation reports and referee statements, assessed by two nationally trained assessors. Stage 2 is a site visit. An external assessor watches you teach and talks with your principal and referees. NSW splits Stage 1 into two modules of 10 Standard Descriptors each, with the Site Visit in between.
The step-by-step version, with evidence limits, annotation lengths and timelines, is in our HALT application process guide.
Is HALT worth it for you?
＋ Pros
- A pay rise without leaving the classroom (NSW, QLD, SA, NT and ACT)
- Recognised in every state, and useful evidence for leadership applications
- The process makes you analyse your impact, which helps in selection criteria and interviews
- Fees are small next to the pay difference in most states
− Cons
- Months of unpaid evidence work, often alongside a full load
- In Victorian government schools it brings no pay rise
- The NSW HA/Lead rate is the same for Lead and Highly Accomplished, so Lead earns nothing extra there
- Renewal every 5 years means more evidence and paperwork
Compare HALT with a promotion position. A NSW head teacher earns $153,531, which is $11,534 more than HALT, but comes with a lighter class load and management work. Read is promotion worth it for the full trade-off.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a HALT teacher earn in NSW?
Is HALT the same as Proficient?
How long does HALT certification last?
How much does HALT cost to apply for?
Can Victorian teachers get HALT?
Do I need to be Highly Accomplished before applying for Lead?
How many HALTs are there in Australia?
Does HALT transfer if I move interstate?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16
- 1.AITSL: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (PDF)
- 2.AITSL: Understand certification and HALT status
- 3.AITSL: Find your certifying authority
- 4.NESA: Begin your HALT application (eligibility and fees)
- 5.TRB NT: HALT eligibility, timelines and renewal
- 6.TRB Tasmania: HALT certification
- 7.NSW Teachers Salaries and Conditions Award 2024 (IRC Gazette)
- 8.NT Public Sector Educators' 2024-2027 Enterprise Agreement (FWC)
- 9.ACT Teaching Staff Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026 (AEU ACT)
- 10.QLD Department of Education salary schedule (from 7 Sep 2026)
- 11.SA Department for Education: school teachers pay rates (8 May 2026)
- 12.WA Teachers and Administrators General Agreement 2023 (WAIRC)
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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