On this page (9 sections)
The short answer
Usually, yes on money, but less than the headline. In NSW, moving from Step 7 ($133,422) to head teacher ($153,531) adds $20,109 before tax but about $12,377 after tax, or $476 a fortnight, from 9 October 2026. You also get about $2,400 more employer super, a lighter teaching load and much more management work. Whether it's worth it depends on whether you want that work.
- Roughly 39 cents of each extra dollar above $135,000 goes in tax and Medicare levy.
- NSW HALT adds $5,341 a year after tax and keeps you in the classroom.
- Deputy to P1 principal in NSW adds only about $3,000 a year after tax.
- Victorian leadership roles are tenured for up to 5 years, so the pay rise can end.
What each step is worth after tax (NSW)
Take-home after income tax, LITO and Medicare levy, with no HELP debt or salary packaging. P1 super is 12% of $184,175. NSW Catholic systemic schools copy these rates.
Step 7 to head teacher: where the $20,109 goes
- Extra gross salary
- $20,109
- Extra tax and Medicare
- -$7,732
- Extra take-home
- $12,377
- Extra employer super
- +$2,413
Most of the rise is taxed at 39%, because it sits above the $135,000 threshold. With a HELP debt, repayments rise too, so the take-home gain is smaller.
Free calculator
Teacher promotion pay calculator
Put in your current step, state and the role you're considering. See the after-tax, super and per-hour difference.
Check my promotionVictoria and Queensland: the same maths
VIC: VGSA 2026 awaits Fair Work Commission approval; the October 2026 column applies with back pay once it does. QLD rates are interim from 7 September 2026, pending arbitration.
Queensland stands out. A certified Lead Teacher ($147,050) earns slightly more than a Head of Department on the lower paypoint ($145,320) and keeps a classroom role. If you'd rather teach than manage, certification there may beat promotion. See HALT explained.
What you give up: workload and teaching
NSW high school teaching loads show the trade. The award gives classroom teachers 28 periods a week, head teachers 22 and deputies 14, plus up to 3 sport periods. The time you stop teaching goes to supervising staff, programs, timetables, data, parents, discipline and compliance. That work doesn't fit neatly in the hours freed up.
＋ Pros
- More influence over how your faculty or school teaches
- Higher pay, super and long service leave value for the rest of your career
- Builds the experience you need for deputy and principal roles
- Fewer classes to plan, mark and report on
− Cons
- Managing colleagues, including underperformance and conflict
- More meetings and admin, often at short notice
- Parent complaints and serious incidents come to you
- Less time doing the part of the job many teachers like most
The hourly test
Pay per hour is a fair way to compare. Suppose a head teacher role adds 4 hours a week across 40 school weeks: 160 hours a year. At $12,377 extra take-home, that's about $77 an hour after tax for the extra time, which most people would accept. If it adds 8 hours a week, it falls to about $39 an hour. If it adds 10 hours plus holiday work, it falls further. Your hours are a guess until you're in the job, so ask current post-holders what their week really looks like.
Your extra hours vs the extra pay (NSW head teacher, illustration)
- +2 hours a week (80 hours a year)
- $155 an hour after tax
- +4 hours a week (160 hours a year)
- $77 an hour
- +6 hours a week (240 hours a year)
- $52 an hour
- +8 hours a week (320 hours a year)
- $39 an hour
Extra take-home of $12,377 divided by the extra hours. The hours are assumptions, not measured figures.
Free calculator
Teacher hourly rate calculator
Work out what you really earn per hour, including the hours you work at home and in holidays.
Open the calculatorThe long game: super and lifetime earnings
A promotion lifts every future pay rise, your super contributions and the value of long service leave, which is paid at your salary when you take it. A head teacher in NSW gets about $2,413 more employer super a year than a Step 7 teacher. Over 15 years that's more than $36,000 in contributions before investment returns. See the teacher career earnings calculator to model your path.
If you're on a state defined-benefit scheme, a late-career promotion can matter even more, because the benefit may be based on final salary. Check your scheme's rules before you decide.
Alternatives to promotion
- HALT certification (NSW, QLD, SA, NT, ACT): more pay, still teaching. NSW adds $5,341 a year after tax.
- Relieving in a higher role: try the job and get paid the higher rate while you act.
- Rural incentives: NSW's Rural Teacher Incentive alone is $20,000 to $30,000 a year in eligible schools. See rural teaching incentives.
- Specialist roles: learning support, careers adviser or a curriculum project, sometimes with an allowance.
- Going part-time in a promotion role: NSW now opens many re-advertised executive roles to part-time applicants. See part-time teaching.
A quick decision checklist
- Do I want to spend more of my week leading adults rather than teaching students?
- Have I worked out the after-tax gain, not the headline gap?
- Have I asked two people in the role how many hours they really work?
- Is there a classroom-based option (HALT, Learning Specialist, Lead Teacher) that pays close to the same?
- If the role is tenured, can I live on my classroom salary if it ends?
- Is this a step towards a role I actually want in 5 years?
Test-drive the job before you apply
The cheapest way to answer 'is it worth it?' is to do the job for a term. Relieving (higher duties) roles come up whenever a head teacher, HOD or deputy goes on leave or acts higher themselves. You're paid the higher rate while you act, you find out what the week really looks like, and you collect the recent, specific examples that merit panels want. If you hate it, you go back to your class with nothing lost.
While you're relieving, track
- Your real hours each week, including evenings and holidays
- Which parts of the job energised you and which drained you
- Two or three outcomes you can describe in STAR form in a future application
- Feedback from your principal, so they can be a strong first referee
Frequently asked questions
How much more does a head teacher earn in NSW?
Is it worth becoming a deputy principal?
Do head teachers get paid more for holidays?
Is HALT better than promotion?
How much tax do I pay on a promotion?
Can I step down from a leadership role?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16
- 1.NSW Teachers Salaries and Conditions Award 2024 (schedules and teaching loads)
- 2.Teach.NSW: Salary of a teacher (updated 12 Oct 2026)
- 3.Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022
- 4.Proposed Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2026
- 5.Victorian DE: Recruitment in Schools guide (tenure)
- 6.QLD DoE salary schedule
- 7.ATO: Individual income tax rates
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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