Your teacher payslip explained, line by line

The anatomy of a teacher payslip

Every department and school system lays its payslip out differently, but the same building blocks appear on all of them. Here's what each line means and what to check.

How your fortnightly pay is calculated

Your salary is an annual figure, but you're paid fortnightly. The conversion differs slightly by employer. Because a year has a little more than 26 fortnights, some agreements use a formula rather than dividing by 26.

Worked example: one fortnight's payslip

Tax and HELP: why the payslip figure isn't final

PAYG withholding uses ATO tax tables to estimate your tax as if you earned this fortnight's pay every fortnight of the year. For a permanent teacher on steady pay, that's very close to the real annual tax. Over a year, an ACT TL3 teacher has about $23,816 withheld (26 × $916), against an actual 2026–27 liability of about $23,900.

• Too little withheld: usually because you claimed the tax-free threshold with two employers, didn't tell an employer about HELP, or had untaxed side income.
• Too much withheld: common for casuals with uneven pays, or in a fortnight with a large back pay amount.
• HELP: the HELP line only appears if you ticked the HELP box on your TFN declaration. If you forgot, you'll get a bill at tax time.
• Tax-free threshold: you should claim it with your main employer only.

Super on your payslip under Payday Super

Since 1 July 2026, employers have had to pay super with each payday. Your payslip should show the amount and the fund. It's paid on top of your salary, so it doesn't reduce your net pay. Check your fund's app a week or so after payday to confirm it arrived. See Payday Super for teachers.

The errors worth checking for

Step errors are the costliest. Being one NSW step behind costs between about $4,000 and $8,700 a year in gross pay, depending on the step. If you think your step is wrong, raise it in writing with payroll and keep the email. See how teacher pay steps work and use the pay step timeline calculator.

Overpayments: what happens if you've been paid too much

Payroll errors work both ways. If you've been overpaid, for example kept on full-time pay after moving to 0.8 FTE, your employer will usually ask for the money back. Don't ignore it, and don't spend money you suspect isn't yours.

• Ask for the overpayment in writing, with the periods and amounts.
• Check whether they want the gross or net amount back. If the overpayment and the repayment fall in different financial years, ask payroll how they'll correct the tax.
• Ask for a repayment plan if the amount is large. Many departments have hardship arrangements.
• Your union can help if you dispute the amount.

Payslip rules: what your employer must show

Employers in the national workplace system, which covers Victorian, ACT and NT government teachers and most Catholic and independent schools, must give you a payslip within one working day of paying you. The Fair Work rules require it to show the employer's name and ABN, your name, the pay period and pay date, gross and net pay, any loadings, allowances or bonuses separately, your annual salary or hourly rate, each deduction, and the super contribution and fund.

Government teachers in NSW, Queensland, WA, SA and Tasmania are employed in their state's industrial relations system, so state law and policy apply. In practice their payslips contain the same information.

Your end-of-year income statement

After 30 June, your employer finalises your income statement through Single Touch Payroll. It appears in your ATO account in myGov, marked 'tax ready'. It shows your gross pay, tax withheld, reportable fringe benefits, reportable super contributions and any lump sums such as back pay for earlier years (Lump Sum E). Compare the totals with your last payslip of the year before you lodge.