Australian Teacher Pay Index 2026: every state and territory ranked

The Australian Teacher Pay Index ranks government school teacher pay in every state and territory, using the pay tables in each agreement or award, not salary surveys. Every figure is a full-time annual salary before tax and super, dated to the rate in force on 20 October 2026 unless a table says otherwise. Journalists, unions and schools may quote it with a link (see use our data).

Graduate pay ranked by state

This is the salary a four-year-trained graduate starts on in a government school. Take-home pay is for a full-time teacher with no HECS-HELP debt in 2026–27, after income tax, the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy.

Victoria's position has changed sharply. The Fair Work Commission approved the VGSA 2026 on 16 October 2026, so the Victorian graduate rate is $92,882, back-paid to 1 October 2026, equal second with NSW. Until payroll applies it, payslips may still show the 2022 agreement rate. Our VGSA 2026 approval tracker follows the back pay.

Top classroom step ranked

This is the top of the normal classroom scale: the highest step a classroom teacher reaches by service and satisfactory performance, before promotion or Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) certification.

The gap between first and last is $17,640 a year before tax, or $11,855 after tax. In the NT, the top step is the only one in this table above the $135,000 threshold where the 37% tax rate starts, so part of it is taxed at 39% including Medicare.

Years to the top step

Top-of-scale pay matters less if it takes a decade to get there. This is how long a full-time graduate takes to reach the top classroom step with normal yearly progression.

Victoria now has the second-highest top rate but still the longest climb. NSW is the reverse: a graduate who reaches Proficient accreditation on time is on $133,422 after about six years.

Pay rises since 2022 vs inflation

To see whether teachers are better or worse off than in 2022, we compared the rate applying to 30 September 2022 with the rate in force on 30 June 2026 for the graduate and top classroom steps. We then compared that with the ABS All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities, quarterly index, which rose from 89.20 in the September quarter 2022 to 102.31 in the June quarter 2026, an increase of 14.7%. Both periods end on the same date, so rises after 30 June 2026 (NSW and Queensland in September and October 2026) are left out on purpose.

The pattern is clear. States that restructured their scales (NSW in 2023, the NT and the ACT graduate step in 2024) came out ahead of prices. States that relied on small yearly rises fell behind. A top-of-scale Victorian teacher would need $9,504 a year more to have kept pace with prices, and a Queenslander $5,550 more.

How long since the last rise, and what's next

Only Tasmania, the NT and Victoria have a further rise locked in; Victoria's VGSA 2026 was approved by the Fair Work Commission on 16 October 2026. NSW, Queensland, WA, SA and the ACT all need a new agreement or decision before teachers get another rise, so 2027 is shaping up as a big bargaining year.

Government vs Catholic school pay by state

Catholic systemic schools have their own agreements. Some copy the government scale to the dollar; others sit above or below it. The table compares the graduate and top classroom rates in force on 20 October 2026.

The widest gap is now in Victoria, where a Catholic teacher at the top of the scale earns $15,393 less than a government teacher while the Catholic agreement is still bargained. In South Australia the gap is $7,076, and bargaining has gone on since October 2024. In the ACT, Catholic teachers are now ahead because government rates have been frozen since December 2025. More detail is in Catholic and independent school teacher pay.

Support staff entry pay by state

Teacher aides and learning support officers are paid by the hour, and what counts as full-time ranges from 31.25 to 38 hours a week. The fairest comparison is therefore the hourly rate at the usual entry point.

An NSW SLSO earns about 28% more an hour than a South Australian SSO at entry, and 19% more than a Victorian education support worker. Most aide jobs are part-time and some states pay only for school weeks, so annual pay can be well below the full-time figure. Our guide to whether teacher aides are paid in school holidays explains each state's model.

Methodology

• Coverage: government (public) school teachers in all eight states and territories, plus Catholic systemic schools and government school support staff. Independent schools set pay school by school and are left out.
• Data sources: the pay schedules in each enterprise agreement, award or certified agreement, cross-checked against education department salary pages and union schedules. Sources are listed below and on each state pay page.
• Reference date: rates in force on 20 October 2026, including rates back-dated by an approved agreement (Victoria's VGSA 2026, approved on 16 October 2026, from 1 October 2026). Agreed but unapproved rates are shown separately, never ranked. Calculated future rates are not used.
• Verification: every state's data was rechecked between 16 and 20 October 2026, and Victoria's again on 28 October 2026. The 2022 rates were read on the 2021–2022 agreements, awards and department scales (some via web archives), except Queensland, which comes from the QTU's published CA2022 schedule.
• Tax: 2026–27 resident tax rates, the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy, for a full-time salary with no HECS-HELP, no salary packaging and no other income, from our own take-home pay calculator. Super (12% Superannuation Guarantee) is not included.
• Inflation: ABS All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities, quarterly index, September quarter 2022 to June quarter 2026 (+14.7%), fetched from the ABS on 20 October 2026.
• Limits: state pay is not the full picture. Rural incentives, allowances, housing and cost of living differ a lot. Some states start experienced or better-qualified graduates on higher steps.

Use our data

Journalists, unions, principals and school newsletters may quote any figure or table in the Australian Teacher Pay Index 2026, as long as they credit TeacherPay AU and link to teacherpayau.com (ideally this page). You don't need to ask first. If you'd like a figure for a particular step, role or state, the tables as a spreadsheet, or a comment, contact us.

Spotted an error? Tell us through the contact page and we'll correct it and note the change. For the live ranking, which updates on every rate change, see which state pays teachers the most.