On this page (6 sections)
The short answer
Northern Territory government teachers are due a 4.3% rise from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2027, the third and last under the NTPS Educators' 2024–2027 Enterprise Agreement. A graduate (CT1) goes from $96,180 to $100,316 and the top classroom step (CT9) from $136,997 to $142,888. It's already locked in: no vote or approval is needed.
- The agreement was approved by the Fair Work Commission on 31 October 2024.
- It runs to a nominal expiry of 31 December 2027.
- Relief teacher daily rates rise to $480.75–$526.68.
- Primary face-to-face teaching falls again in 2027.
What's happening
Unlike most states this year, there's no dispute in the NT. The NT Public Sector Educators' 2024–2027 Enterprise Agreement ([2024] FWCA 3775) set three 4.3% rises. The first came with a restructured classroom scale in October 2024, the second from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2026, and the third is due from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2027.
The agreement covers classroom teachers, senior teachers, non-contract principals and Aboriginal Team Teachers. Executive contract principals are paid under separate contracts and aren't covered. As this post was written on 17 October 2026, the January 2027 rise was scheduled rather than paid, and no new bargaining was under way.
Work out your pay rise and back pay
⚙Your details
New pay rates
Default: the new rates' operative date, 1 January 2027.
When the back pay lands. Default: six weeks from today. New rates apply from the following pay.
E.g. a sign-on or cost-of-living payment in the agreement (gross).
Back pay owed (before tax)
$477
New salary
$100,316
+4.3% on $96,180
Rise per fortnight
$159
$108 after tax
Tax on back pay
$153
32% of the lump
Back pay in hand
$325
What this means
From 1 January 2027 you should have been paid $159 more each fortnight. Because the new rates weren't paid yet, the difference builds up and arrives as one back payment: about $477 before tax. After that, your fortnightly take-home goes from $2,880 to $2,988.
Payroll taxes back pay at your marginal rate rather than spreading it, so roughly 32% comes off. That's your actual tax on the money: it doesn't push the rest of your salary into a higher bracket.
Estimate only. Back pay = (new − old) fortnightly pay × fortnights between the two dates, using the pay column in force at the start of each fortnight. Tax uses the ATO marginal-rate method on your annual salary for 2026–27; back pay for an earlier financial year over $1,200 may be taxed differently and is reported as a lump sum E. Old rates: 1 January 2026 column; Northern Territory Public Sector Educators' 2024-2027 Enterprise Agreement, verified 16 October 2026.
Background: the 2024 deal
In September 2024 more than 90% of voting NT teachers said yes to three 4.3% rises, which the government described as 12.9% (13.46% compounded). The deal also restructured the classroom scale before the first rise, lifted the Katherine and Alice Springs attraction allowance by $1,000 to $4,500, and cut primary face-to-face teaching time. The FWC approved it on 31 October 2024 and it has operated since 7 November 2024.
In September 2026, while defending the ACT's own offer, ACT Education Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said it would make ACT teachers the highest paid outside the Northern Territory, conceding that NT teachers stay ahead.
What changes for your pay
From EA Schedule 4 Table 4.1. *2026–27 income tax after LITO plus 2% Medicare, no HELP debt, from our tax engine. CT8 in 2027 equals CT9 in 2026 by design of the scale.
Take-home pay before and after the January 2027 rise (no HELP debt)
- CT1 graduate: $96,180 → $100,316 (+$4,136 gross)
- $2,880 → $2,988 a fortnight
- CT4: $109,962 → $114,690 (+$4,728 gross)
- $3,241 → $3,364 a fortnight
- CT9: $136,997 → $142,888 (+$5,891 gross)
- $3,942 → $4,080 a fortnight
CT1 to CT8 are in the 30% bracket (32c per extra dollar with Medicare). CT9 is above $135,000, so its extra dollars are taxed at 39c including Medicare. Figures use 2026–27 tax rates; the January 2027 pay falls in the 2026–27 tax year.
Relief teachers (rates include a 25% loading) move from $460.93 to $480.75 a day at Tier 1, from $482.95 to $503.72 at Tier 2, and from $504.96 to $526.68 at Tier 3.
Free calculator
Teacher take-home pay calculator
Choose the NT and your CT level to see the January 2027 rate per fortnight after tax and HELP.
See my 2027 take-homeBecause the rise is written into an approved agreement and starts with a pay period, there shouldn't be any back pay to chase. If it doesn't appear in your first January pay period, check with payroll; the back pay calculator will show what any missed periods are worth.
Other changes in 2027
- Primary face-to-face teaching falls from a maximum of 22 hours 40 minutes a week in 2026 to 22 hours 10 minutes in 2027.
- Primary non-contact time rises from 4 hours to 4.5 hours a week.
- Increments don't move in January. You go up one CT level after each 12 months' service, so your step date is your own anniversary.
- Rapid Incremental Progression still lets early-career teachers jump to CT4 at the start of year 3 with two years in NT government schools and two postgraduate units.
What happens next and dates to watch
Watch for
- First full pay period on or after 1 January 2027: the 4.3% rise.
- 1 January 2027: recreation leave loading is paid on 1 January each year.
- During 2027: bargaining for the next agreement would normally start before the current one's nominal expiry. Nothing had been announced when we checked.
- 31 December 2027: nominal expiry. No rise is scheduled after January 2027.
For how the NT compares once the rise lands, see which state pays teachers the most and the NT pay rise page. Moving north for remote work? The NT rural and remote guide covers the Remote Incentive Allowance and housing.
Frequently asked questions
When is the NT teacher pay rise in 2027?
What will a graduate teacher earn in the NT in 2027?
Do NT teachers need to vote on the 2027 rise?
Are NT teachers the highest paid in Australia?
What do NT relief teachers get from January 2027?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-17
- 1.NT Public Sector Educators' 2024–2027 Enterprise Agreement, [2024] FWCA 3775 (FWC AE526566)
- 2.OCPE Bulletin 13: NTPS Educators' 2024–2027 EA approved
- 3.Teach in the Territory: Pay and benefits
- 4.AEU NT: 2024–27 log of claims outcome report
- 5.Region Canberra: ACT teachers reject latest offer (Sep 2026)
Work out your pay rise and back pay
CalculateAbout 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.