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VGSA 2026 tracker: approved on 16 October, now in operation. Here's when back pay lands

VGSA 2026 was approved by the Fair Work Commission on 16 Oct 2026 and started 23 Oct. Full new salary table, back pay to 10 Aug, the $2,000 lump sum and payslip checks.

✓ By the TeacherPay AU Editorial Team · fact-checked against official sources Updated 28 October 2026 8 min read
On this page (8 sections)
  1. Approved: where things stand (28 October 2026)
  2. VGSA 2026 timeline
  3. From approval to your bank account
  4. VGSA 2026 classroom salary table
  5. How much back pay will you get?
  6. Tax on the back pay
  7. Who isn't covered
  8. FAQs

The short answer

The Fair Work Commission approved the VGSA 2026 on 16 October 2026, and it came into operation on 23 October 2026. Staff had approved it with a 93.1% yes vote on 17 September 2026. The new rates are back-paid to 10 August 2026 (and to 1 October 2026 for the second rise), and a $2,000 lump sum is paid on top.

  • Approved 16 October 2026; in operation from 23 October 2026 (Department of Education).
  • Graduate pay goes from $79,589 to $92,882, and the top classroom step from $118,063 to $133,456.
  • If the new rates reach your pay on 1 December 2026, a full-time graduate's back pay plus lump sum comes to about $4,940 before tax.
  • The Department hasn't published the payroll date, so payslips may show VGSA 2022 rates until payroll catches up.

Staff ballot

93.1% yes

Result 17 Sep 2026

FWC approval

16 Oct 2026

In operation 23 Oct 2026

Back pay from

10 Aug 2026

Second rise from 1 Oct 2026

Lump sum

$2,000

Pro rata for part-time

Approved: where things stand (28 October 2026)

The Department of Education's enterprise bargaining page now says the Fair Work Commission approved the VGSA 2026 on 16 October 2026, replacing the VGSA 2022, and that it came into operation on 23 October 2026. It covers the executive, principal, teacher, paraprofessional and education support classes, and its nominal expiry date is 10 August 2030. The AEU told members the same.

What's left is payroll. The Department has to load the new rates and work out everyone's arrears. It hadn't published a date for that when we checked on 28 October 2026. Some staff have posted online about when they expect it, but we haven't seen an official date, so we're not giving one. We'll add it here when the Department publishes it.

Work out your VGSA 2026 pay rise and back pay

⚙Your details

Check the 'classification' line on your payslip, e.g. CT 2-3 or LT 3-1.

100% full-time

VGSA 2026 started on 23 Oct 2026. The Department hasn't published the payroll date, so enter the pay day your back pay arrives. Default: six weeks from today.

Your VGSA 2026 back pay (before tax)

$5,719

$3,719 back pay from 10 August 2026 to 16 December 2026 + $2,000 lump sum · approved 16 Oct 2026

New salary from 1 Oct 2026

$133,456

+13.0% on $118,063

Rise per fortnight

$592

before tax

Back pay after tax

$3,•••

in your report

Worth to you by 2030

$9•,•••

in your report

Estimate only. VGSA 2026 was approved by the Fair Work Commission on 16 Oct 2026 and came into operation on 23 Oct 2026. Back pay = (new − old) fortnightly pay ÷ 14 × days, from the first pay period on or after 10 Aug 2026 and 1 Oct 2026; pay-period timing can move this by a few days. Old rates: VGSA 2022 from 1 Jul 2025. Tax uses 2026–27 rates and the ATO marginal-rate method. "Worth to you" compares VGSA 2026 rates with staying on today's VGSA 2022 rates until the nominal expiry (10 Aug 2030). Checked 28 October 2026.

VGSA 2026 timeline

VGSA 2026: dated timeline (checked 28 Oct 2026)
DateEventStatus
31 Dec 2025VGSA 2022 reaches nominal expiry (it keeps applying)Done
15 May 2026In-principle deal announced; AEU members reject it in JuneDone
10 Aug 2026Revised offer; becomes the back-pay date for the first riseDone
17 Aug 2026AEU members accept the revised offer (79% yes)Done
3–14 Sep 2026Formal staff ballotDone
17 Sep 2026Result: 93.1% yes, 80,742 votesDone
About 23 Sep 2026Lodged with the FWC (reported; not confirmed by us)Done
16 Oct 2026FWC approves the VGSA 2026Done
23 Oct 2026Agreement comes into operation; VGSA 2026 rates applyDone
Not yet publishedNew rates, back pay and $2,000 lump sum reach payslipsWaiting on payroll
1 Nov 2027Next rise: 4% for teachersScheduled

Sources: Premier of Victoria (17 Sep 2026), Department of Education enterprise bargaining page (updated 26 Oct 2026), VASSP newsletter Term 4 issue 7, ABC News (17 Aug 2026).

From approval to your bank account

What happens now

  1. 1

    FWC approves the agreement (done, 16 October 2026)

    The Fair Work Commission approved the VGSA 2026.

  2. 2

    The agreement starts (done, 23 October 2026)

    From then the Department must pay VGSA 2026 rates. The rate you're owed going forward is the 1 October 2026 column.

  3. 3

    Payroll switches to the new rates

    Your fortnightly pay jumps to the new figure. This may take a pay cycle or two after the start date.

  4. 4

    Back pay is calculated

    The gap between what you were paid and the new rates, from the first pay period on or after 10 August 2026 (first rise) and 1 October 2026 (second rise), up to the day the new rates reach your pay.

  5. 5

    The $2,000 lump sum is paid

    Pro rata for part-timers, so a 0.6 teacher gets $1,200. It's taxed as normal income.

The Department hadn't published a payroll date for back pay when we checked on 28 October 2026. Back pay is often processed as a separate payment after the new rates start, so don't budget on a particular fortnight until the Department announces one.

VGSA 2026 classroom salary table

Victorian government teacher salaries: VGSA 2022 vs VGSA 2026 (annual, full-time)
StepOld rate (1 Jul 2025)10 Aug 20261 Oct 20261 Nov 20271 Nov 20281 Nov 2029
1-1 (graduate)$79,589$84,631$92,882$96,598$100,462$105,384
1-2$81,676$86,848$95,316$99,128$103,094$108,145
1-3$84,690$89,454$98,175$102,102$106,186$111,390
1-4$87,814$92,137$101,121$105,165$109,372$114,731
1-5 (top of Range 1)$91,056$94,901$104,154$108,320$112,653$118,173
2-1$94,415$97,274$106,758$111,028$115,469$121,127
2-2$97,899$100,863$110,697$115,125$119,730$125,597
2-3$101,512$104,585$114,782$119,373$124,148$130,232
2-4$105,258$108,444$119,018$123,778$128,729$135,037
2-5$109,142$112,446$123,409$128,346$133,480$140,020
2-6 (top of classroom scale)$118,063$121,600$133,456$138,794$144,346$151,419
3-1 (LS / Leading Teacher entry)$123,966$127,690$140,140Not capturedNot captured$159,002
3-2 (LS / Leading Teacher top)$129,544$133,430$146,439$152,297$158,389$166,150

From the VGSA 2026 Schedule 1 (Department of Education), approved by the FWC on 16 Oct 2026. Each column applies from the first pay period on or after the date. The 10 Aug and 1 Oct 2026 columns are back-paid. 'Not captured' means the figure wasn't in the schedule extract we verified; check the PDF.

The first rise is uneven: 6.33% at the graduate step and 3% at experienced steps. The second, 9.75% on every step from 1 October 2026, is the big one. Together they lift a graduate 16.7% and the top classroom step 13.04% above VGSA 2022 rates. More detail, including principal-class rates, is on the Victorian pay rise page.

How much back pay will you get?

Your back pay depends on one thing the Department hasn't announced yet: the date the new rates reach your pay. The longer payroll takes, the more back pay builds up, because the 1 October rates are owed from 1 October regardless. Each extra fortnight of waiting adds about $510 gross at the graduate step and $590 at step 2-6.

Illustration only: full-time back pay plus $2,000 lump sum, by date the new rates first reach your pay
StepNew rates from 1 Dec 2026From 1 Jan 2027From 1 Feb 2027
1-1 (graduate)$4,940 (≈$3,359 after tax)$6,069 (≈$4,127)$7,198 (≈$4,895)
1-5$4,737 (≈$3,221)$5,849 (≈$3,977)$6,962 (≈$4,734)
2-3$4,656 (≈$3,166)$5,783 (≈$3,932)$6,910 (≈$4,699)
2-6 (top of classroom scale)$5,076 (≈$3,451)$6,384 (≈$4,341)$7,691 (≈$5,229)
3-2 (LS / Leading Teacher top)$5,377 (≈$3,280)$6,812 (≈$4,156)$8,247 (≈$5,031)

Our illustration, not a forecast. Gross = (10 Aug rate − current rate) for 52 days + (1 Oct rate − current rate) from 1 Oct to the day before the new rates start, on a 365-day year, plus $2,000. After-tax figures come from our 2026–27 tax engine, comparing your whole year's income with and without the back pay; no HELP debt. Step 3-2 pushes into the 37% bracket, so it keeps less per dollar. Real payroll uses pay periods, so expect small differences.

Worked example

Worked example: graduate (1-1), new rates first paid 1 December 2026

10 Aug to 30 Sep: $5,042 a year more for 52 days
$718
1 Oct to 30 Nov: $13,293 a year more for 61 days
$2,222
Lump sum
$2,000
Tax and Medicare on the extra (2026–27, at 32c in the dollar)
−$1,581
Back pay and lump sum after tax About $3,359

Add HELP repayments if you have a study debt. Part-timers: multiply by your FTE.

Free calculator

VGSA 2026 back pay calculator

Pick Victoria, your step, your FTE and the date you expect the new rates. See your VGSA 2026 back pay before and after tax, including HELP.

Estimate my VGSA back pay

Tax on the back pay

Back pay and the lump sum are taxed as ordinary income in the year you receive them. All of this back pay relates to 2026–27, so the lump sum in arrears tax offset (which only helps with back pay for earlier years) won't apply. The pay run that carries the back pay may withhold more than your final tax bill; that evens out when you lodge your return. See tax on teacher back pay.

When the back pay arrives, check

  • Your new fortnightly rate matches the 1 October 2026 column for your step.
  • The back pay starts from the first pay period on or after 10 August 2026, not 15 May (that was the rejected deal).
  • The $2,000 lump sum is there, pro rata if you're part-time.
  • If you moved up a step during the back-pay period, the higher step is used from the date you moved.

Who isn't covered

Casual relief teachers employed by school councils are paid under Ministerial Order 1389, not the VGSA, so their $425.80 daily rate doesn't change until that order is amended. Catholic school teachers are bargaining separately: Victorian Catholic employers have offered rates that match the government scale, with back pay to 10 August 2026 only if an in-principle agreement is reached by 15 November 2026 and the FWC approves it. See Catholic school teacher pay in Victoria and MACS teacher pay. For the vote result itself, read our VGSA 2026 yes vote report.

Frequently asked questions

Has VGSA 2026 been approved?
Yes. The Fair Work Commission approved it on 16 October 2026, and it came into operation on 23 October 2026, replacing the VGSA 2022.
When do Victorian teachers get back pay?
Now that the agreement has started, the Department has to switch payroll to the new rates and calculate arrears, which may take one or more pay cycles. It hadn't published a back-pay date when we checked on 28 October 2026.
How much back pay will I get under the VGSA?
It depends on your step and when the new rates reach your pay. If that's 1 December 2026, a full-time graduate gets about $2,940 of back pay plus the $2,000 lump sum: about $4,940 before tax. Each extra fortnight adds about $510 at the graduate step.
What date is VGSA 2026 back pay from?
The first pay period on or after 10 August 2026 for the first rise, and on or after 1 October 2026 for the second 9.75% rise. The 15 May 2026 date belonged to the deal AEU members rejected in June.
Where can I get the VGSA 2026 PDF?
The Department of Education publishes the agreement as a PDF, along with an explanation document (links below). The FWC also publishes approved agreements on its website.
Is the $2,000 lump sum taxed?
Yes. It's ordinary income, taxed at your marginal rate. For most classroom teachers that's 32c in the dollar including Medicare, so a full-time teacher keeps about $1,360 (our tax engine, 2026–27 rates).
What will a graduate teacher earn in Victoria under VGSA 2026?
$92,882 from 1 October 2026, back-paid, rising to $96,598 from 1 November 2027 and $105,384 from 1 November 2029.
What if my payslip still shows the old rate?
That's expected until payroll loads the VGSA 2026 rates. Once the new rate appears, check that the back pay covers every day from the first pay period on or after 10 August 2026. Our payslip checker compares it with the agreement.

Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-28

  1. 1.Premier of Victoria: Labor Seals The Deal For Education Staff Pay Rise (17 Sep 2026)
  2. 2.Department of Education: Enterprise bargaining overview (updated 26 Oct 2026)
  3. 3.Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2026 (PDF)
  4. 4.Proposed VGSA 2026: Agreement Explanation (PDF)
  5. 5.Proposed VGSA 2026: Approval Process and FAQs (PDF)
  6. 6.VASSP newsletter, Term 4 issue 7 (Oct 2026)
  7. 7.ABC News: Victorian teachers accept pay deal (17 Aug 2026)
  8. 8.Fair Work Commission (approved agreements are published here)

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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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