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ACT take-home pay · 2026–27

ACT teacher salary after tax: what you actually take home

An ACT graduate on $91,396 takes home about $71,629 a year ($2,755 a fortnight) in 2026-27. Take-home at every level, plus HECS, super and salary sacrifice.

✓ Fact-checked against official sources Updated 16 October 2026 3 min read

Graduate / fortnight

$2,755

Top step / fortnight

$3,741

Graduate / year

$71,629

Top step / year

$97,272

On this page (6 sections)
  1. Take-home at every step
  2. Worked examples at three ACT levels
  3. HECS-HELP: the biggest hit for new teachers
  4. Super: 12.5%, or 13.5% if you put in 3%
  5. Part-time and casual take-home
  6. FAQs

The short answer

An ACT graduate teacher on $91,396 (TL1) takes home about $71,629 a year in 2026-27, or roughly $2,755 a fortnight, after income tax and Medicare. At TL8, $129,106, take-home is about $97,272 a year ($3,741 a fortnight). A HECS-HELP debt cuts a graduate's take-home by about $3,280 a year.

These figures use the 2026-27 tax rates (15%, 30%, 37% and 45% brackets), the 2% Medicare levy and the low income tax offset where it applies. The table shows after-tax pay at every ACT Teacher Level. Below we work through the cases that change your number most: HECS-HELP, the ACT's extra 1% super deal and salary sacrifice.

One ACT quirk: the Education Directorate pays fortnightly using annual rate x 12 / 313, not annual / 26. On TL1 that is $3,504.00 gross a fortnight rather than $3,515. Our fortnightly net figures divide by 26, so your actual gross pay is about $11 to $16 lower each fortnight at classroom levels (roughly $8 to $11 after tax).

ACT teacher salary after tax, every step

Australian Capital Territory teacher take-home pay, 2026–27 tax year, pay rates from 4 December 2025
StepSalaryTax + MedicareTake-home / yearTake-home / fortnightWith HECS / fortnightPAYG / fortnight
PTT Permit to Teach$82,796$17,015$65,781$2,530$2,454$656
TL1 Graduate (New Educator)$91,396$19,767$71,629$2,755$2,629$762
TL2 New Educator$100,006$22,522$77,484$2,980$2,804$868
TL3 New Educator$104,314$23,900$80,414$3,093$2,892$922
TL4 Experienced Teacher$108,619$25,278$83,341$3,205$2,980$974
TL5 Experienced Teacher$112,924$26,656$86,268$3,318$3,068$1,026
TL6 Experienced Teacher$120,102$28,953$91,149$3,506$3,214$1,114
TL7 Experienced Teacher$127,276$31,248$96,028$3,693$3,360$1,204
TL8 Top of classroom scale$129,106$31,834$97,272$3,741$3,398$1,226

Resident tax rates for 2026–27 with the tax-free threshold claimed, Medicare levy 2%, no salary sacrifice. 'With HECS' includes the compulsory HELP repayment. PAYG is the ATO Scale 2 amount your school withholds each fortnight.

Worked examples at three ACT levels

Worked example

Graduate, TL1: $91,396

Gross salary
$91,396
Income tax (after LITO)
$17,939
Medicare levy (2%)
$1,828
PAYG withheld per fortnight
about $762
Take-home $71,629 a year / about $2,755 a fortnight

Marginal rate 32% (30% tax + 2% Medicare). No HECS-HELP.

Worked example

Experienced Teacher, TL4: $108,619

Gross salary
$108,619
Income tax (after LITO)
$23,106
Medicare levy
$2,172
Take-home $83,341 a year / about $3,205 a fortnight
Worked example

Top of scale, TL8: $129,106

Gross salary
$129,106
Income tax (after LITO)
$29,252
Medicare levy
$2,582
PAYG withheld per fortnight
about $1,226
Take-home $97,272 a year / about $3,741 a fortnight

Still in the 32% marginal bracket. You don't hit 39% until taxable income passes $135,000, which in the ACT means a School Leader C role or TL8 plus the HALT payment.

HECS-HELP: the biggest hit for new teachers

HELP repayments use the 2026-27 marginal system: you repay a percentage of your repayment income above the threshold, not of your whole income. A graduate on $91,396 repays about $3,280 a year, cutting take-home to about $68,349 ($2,629 a fortnight). On TL2, $100,006, the repayment is about $4,572 and take-home about $72,912. At TL8, it is about $8,937, leaving about $88,335.

Super: 12.5%, or 13.5% if you put in 3%

The ACT employer contribution is 12.5% of ordinary time earnings from 1 January 2026, above the 12% guarantee. If you contribute 3% or more through ACT payroll, the employer adds another 1%. On TL8 that 1% is worth $1,291 a year; on TL1 it is $914. Super doesn't come out of your take-home: it is paid on top.

Worked example

TL8 putting 3% into super by salary sacrifice

Gross salary
$129,106
Salary sacrifice (3%)
$3,873
Tax + Medicare on $125,233
$30,595
Employer super at 13.5%
about $17,429 (vs $16,138 at 12.5%)
Take-home $94,638 a year (down $2,634)

Your $3,873 goes in taxed at 15% inside the fund rather than 32%, and it unlocks an extra $1,291 from the employer. Check with your fund or a licensed adviser before changing contributions. How the 3% must be made (pre- or post-tax) is set by EA clause D7.5.

Part-time and casual take-home

Part-time teachers are paid pro rata. A 0.6 FTE teacher on TL4 earns $65,171 and takes home about $53,819 a year. Casual relief teachers are taxed on what each pay contains, so PAYG swings week to week; see the ACT casual relief teacher pay page.

Free calculator

Your exact ACT take-home

Add HECS-HELP, salary sacrifice and part-time FTE to see your fortnightly pay.

Calculate my take-home

Frequently asked questions

How much does an ACT graduate teacher take home a fortnight?
About $2,755 a fortnight on TL1 ($91,396) without HECS-HELP, or about $2,629 with it. Because the ACT pays using annual x 12 / 313, the payslip figure is a few dollars lower.
What is the take-home pay at the top of the ACT scale?
About $97,272 a year, or $3,741 a fortnight, at TL8 ($129,106) in 2026-27, before any HELP repayment or salary sacrifice.
What tax bracket are ACT teachers in?
Every ACT classroom level, TL1 to TL8, falls in the 30% bracket, which is 32% with Medicare. Executive Teachers and above, and TL8 teachers receiving the HALT payment, cross into the 37% bracket above $135,000.
How much super do ACT public teachers get?
12.5% of ordinary time earnings from 1 January 2026, plus an extra 1% if you contribute at least 3% through ACT payroll. That is up to 13.5%, more than the 12% guarantee most employers pay.
Why is my ACT pay slightly less than annual salary divided by 26?
Because the ACT calculates fortnightly pay as annual rate x 12 / 313. That spreads the salary over about 26.08 fortnights, so each pay is slightly smaller. It isn't an error.
Does leave loading change my take-home?
Yes, once a year. ACT classroom teachers get 17.5% loading on their four weeks' annual leave, paid with the designated summer leave, with any balance paid on the first payday in November. It is taxed as normal income.

Sources we checked · last verified 16 October 2026

  1. 1.ACT Public Sector Education Directorate (Teaching Staff) EA 2023-2026, [2023] FWCA 2456 (AEU ACT copy)
  2. 2.AEU ACT: 2025/6 Teaching Staff Bargaining
  3. 3.Region Canberra: Term 4 strikes possible as teachers reject offer (14 Sep 2026)
  4. 4.ABC News: Canberra public school staff take more industrial action (24 Sep 2026)
  5. 5.ACT Teacher Quality Institute (Fees) Determination 2026 (No 1), DI2026-1
  6. 6.Your Agreement Explained: NSW and ACT Catholic Systemic Schools EA 2025
  7. 7.IEU: Catholic systemic EAs 2025

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.