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ACT · Graduate teacher (New Educator)

Graduate teacher salary in the ACT

ACT graduate teachers start on $91,396 (Teacher Level 1), about $2,755 a fortnight after tax, with a lighter teaching load for three years. What to expect.

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

Salary

$91,396

Take-home / fortnight

$2,755

Effective

December 2025

On this page (7 sections)
  1. Graduate teacher (New Educator) pay in ACT
  2. Your first three years in numbers
  3. When your first increment happens
  4. HECS-HELP on a graduate salary
  5. Public vs Catholic for a Canberra graduate
  6. Before your first day
  7. FAQs

The short answer

A four-year-trained graduate teacher in an ACT public school starts on Teacher Level 1, $91,396 a year, since 4 December 2025. After tax that is about $71,629 a year or $2,755 a fortnight. You move to TL2 ($100,006) on the next 27 January and get a reduced teaching load for your first three years.

ACT graduates are New Educators. For your first three years (TL1 to TL3) you teach fewer face-to-face hours than experienced colleagues, and the second step is a big one: TL1 to TL2 is worth $8,610. The catch in 2026 is the pay freeze: graduate pay hasn't moved since December 2025, and Canberra's Catholic schools now pay new teachers more.

Graduate teacher (New Educator) pay in Australian Capital Territory

Annual salaryTake-home / yearTake-home / fortnight
Teacher Level 1 (TL1)$91,396$71,629$2,755

A four-year-trained graduate starts on TL1, $91,396, with a reduced teaching load for the first three years (New Educator, TL1-TL3). You move up one level each 27 January. Effective 4 December 2025.

Your first three years in numbers

ACT New Educator levels from 4 Dec 2025
LevelAnnualTake-home (no HELP)Face-to-face max (primary / secondary)
TL1$91,396$71,62918.5 / 17 hrs a week
TL2$100,006$77,48419.5 / 17.5 hrs a week
TL3$104,314$80,41419.5 / 17.5 hrs a week

Normal maximums are 21 hrs (primary) and 19 hrs averaged (secondary). Take-home uses 2026-27 tax rates.

When your first increment happens

Every ACT teacher progresses on 27 January. That is good news if you start in Term 1: a graduate who starts late January moves to TL2 the following January. Progression is subject to the Teacher Performance and Development Guidelines, so if you start mid-year, ask your principal how that affects your first 27 January increment.

HECS-HELP on a graduate salary

Worked example

TL1 with a HECS-HELP debt

Gross salary
$91,396
Income tax + Medicare
$19,767
HELP repayment
$3,280
Take-home $68,349 a year / about $2,629 a fortnight

Public vs Catholic for a Canberra graduate

Since August 2026, a graduate in a Canberra-Goulburn Catholic systemic school starts on $94,596, $3,200 more than TL1. CECG's August 2025 graduate rate ($91,397) was almost exactly the public TL1 rate that applied from December 2025; the gap exists because public pay is frozen. If a new public agreement is reached, that may change. Read the ACT pay rise page before deciding on pay alone.

Before your first day

  • Full or provisional registration with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute ($115 a year in 2026)
  • Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration through Access Canberra
  • Tax file number declaration, with the HELP box ticked if you have a debt
  • Super fund choice form; consider contributing 3% to unlock the extra 1% employer super
  • Evidence of prior service for level recognition

Free calculator

What will you earn over 10 years?

Project your ACT earnings from TL1 to TL8 and into leadership.

Open the calculator

Frequently asked questions

What is the starting salary for a teacher in the ACT?
$91,396 a year at Teacher Level 1 for a four-year-trained graduate in a public school, applying since 4 December 2025. Teachers on a Permit to Teach start lower, at $82,796.
Do ACT graduate teachers get a reduced load?
Yes. In year one a New Educator teaches at most 18.5 hours a week in primary or 17 in secondary, then 19.5 or 17.5 hours in years two and three.
How much does an ACT graduate teacher take home?
About $71,629 a year, or $2,755 a fortnight, without a HELP debt in 2026-27. With HECS-HELP it is about $68,349.
When do ACT graduates move up a level?
On 27 January each year, the common increment date for all ACT classroom teachers, subject to the performance and development requirements.
Do Catholic schools in Canberra pay graduates more?
Yes, since August 2026. CECG Catholic systemic schools pay graduates $94,596, compared with $91,396 at TL1 in public schools.

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.