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Principal salary in ACT public schools

ACT public school principals (School Leader A) earn $195,885, $210,521 or $225,158 from 4 Dec 2025, set by the Schools Weighted Index. Take-home by level.

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

From

$195,885

Up to

$225,158

Take-home / fortnight

$5,306

Effective

December 2025

On this page (6 sections)
  1. Principal pay in ACT
  2. Principal levels and take-home
  3. What sets your level
  4. Above principal: Director School Improvement
  5. Super and the 45% bracket
  6. FAQs

The short answer

ACT public school principals are School Leader A and earn $195,885 (SLA1), $210,521 (SLA2) or $225,158 (SLA3) from 4 December 2025. The level depends on the school's Schools Weighted Index, not years of service. After 2026-27 tax, take-home is about $137,949 to $153,464.

Principal pay in the ACT is set by the size and complexity of the school, measured by the Schools Weighted Index. There are no annual increments within a level: you are paid the rate for your school. Principals also received an extra 2% on 27 January 2025 under the current agreement, on top of the across-the-board rises.

Principal pay in Australian Capital Territory

ClassificationAnnual salaryTake-home / fortnight
SLA1 (School Leader A Level 1)$195,885$5,306
SLA2 (School Leader A Level 2)$210,521$5,604
SLA3 (School Leader A Level 3)$225,158$5,902
Director School Improvement$263,195$6,678

Principals are School Leader A, paid $195,885 (SLA1), $210,521 (SLA2) or $225,158 (SLA3) from 4 Dec 2025. The level is set by the school's Schools Weighted Index, not by increments. Effective 4 December 2025.

Principal levels and take-home

LevelAnnual (from 4 Dec 2025)Take-home (2026-27)Per fortnight (approx.)
SLA1$195,885$137,949$5,306
SLA2$210,521$145,706$5,604
SLA3$225,158$153,464$5,902

Take-home is before HELP and salary sacrifice. Every level reaches the 45% bracket above $190,000.

What sets your level

The Schools Weighted Index takes into account enrolments and the complexity of the school. A principal moving to a bigger or more complex school can move up a level. Moving between schools is the only way to change your principal salary short of a new agreement. There is no set teaching load for School Leader A.

Above principal: Director School Improvement

The next step is a system role, Director School Improvement, paid $263,195 from 4 December 2025. Directors oversee networks of schools rather than running one.

Super and the 45% bracket

The pay freeze applies to principals too. The rejected 2026 offer included extra for some school leaders; follow updates on the ACT pay rise page.

Free calculator

Principal take-home with salary sacrifice

See what packaging or extra super does at the 47% marginal rate.

Open the calculator

Frequently asked questions

How much does a principal earn in the ACT?
$195,885 to $225,158 a year in ACT public schools from 4 December 2025, depending on whether the school is classed SLA1, SLA2 or SLA3.
What is the take-home pay of an ACT principal?
About $137,949 at SLA1, $145,706 at SLA2 and $153,464 at SLA3 in 2026-27, before HELP and salary sacrifice.
How is an ACT principal's salary level decided?
By the school's Schools Weighted Index, which reflects its size and complexity. There are no increments within a principal level.
Did ACT principals get an extra rise?
Yes. School Leader A got an extra 2% from 27 January 2025 under the 2023-2026 agreement, on top of the rises everyone received.
What is above principal in the ACT?
Director School Improvement, a system leadership role paid $263,195 from 4 December 2025.

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.