WA vs TAS teacher pay: which state pays more in 2026?

WA vs TAS at a glance

Pay and take-home at every career stage

Steps don't line up exactly between states, so we compare like-for-like career stages: the usual graduate entry step, about five years in, the top of the incremental classroom scale, and the highest classroom step (reached through HALT, Senior Teacher or a similar classification).

What's different about teaching in Western Australia

WA's 2023 General Agreement pays $88,178 at Level 2.1 rising to $127,737 at 2.9, plus a $2,000 graduate allowance for two years, but no rise is scheduled after December 2025 and the agreement expires on 5 December 2026. Its country deal is among the richest in Australia: $5,000-$13,730 under the Country Teaching Program, $15,370-$20,870 in Remote Teaching Service schools and up to $7,000 more in 2026. Teachers also get 14 weeks' paid parental leave and long service leave from 7 years pro rata.

Qualified teachers start at Level 2.1 (DoE). You move up one increment a year on your anniversary date, subject to satisfactory service, from 2.1 to 2.9 (Award cl 26), so the top of the automatic scale takes eight years. Senior Teacher 1 is by application: full TRBWA registration, 12 months at 2.9, relevant professional learning in the last five years (one pathway is 40 hours aligned to the APST) and one extra duty such as mentoring or curriculum work. Senior Teacher 2 needs 12 months at ST1 and two extra duties. Level 3 Classroom Teacher is reached through a portfolio of five competencies plus a second stage; competencies can be banked for up to three years, and 3.1 moves to 3.2 automatically after 12 months. Level 3.3 is paid only in the trial schools. Relief teachers move up a step after every 200 days worked (Award cl 10(4)).

Full details: WA pay scale, WA salary after tax and WA pay rise tracker.

What's different about teaching in Tasmania

Tasmania's headline pay is among the lowest, $85,313 for a Level 5 graduate and $122,393 at the top of Band 1, but its Teachers Agreement 2025 locks in 3% in March 2027 and 2.75% in March 2028. Isolated schools add a Level 8 start ($99,010), a $5,000 settling-in payment and retention payments, and TRB registration costs $121.32 a year.

One Band 1 scale of 13 levels with annual increments. Your starting level depends on your training: 4-year trained teachers start at Level 4 and 5-year trained at Level 5, and DECYP says the usual beginning salary is Level 5 (Level 8 in isolated schools). Moving to Level 13 needs full TRB registration and 12 months at Level 12. In the 3-year trained and transition streams, Levels 9 and 10 each take two years.

Full details: TAS pay scale, TAS salary after tax and TAS pay rise tracker.

Country incentives, leave and the things salary tables miss

Headline salary is only part of the deal. Country and remote postings can add thousands a year, and leave rules change what a career is worth.