On this page (8 sections)
The short answer
NSW public schools pay casual teachers on three levels. From 9 October 2026 a full day is $480.43 at Casual Teacher 1 (CT1), $538.73 at CT2 and $599.85 at CT3. You reach CT2 after at least 2 full-time-equivalent years plus the relevant NESA accreditation, and CT3 after a further 2 FTE years with accreditation maintained.
- Rates rose 3% on 9 October 2026, the last rise under the 2024 award.
- A day is 6.5 hours including a 30-minute break.
- The rate includes a 5% loading in place of sick and other leave.
- Super (12%) is paid on top.
NSW casual teacher rates, October 2026
Source: Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024, Schedule 4; confirmed by Teach.NSW (updated 12 October 2026). The award expires 8 October 2027 and no further rise is scheduled under it.
These are rates for casual teachers employed by the NSW Department of Education in public schools. Catholic and independent schools set casual rates under their own agreements; see catholic and independent school teacher pay. For how NSW compares with other states, see casual relief teacher pay across Australia.
Work out your relief teaching pay
⚙Your details
Casual relief teaching income this year
$57,652
Per day
$480
$93 PAYG withheld
Per week
$1,441
$280 PAYG withheld
Per term
$14,413
10 weeks a term
Employer super
$6,918
12% on top, paid to your fund
Likely tax refund: about $2,367
You'll owe about $8,833 in income tax and Medicare on $57,652 of total income, and about $11,200 is withheld. Payroll withholds each week as if you earned that much all 52 weeks, but you only work school weeks, so you usually get some back.
No holiday pay, no sick pay: what the day rate includes
Casual rates are built from the permanent salary plus a loading in lieu of paid leave. You are not paid in school holidays, on days you're not booked, or when you're sick. You do get 12% super on every day you work, and casual service usually counts towards long service leave.
Compared with a permanent job
A full-time permanent teacher on Step 1 earns $92,882 ($2,794 take-home a fortnight), paid across all 52 weeks with paid holidays, sick leave and parental leave. At $480 a day you'd need about 193 days to match it; a school year has about 200. Working every school day as a casual would pay $96,086 ($3,204 more), and your planned 120 days is 62% of that permanent salary.
Estimates for an Australian resident, 2026–27 tax rates. PAYG uses ATO Scale 2 when the tax-free threshold is claimed; second-job withholding is our approximation of Scale 1 and may differ from your payslip by a few dollars a week. Tax owed includes the low income tax offset and Medicare levy (single, no dependants). Part days are paid pro rata; minimum engagements vary by state. Casual rate: Casual teacher, Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024, verified 16 October 2026.
What decides your level
Your casual level depends on two things: service and accreditation. Under clauses 23.7 and 23.8 of the award, moving from CT1 to CT2 needs at least 2 FTE years of teaching service plus the relevant accreditation; moving from CT2 to CT3 needs a further 2 FTE years, with your accreditation maintained. Casual days are converted to full-time equivalent. For salary purposes the department treats 203 days as one full-time year and credits service in whole terms of 50 days.
Our estimate from the service rule, assuming the accreditation condition is met. Earlier permanent, temporary, interstate and some overseas service can count too. Check your service record in your department account and with your payroll team.
What each level is worth over a year
From our 2026-27 tax engine: resident, tax-free threshold claimed with this employer only, no HELP debt. Rates from 9 October 2026 applied to all days for simplicity.
Moving from CT1 to CT2
- Extra per day
- $538.73 - $480.43 = $58.30
- Extra over 150 days, gross
- $8,745
- Extra after tax
- $5,947
- Extra employer super
- $1,049
From our tax engine. If the department hasn't moved you up when you think you qualify, ask your payroll team to check your service and accreditation.
Free calculator
Casual relief teacher pay calculator
Choose NSW and your level, enter days per term, and see your yearly take-home, super and what CT2 or CT3 would add.
Calculate my casual payPart days, call-ins and long blocks
- A full day is 6.5 continuous hours including a 30-minute break.
- Minimum engagement is 2 hours.
- Called in and then not needed: you get half a day's pay.
- Part days: the award doesn't set a separate half-day rate. Part days are paid pro rata by the hour; check your payslip against the hours you worked.
- Relieving in an executive role: if you relieve as a TP1 or AP1, the casual relieving rate of $794.12 a day applies after 10 days.
- Long blocks: if you're offered a block covering a full term or more, ask whether it's a temporary engagement, which is paid on the salary scale with leave.
The 5% loading and what it replaces
NSW casual rates include a 5% loading in place of sick leave, family and community service leave, special leave and leave loading. That's much lower than other states' casual loadings (22% in Victoria, 25% in Queensland, SA, the ACT and the NT), but NSW's daily rates are still among the highest in the country. You're not paid for school holidays or public holidays you don't work. Casual teachers do accrue long service leave under the Long Service Leave Act 1955.
Temporary teachers get the pro-rata salary and conditions of permanent teachers on the same scale, except the deferred salary scheme (award cl 22.1).
Casual (CT1 to CT3)
- Daily rate with 5% loading
- Paid only for days worked
- No paid holidays or sick leave
- Choose which days you work
- Level set by service and accreditation
Temporary (salary scale)
- Pro-rata salary on the classroom scale
- Paid through school holidays within the engagement
- Sick leave and most permanent conditions
- Fixed engagement, often a term or year
- Step set by accreditation: Step 1 to Step 7
CT3 casual vs a temporary role at Step 3 (Proficient), full year (2026-27)
- CT3 casual, 180 days x $599.85
- $107,973 gross
- Temporary full-time at Step 3
- $104,156 gross, plus paid holidays and sick leave
The casual figure needs 180 paid days, which few casuals get. The temporary role pays the same every fortnight, including holidays. Check the take-home on each with the teacher take-home pay calculator.
Tax and super for NSW casuals
In NSW public schools the Department is your employer, so all your public school days usually come through one payroll, which makes tax withholding simpler than in Victoria. If you also work for a Catholic system, an independent school or an agency, claim the tax-free threshold with your main payer only. Super of 12% is paid on top of every day, with each payday from 1 July 2026. See relief teacher tax and casual teacher super.
Checking you're on the right level
If you think you should be CT2 or CT3
- Add up your full-time-equivalent service, including earlier temporary, permanent and interstate service.
- Check your NESA accreditation level and status in your NESA account.
- Compare the classification on your payslip with the table above.
- Ask your payroll or HR team to review your service record, in writing.
- Keep your own diary of days worked at each school, in case records are incomplete.
- Talk to the NSW Teachers Federation if you're still stuck.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Casual Teacher 1 in NSW?
How do I get to Casual Teacher 2 in NSW?
What is the CT3 rate in NSW?
How many days is a full-time year for a NSW casual?
Do NSW casual teachers get a half-day rate?
Do NSW casual teachers get paid in school holidays?
When is the next NSW casual teacher pay rise?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-17
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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