On this page (5 sections)
The short answer
Step 3 (Proficient) pays $104,156 a year in New South Wales government schools from 9 October 2026. After 2026–27 income tax and Medicare that's about $3,078 a fortnight ($80,306 a year), plus $12,499 employer super.
- Gross pay: about $3,992 a fortnight (annual ÷ 26.089).
- With a HELP debt: about $2,879 a fortnight take-home.
- Next step up: Step 4 at $108,421 (+$4,265 a year).
- Agreement: Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024.
Annual salary
$104,156
from 9 October 2026
Take-home a fortnight
$3,078
2026–27 tax, no HELP
Employer super
$12,499
12% a year
Your pay on Step 3: change FTE, HELP or step
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Take-home pay fortnightly
$3,089
Gross pay
$4,006
Income tax
$837
After the low income tax offset
Medicare levy
$80
Employer super
$481
12.0% paid on top
Where each dollar goes
- Take-home$80,306 (77%)
- Income tax$21,767 (21%)
- Medicare levy$2,083 (2%)
- HECS-HELP$0 (0%)
- Salary sacrifice & packaging$0 (0%)
What your payslip should show
PAYG withheld each fortnight should be about $920 (ATO Scale 2, tax-free threshold claimed). Small differences come from rounding and 27-pay years. Your marginal rate is 32% including Medicare, so each extra $1,000 of salary adds about $680 to take-home.
Estimates for an Australian resident for 2026–27 who claims the tax-free threshold, with no other income, no dependants and private hospital cover not required. Medicare levy uses the 2025–26 low-income thresholds (2026–27 not yet published). Pay data: Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024, verified 16 October 2026.
Step 3 pay after tax
Resident, tax-free threshold claimed, full-time. Marginal rate 32% including Medicare. Your payslip's tax withheld may differ slightly from the year-end figure.
Pro-rata salary, 2026–27 tax, no HELP debt.
Step 3 pay over time
Bargaining status: Final 3% rise paid from Oct 2026; award expires 8 Oct 2027 with no further rise scheduled.
Moving up from Step 3
8 pay points: Steps 1-2 (Graduate), Steps 3-7 (Proficient), then Highly Accomplished/Lead. You move up one step after each year of service (203 days full-time) with a satisfactory Performance and Development process. Step 2 to Step 3 also needs confirmed Proficient accreditation from NESA. Step 7 to HA/Lead needs HA or Lead accreditation plus at least a year at Step 7. Pay depends on keeping your accreditation. A full-time graduate who reaches Proficient on time gets to Step 7 in about 6 years. On normal progression, Step 3 is about 2 years after the Step 1 graduate step; the top classroom step (Step 7, $133,422) usually takes about 6 years.
The same experience in other states
Matched by years of normal progression from each state's graduate step; capped at each state's top classroom step. Current payable rates only.
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Should you be on a higher step?
If you have overseas, Catholic, independent, casual or industry experience, check whether it should put you above Step 3, and get a letter to HR drafted.
Check my pay stepFrequently asked questions
How much does a Step 3 teacher earn in NSW?
What is Step 3 after tax?
How much more is Step 4 than Step 3?
When does Step 3 get a pay rise?
How much super does a Step 3 teacher get?
Am I on the right step?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16
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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.