On this page (5 sections)
The short answer
CT8 (Classroom Teacher 8) pays $131,349 a year in Northern Territory government schools from 1 January 2026. After 2026–27 income tax and Medicare that's about $3,787 a fortnight ($98,797 a year), plus $15,762 employer super. Scheduled rates take it to $136,997 from 1 January 2027.
- Gross pay: about $5,035 a fortnight (annual ÷ 26.089).
- With a HELP debt: about $3,430 a fortnight take-home.
- Next step up: CT9 at $136,997 (+$5,648 a year).
- Agreement: Northern Territory Public Sector Educators' 2024-2027 Enterprise Agreement.
Annual salary
$131,349
from 1 January 2026
Take-home a fortnight
$3,787
2026–27 tax, no HELP
Employer super
$15,762
12% a year
Your pay on CT8: change FTE, HELP or step
⚙Your details
Salary
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Take-home pay fortnightly
$3,800
Gross pay
$5,052
Income tax
$1,151
After the low income tax offset
Medicare levy
$101
Employer super
$606
12.0% paid on top
Where each dollar goes
- Take-home$98,797 (75%)
- Income tax$29,925 (23%)
- Medicare levy$2,627 (2%)
- HECS-HELP$0 (0%)
- Salary sacrifice & packaging$0 (0%)
After the next scheduled rise (1 January 2027)
CT8 becomes $136,997 full-time.
+$142 /fortnight
What your payslip should show
PAYG withheld each fortnight should be about $1,254 (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: Northern Territory Public Sector Educators' 2024-2027 Enterprise Agreement, verified 16 October 2026.
CT8 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.
CT8 pay over time
Bargaining status: Agreement in force to 31 Dec 2027; final 4.3% rise due January 2027; no bargaining under way
CT8 rises to $136,997 from 1 January 2027: about $142 a fortnight more after tax. Any back pay depends on when the rise reaches your pay; work yours out on the NT pay rise page.
Moving up from CT8
Graduates start at CT1. Teachers with more than 12 months' post-qualification experience are placed by completed years of service (1 year = CT2). You move up one CT level after each 12 months' service, continuous or broken (cl. 39.2); increments are withheld only through inability or discipline processes, so CT1 to CT9 takes about 8 years. Under Rapid Incremental Progression (cl. 39.3) an early-career teacher can jump to CT4 at the start of year 3 after 2 years in NT government schools within 4 years plus 2 semester units of postgraduate study. 180 days of relief teaching count as 1 year of service (cl. 30.3). Senior Teacher (ST1-ST8) and Principal (PLO1-PLO7) levels are promotion positions set by job evaluation. On normal progression, CT8 is about 7 years after the CT1 graduate step; the top classroom step (CT9, $136,997) usually takes about 8 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.
Free calculator
Should you be on a higher step?
If you have overseas, Catholic, independent, casual or industry experience, check whether it should put you above CT8, and get a letter to HR drafted.
Check my pay stepFrequently asked questions
How much does a CT8 teacher earn in NT?
What is CT8 after tax?
How much more is CT9 than CT8?
When does CT8 get a pay rise?
How much super does a CT8 teacher get?
Am I on the right step?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16
Download the NT teacher pay scale 2026 (PDF)
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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.