On this page (4 sections)
The short answer
Lead Teacher pays $147,050 a year in Queensland government schools from 1 September 2026. After 2026–27 income tax and Medicare that's about $4,164 a fortnight ($108,631 a year), plus $18,749 employer super.
- Gross pay: about $5,636 a fortnight (annual ÷ 26.089).
- With a HELP debt: about $3,705 a fortnight take-home.
- This is the top of the scale we track for QLD.
- Agreement: Department of Education State School Teachers' Certified Agreement 2022.
Annual salary
$147,050
from 1 September 2026
Take-home a fortnight
$4,164
2026–27 tax, no HELP
Employer super
$18,749
12.75% a year
Your pay on Lead Teacher: change FTE, HELP or step
⚙Your details
Salary
Show results
Take-home pay fortnightly
$4,178
Gross pay
$5,656
Income tax
$1,365
After the low income tax offset
Medicare levy
$113
Employer super
$721
12.8% paid on top
Where each dollar goes
- Take-home$108,631 (74%)
- Income tax$35,479 (24%)
- Medicare levy$2,941 (2%)
- HECS-HELP$0 (0%)
- Salary sacrifice & packaging$0 (0%)
What your payslip should show
PAYG withheld each fortnight should be about $1,478 (ATO Scale 2, tax-free threshold claimed). Small differences come from rounding and 27-pay years. Your marginal rate is 39% including Medicare, so each extra $1,000 of salary adds about $610 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: Department of Education State School Teachers' Certified Agreement 2022, verified 16 October 2026.
Lead Teacher pay after tax
Resident, tax-free threshold claimed, full-time. Marginal rate 39% including Medicare. Your payslip's tax withheld may differ slightly from the year-end figure.
Pro-rata salary, 2026–27 tax, no HELP debt.
Lead Teacher pay over time
Bargaining status: In QIRC arbitration: 3% interim rise from 7 Sep 2026 (or the higher 4.75% award rate from 1 Sep 2026); final decision expected late 2026 or 2027
How to reach Lead Teacher
Lead Teacher is reached by application or accreditation, not automatic progression. Requires national HALT certification; interim rate from 7 Sep 2026 A four-year-trained graduate starts at Band 2 Step 1 and moves up one step a year with satisfactory service through Band 2 Steps 1-4 and Band 3 Steps 1-4. Senior Teacher needs one year at Band 3 Step 4 (or two years at Band 3 Step 1 if three-year trained), an Annual Performance Review and a Senior Teacher Undertaking and Action Plan. Experienced Senior Teacher 1 follows two years as a Senior Teacher (opt-in), and EST2 three years after that. Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher are separate classifications for teachers with national HALT certification.
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 Lead Teacher, and get a letter to HR drafted.
Check my pay stepFrequently asked questions
How much does a Lead Teacher teacher earn in QLD?
What is Lead Teacher after tax?
When does Lead Teacher get a pay rise?
How much super does a Lead Teacher teacher get?
Am I on the right step?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16
Download the Queensland teacher pay scale 2026 (PDF)
One page, every step, dated and sourced. Free, no sign-up.
Want the new version when this scale changes? We'll email it to you.
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.