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SA take-home pay · 2026–27

SA teacher salary after tax in 2026–27

What SA teachers take home in 2026–27: Step 1 nets $67,260 a year ($2,587 a fortnight) and Step 9 $93,280. HECS, super, country zones and salary sacrifice.

✓ Fact-checked against official sources Updated 16 October 2026 3 min read

Graduate / fortnight

$2,587

Top step / fortnight

$3,588

Graduate / year

$67,260

Top step / year

$93,280

On this page (7 sections)
  1. Take-home at every step
  2. Worked examples at three SA steps
  3. HECS-HELP repayments
  4. Country zone allowance is taxed as salary
  5. Super on top of your salary
  6. Salary sacrifice for Lead Teachers and leaders
  7. FAQs

The short answer

On 2026–27 tax rates, an SA teacher on Step 1 ($84,971) takes home about $67,260 a year, or $2,587 a fortnight, after income tax and Medicare. At Step 9 ($123,236) take-home is about $93,280, or $3,588 a fortnight. A Lead Teacher on $141,365 takes home about $105,163. HECS-HELP repayments reduce these figures.

The table shows take-home pay at every SA step using 2026–27 resident tax rates, the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy. It assumes no HECS-HELP, no salary sacrifice and no allowances. The worked examples below add those in.

SA teacher salary after tax, every step

South Australia teacher take-home pay, 2026–27 tax year, pay rates from 8 May 2026
StepSalaryTax + MedicareTake-home / yearTake-home / fortnightWith HECS / fortnightPAYG / fortnight
Step 1 Graduate / entry for registered teachers$84,971$17,711$67,260$2,587$2,498$682
Step 2 Teacher Step 2$89,350$19,112$70,238$2,701$2,587$736
Step 3 Teacher Step 3$93,735$20,515$73,220$2,816$2,676$790
Step 4 Teacher Step 4$98,113$21,916$76,197$2,931$2,766$844
Step 5 Teacher Step 5$102,509$23,323$79,186$3,046$2,855$898
Step 6 Teacher Step 6$106,890$24,725$82,165$3,160$2,945$952
Step 7 Teacher Step 7$111,269$26,126$85,143$3,275$3,034$1,006
Step 8 Teacher Step 8 (top of automatic increments)$117,198$28,023$89,175$3,430$3,155$1,080
Step 9 Top of scale (by application after 207 duty days at Step 8)$123,236$29,956$93,280$3,588$3,278$1,154
AST2 Advanced Skills Teacher 2 / Key Teacher Fallback$127,798$31,415$96,383$3,707$3,371$1,210
HAT Highly Accomplished Teacher$133,736$33,316$100,420$3,862$3,489$1,282
LT Lead Teacher$141,365$36,202$105,163$4,045$3,621$1,394

Resident tax rates for 2026–27 with the tax-free threshold claimed, Medicare levy 2%, no salary sacrifice. 'With HECS' includes the compulsory HELP repayment. PAYG is the ATO Scale 2 amount your school withholds each fortnight.

Worked examples at three SA steps

Worked example

Step 1, $84,971

Income tax (after LITO)
$16,011
Medicare levy
$1,699
PAYG withheld per fortnight (approx.)
$682
Employer super (12%, on top)
$10,197
Take-home $67,260 a year ($2,587 a fortnight)
Worked example

Step 5, $102,509

Income tax (after LITO)
$21,273
Medicare levy
$2,050
Employer super (12%)
$12,301
Take-home $79,186 a year ($3,046 a fortnight)
Worked example

Step 9, $123,236

Income tax (after LITO)
$27,491
Medicare levy
$2,465
PAYG withheld per fortnight (approx.)
$1,154
Employer super (12%)
$14,788
Take-home $93,280 a year ($3,588 a fortnight)

HECS-HELP repayments

If you have a HELP debt, your employer withholds repayments through PAYG once you tick the box on your TFN declaration. At Step 1 the compulsory repayment is about $2,316 a year, so take-home falls to about $64,944 ($2,498 a fortnight). At Step 4 ($98,113) the repayment is about $4,288 and take-home about $71,909. At Step 9 it is about $8,056, leaving $85,224. See HECS-HELP for teachers.

Country zone allowance is taxed as salary

The Country Incentives Zone Allowance is paid fortnightly with your salary and taxed the same way. A Step 1 teacher in a Zone 5 school gets $11,391 on top of $84,971, so earns $96,362 and takes home about $75,006, around $7,746 a year more than in Adelaide. With a HELP debt that is about $70,981. Zone 2 is worth $2,261, Zone 3 $3,986 and Zone 4 $7,031. The full list is on the SA rural and remote page.

Super on top of your salary

The department pays 12% Superannuation Guarantee on top of your salary, into Super SA unless you choose another fund. That is $10,197 a year at Step 1 and $14,788 at Step 9. It doesn't come out of your take-home pay. More on fund choice and the old defined-benefit schemes is on SA teacher super.

Salary sacrifice for Lead Teachers and leaders

Lead Teacher ($141,365) is $6,365 above the $135,000 threshold where the marginal rate rises to 39% including Medicare. Sacrificing $10,000 into super cuts tax and Medicare from $36,202 to $32,557, a saving of $3,645. Your take-home falls by $6,355 (to $98,808) and your fund receives $8,500 after 15% contributions tax. At Step 9 the same $10,000 saves $3,200. Keep within the $32,500 concessional cap, which includes your employer's 12%. Read salary sacrifice super for teachers first.

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Work out your exact SA take-home

Enter your step, country zone, HECS-HELP and any salary sacrifice.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does a Step 1 teacher take home in SA?
About $2,587 a fortnight, or $67,260 a year, on $84,971 before HECS-HELP. With a HELP debt it is about $2,498 a fortnight.
What is Step 9 after tax in SA?
Step 9 on $123,236 takes home about $93,280 a year, or $3,588 a fortnight, on 2026–27 tax rates.
Is the SA country zone allowance taxed?
Yes. It is paid fortnightly with your salary and taxed as ordinary income. A Zone 5 allowance of $11,391 adds about $7,746 a year to a Step 1 teacher's take-home.
How much super do SA teachers get?
The employer pays 12% Superannuation Guarantee on top of salary: $10,197 a year at Step 1 and $14,788 at Step 9. Super SA is the default fund.
Do any SA classroom teachers pay the 37% tax rate?
Only Lead Teachers. Lead Teacher at $141,365 is above the $135,000 threshold. Step 9 and Highly Accomplished Teacher ($133,736) are just below it.
What do SA teachers take home a month?
About $5,605 a month at Step 1 and $7,773 at Step 9, before HECS-HELP, though SA pays fortnightly rather than monthly.

Sources we checked · last verified 16 October 2026

  1. 1.SAET: South Australian School and Preschool Education Staff Enterprise Agreement 2024 (ET-24-00640)
  2. 2.SA DfE: School teachers pay rates, effective 08/05/2026 (PDF)
  3. 3.SA DfE: Pay rates, forms for new employees and enterprise agreements
  4. 4.TRB SA: Payment of registration fees
  5. 5.AEU SA: EA27 campaign next phase (Oct 2026)
  6. 6.IEU SA: Same Work, Different Pay (Mar 2026)
  7. 7.IEU SA: Catholic EB24 – more than just numbers (Aug 2026)

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.