Western Australia teacher salary 2026

WA public school pay is set by the School Education Act Employees' (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2023 (WAIRC AG 24 of 2024), read with the 1993 Teachers Award. It gave rises of 5%, 4% and 3% from December 2023, 2024 and 2025, about 12.5% compounded. It expires on 5 December 2026, and the next deal is still being bargained.

The table shows the previous and current pay columns. There is no future column yet because no rise has been agreed after December 2025. This page explains how you move up the scale, the two pathways above it, and how WA compares.

WA teacher pay scale from 6 December 2025

WA teacher pay rises

Leadership and other roles in WA

Your WA take-home pay

How the WA classroom scale works

The classroom scale has nine steps, Level 2.1 to Level 2.9. The Department of Education says Level 2.1 is the starting salary for a qualified teacher. You move up one increment each year on your anniversary date, as long as your service is satisfactory (Award cl 26), so 2.1 to 2.9 takes eight years. The gap between the two ends is $39,559 a year.

There is also an untrained teacher scale (Level 1.1 $70,096 to 1.8 $103,568) for people teaching without a recognised teaching qualification. Placement above 2.1 for prior experience or extra qualifications is set by the Award and department rules, so ask the department's salary team to assess your service before you accept a job.

Two pathways above Level 2.9

WA's scale has no HALT steps. Instead, a classroom teacher at the top of the scale can earn more in two ways without taking on a school leadership job.

• Senior Teacher 1 ($132,557): by application after 12 months at 2.9. You need full TRBWA registration, relevant professional learning in the last five years (one pathway is 40 hours aligned to the Professional Standards), and you take on one extra duty such as mentoring, curriculum or school planning work.
• Senior Teacher 2 ($134,165): new in the 2023 GA. It needs 12 months at ST1 and two extra duties.
• Level 3 Classroom Teacher ($137,567 to $141,551): reached through a portfolio of five competencies plus a second stage. Competencies can be banked for up to three years, and 3.1 moves to 3.2 automatically after 12 months. Level 3.3 ($147,077) is paid only in the trial schools. See Level 3 Classroom Teacher pay.

Above those sit the School Administrator levels used for heads of learning area, deputies and principals, from $141,551 at Level 3.1 to $206,662 at Level 6.4. See head of learning area pay, deputy principal pay and principal pay.

What changes next

Nothing is locked in. The 3% rise from 6 December 2025 was the last one under the 2023 GA, and the agreement expires on 5 December 2026. The SSTUWA has started its 2026 log of claims, but we found no government offer as at 16 October 2026. When the agreement expires, current rates keep applying until a new one is registered. Last time, rises were back-dated once the deal was registered. The WA pay rise page follows the bargaining.

How WA compares nationally

WA's graduate rate of $88,178 is below the NT ($96,180), NSW ($92,882) and Queensland ($90,164). Its top classroom step, $127,737, is well behind the NT's $136,997. With no rise since December 2025, WA will slip further behind states that have rises scheduled for 2026 and 2027 until a new deal lands. WA's country incentives are among the most generous, though: up to $20,870 a year at Remote Teaching Service schools and $13,730 in Country Teaching Program Band A. Compare the states in which state pays teachers the most, NSW vs WA and WA vs NT.

How to check your step