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WA take-home pay · 2026–27

WA teacher salary after tax in 2026–27

What WA teachers take home in 2026–27: Level 2.1 nets $69,441 a year ($2,671 a fortnight), Level 2.9 $96,341. HECS, super, country pay and salary sacrifice.

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

Graduate / fortnight

$2,671

Top step / fortnight

$3,705

Graduate / year

$69,441

Top step / year

$96,341

On this page (7 sections)
  1. Take-home at every step
  2. Worked examples at three WA levels
  3. Why your WA fortnightly pay isn't salary ÷ 26
  4. HECS-HELP repayments
  5. Country and remote allowances are taxed as salary
  6. Salary sacrifice above $135,000
  7. FAQs

The short answer

On 2026–27 tax rates, a WA teacher on Level 2.1 ($88,178) takes home about $69,441 a year, or $2,671 a fortnight, after income tax and Medicare. At Level 2.9 ($127,737) take-home is about $96,341, or $3,705 a fortnight. HECS-HELP repayments reduce these figures; the $2,000 graduate allowance adds to them.

The table shows take-home pay at every WA level 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 examples below add those in.

WA teacher salary after tax, every step

Western Australia teacher take-home pay, 2026–27 tax year, pay rates from 6 December 2025
StepSalaryTax + MedicareTake-home / yearTake-home / fortnightWith HECS / fortnightPAYG / fortnight
2.1 Graduate (qualified teacher start)$88,178$18,737$69,441$2,671$2,563$722
2.2 Teacher Level 2.2$95,627$21,121$74,506$2,866$2,715$814
2.3 Teacher Level 2.3$103,568$23,662$79,906$3,073$2,877$912
2.4 Teacher Level 2.4$107,175$24,816$82,359$3,168$2,950$956
2.5 Teacher Level 2.5$110,925$26,016$84,909$3,266$3,027$1,002
2.6 Teacher Level 2.6$114,820$27,262$87,558$3,368$3,106$1,050
2.7 Teacher Level 2.7$118,868$28,558$90,310$3,473$3,189$1,100
2.8 Teacher Level 2.8$123,141$29,925$93,216$3,585$3,276$1,152
2.9 Top of automatic increments$127,737$31,396$96,341$3,705$3,370$1,210
ST1 Senior Teacher 1$132,557$32,938$99,619$3,831$3,466$1,268
ST2 Senior Teacher 2$134,165$33,453$100,712$3,874$3,497$1,288
3.1 Level 3 Classroom Teacher 3.1$137,567$34,721$102,846$3,956$3,557$1,336
3.2 Level 3 Classroom Teacher 3.2$141,551$36,275$105,276$4,049$3,624$1,398
3.3 Level 3 Classroom Teacher 3.3 (trial only)$147,077$38,430$108,647$4,179$3,718$1,480

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 WA levels

Worked example

Level 2.1 graduate, $88,178

Income tax (after LITO)
$16,973
Medicare levy
$1,764
PAYG withheld per fortnight (approx.)
$722
Employer super (12%, on top)
$10,581
Take-home $69,441 a year ($2,671 a fortnight)

With the $2,000 Graduate Teacher Allowance ($90,178 in total), take-home is about $70,801.

Worked example

Level 2.5, $110,925

Income tax (after LITO)
$23,798
Medicare levy
$2,219
Employer super (12%)
$13,311
Take-home $84,909 a year ($3,266 a fortnight)
Worked example

Level 2.9 top of scale, $127,737

Income tax (after LITO)
$28,841
Medicare levy
$2,555
Marginal rate (incl. Medicare)
32%
Employer super (12%)
$15,328
Take-home $96,341 a year ($3,705 a fortnight)

Why your WA fortnightly pay isn't salary ÷ 26

The Award sets fortnightly pay as annual salary × 12 ÷ 313 (cl 23(1)), which spreads a year over about 26.08 fortnights. At Level 2.1 your gross fortnight is $3,380.63, not $3,391.46, and at Level 2.9 it is $4,897.27. In a year with 27 paydays you get slightly more than your annual rate. Our take-home figures divide the annual result by 26, so expect your payslip to differ by a few dollars.

HECS-HELP repayments

If you have a HELP debt and have told your employer, repayments come out with your PAYG. At Level 2.1 the compulsory repayment is about $2,798 a year, so take-home falls to about $66,644 ($2,563 a fortnight). With the graduate allowance it is about $3,098, leaving $67,704. At Level 2.9 the repayment is about $8,731 and take-home about $87,610. Very remote teachers may also qualify for the Commonwealth's HELP debt reduction. See HECS-HELP for teachers.

Country and remote allowances are taxed as salary

Country Teaching Program and Remote Teaching Service allowances are paid fortnightly and taxed like salary. A graduate in a Band A CTP school earns $103,908 ($88,178 + $2,000 + $13,730) and takes home about $80,137. At an R1 RTS school the total is $111,048 and take-home about $84,993, around $14,192 a year more than a graduate in Perth. District Allowance is paid on top in many locations. Details are on the WA rural and remote page.

Salary sacrifice above $135,000

Level 3 Classroom Teachers and administrators earn above $135,000, where the marginal rate (with Medicare) rises from 32% to 39%. At Level 3.2 ($141,551), sacrificing $10,000 into super cuts tax and Medicare from $36,275 to $32,616. Take-home falls by $6,341 (to $98,935), while your fund receives $8,500 after 15% contributions tax. Employer super is worked out on your salary before packaging (Award cl 25(7)), so the 12% doesn't shrink. Watch the $32,500 concessional cap, which includes employer contributions. Read salary sacrifice super for teachers first.

Free calculator

Work out your exact WA take-home

Enter your level, CTP or RTS allowance, HECS-HELP and any salary sacrifice.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does a WA graduate teacher take home a fortnight?
About $2,671 a fortnight on $88,178 (Level 2.1), or about $2,723 with the $2,000 Graduate Teacher Allowance, before HECS-HELP.
What is Level 2.9 after tax in WA?
Level 2.9 on $127,737 takes home about $96,341 a year, or $3,705 a fortnight, on 2026–27 tax rates.
Are WA country teaching allowances taxed?
Yes. CTP and RTS allowances are paid fortnightly and taxed as salary. A graduate at an R1 school takes home about $84,993 a year.
How much super do WA teachers get?
Employers pay 12% super on top of salary, usually into GESB unless you choose another fund. That is $10,581 a year at Level 2.1 and $15,328 at Level 2.9.
Why is my WA fortnightly pay less than salary divided by 26?
Because the Award calculates fortnightly pay as annual salary × 12 ÷ 313. That gives a slightly smaller fortnight, with a 27th pay in some years.
Does salary packaging reduce my WA super?
No. Employer super is calculated on your gross salary before salary packaging (Award cl 25(7)).

Sources we checked · last verified 16 October 2026

  1. 1.WAIRC: School Education Act Employees' (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2023 listing
  2. 2.General Agreement 2023 full text (PDF)
  3. 3.Teachers (Public Sector Primary and Secondary Education) Award 1993 (PDF)
  4. 4.WA Department of Education: Teacher salaries
  5. 5.WA Department of Education: Incentives and allowances
  6. 6.WA Department of Education: Attraction and retention incentive
  7. 7.TRBWA: Fees

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.