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WA · Catholic school teacher (CEWA)

Catholic school teacher pay in WA

Catholic Education WA rates are reported at $91,449 for graduates and $130,216 at the top in 2026, above the government scale. How CEWA pay compares.

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

From

$91,449

Up to

$130,216

Take-home / fortnight

$2,756

Effective

January 2026

On this page (6 sections)
  1. Catholic school teacher (CEWA) pay in WA
  2. CEWA vs government pay
  3. How CEWA progression works
  4. Agreement status
  5. Before you accept a Catholic school offer
  6. FAQs

The short answer

Catholic Education WA (CEWA) teachers are paid under the WA Catholic School Teachers Enterprise Agreement 2023. January 2026 rates are reported as $91,449 at Step 2, the usual 4-year-trained entry point, and $130,216 at Step 10, the top. That is $3,271 and $2,479 more than the government Level 2.1 and 2.9 rates, though we couldn't retrieve CEWA's official schedule.

Catholic school pay in WA is set by a separate agreement approved by the Fair Work Commission, not the state agreement that covers government schools. The figures here come from union and third-party reports of the January 2026 schedule, so check them against your payslip or the IEU before relying on them.

Catholic school teacher (CEWA) pay in Western Australia

ClassificationAnnual salaryTake-home / fortnight
Step 2 (4-year-trained entry), reported Jan 2026$91,449$2,756
Step 10 (top), reported Jan 2026$130,216$3,770
Step 1, official Jan 2025 schedule$81,269$2,490
Step 10, official Jan 2025 schedule$126,423$3,671

Catholic Education WA rates for January 2026 are reported as $91,449 at Step 2 (4-year-trained entry) and $130,216 at Step 10. The official CEWA schedule could not be retrieved, so treat these as reported figures. Effective 1 January 2026.

CEWA vs government pay

Catholic (reported) and government rates, 2026
CEWA (Jan 2026, reported)Government (from 6 Dec 2025)
4-year-trained graduate$91,449 (Step 2)$88,178 (Level 2.1) + $2,000 allowance
Top of classroom scale$130,216 (Step 10)$127,737 (Level 2.9)
Take-home, graduate$71,665$69,441 ($70,801 with allowance)
Take-home, top step$98,027$96,341

Take-home after income tax (after LITO) and Medicare on 2026–27 rates. The CEWA figures are reported by IEU SA and third parties; the last official CEWA schedule we saw (January 2025) had Step 1 at $81,269 and Step 10 at $126,423.

Once you count the government's $2,000 graduate allowance, the first-year gap narrows to about $1,271 before tax. At the top, the CEWA scale is about $2,479 ahead. The government scale, though, has Senior Teacher and Level 3 Classroom Teacher above Level 2.9, paying up to $141,551.

How CEWA progression works

  • 3-year-trained teachers start at Step 1 and 4-year-trained at Step 2.
  • Increments are annual to Step 8, then every two years to Step 10 (based on earlier CEWA schedules).
  • So reaching the top takes longer than the government's eight years from 2.1 to 2.9.
  • A Senior Teacher allowance is reported in secondary sources but we haven't verified the amount.

Agreement status

The WA Catholic School Teachers Enterprise Agreement 2023 (AE523557) was approved on 14 February 2024 and is reported to nominally expire on 16 February 2027. That puts Catholic bargaining a few months behind the government round, which is due when the 2023 GA expires on 5 December 2026. The Independent Education Union (IEU WA) represents Catholic and independent school teachers.

Before you accept a Catholic school offer

  • Ask which step you'll start on and how your prior service is counted.
  • Ask for the current salary schedule in writing.
  • Compare super, leave and country allowances, not just salary. Government country incentives reach $20,870 a year.
  • Check whether salary packaging is offered. Most Catholic schools are rebatable employers for FBT.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do Catholic school teachers earn in WA?
CEWA rates for January 2026 are reported as $91,449 at Step 2 (4-year-trained entry) and $130,216 at Step 10. We couldn't retrieve the official schedule to confirm them.
Do Catholic schools pay more than government schools in WA?
On reported 2026 rates, yes, by about $3,271 at graduate entry and $2,479 at the top step. The government's $2,000 graduate allowance narrows the first-year gap.
When does the WA Catholic teachers' agreement expire?
The WA Catholic School Teachers Enterprise Agreement 2023 is reported to nominally expire on 16 February 2027.
Which union covers Catholic school teachers in WA?
The Independent Education Union (IEU WA) covers teachers in Catholic and independent schools.
How long does it take to reach the top of the CEWA scale?
Based on earlier schedules, increments are annual to Step 8 and then every two years to Step 10.

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.