On this page (4 sections)
The short answer
Senior Teacher 1 pays $132,557 a year in Western Australia government schools from 6 December 2025. After 2026–27 income tax and Medicare that's about $3,818 a fortnight ($99,619 a year), plus $15,907 employer super.
- Gross pay: about $5,081 a fortnight (annual ÷ 26.089).
- With a HELP debt: about $3,454 a fortnight take-home.
- Next step up: Senior Teacher 2 at $134,165 (+$1,608 a year).
- Agreement: School Education Act Employees' (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2023.
Annual salary
$132,557
from 6 December 2025
Take-home a fortnight
$3,818
2026–27 tax, no HELP
Employer super
$15,907
12% a year
Your pay on Senior Teacher 1: change FTE, HELP or step
⚙Your details
Salary
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Take-home pay fortnightly
$3,831
Gross pay
$5,098
Income tax
$1,165
After the low income tax offset
Medicare levy
$102
Employer super
$612
12.0% paid on top
Where each dollar goes
- Take-home$99,619 (75%)
- Income tax$30,287 (23%)
- Medicare levy$2,651 (2%)
- HECS-HELP$0 (0%)
- Salary sacrifice & packaging$0 (0%)
What your payslip should show
PAYG withheld each fortnight should be about $1,268 (ATO Scale 2, tax-free threshold claimed). Small differences come from rounding and 27-pay years. Your marginal rate is 32% including Medicare, so each extra $1,000 of salary adds about $680 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: School Education Act Employees' (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2023, verified 16 October 2026.
Senior Teacher 1 pay after tax
Resident, tax-free threshold claimed, full-time. Marginal rate 32% including Medicare. Your payslip's tax withheld may differ slightly from the year-end figure.
Pro-rata salary, 2026–27 tax, no HELP debt.
Senior Teacher 1 pay over time
Bargaining status: 2023 GA expires 5 Dec 2026; last rise 3% (Dec 2025); successor agreement being bargained, no offer yet
How to reach Senior Teacher 1
Senior Teacher 1 is reached by application or accreditation, not automatic progression. By application after 12 months at 2.9 Qualified teachers start at Level 2.1 (DoE). You move up one increment a year on your anniversary date, subject to satisfactory service, from 2.1 to 2.9 (Award cl 26), so the top of the automatic scale takes eight years. Senior Teacher 1 is by application: full TRBWA registration, 12 months at 2.9, relevant professional learning in the last five years (one pathway is 40 hours aligned to the APST) and one extra duty such as mentoring or curriculum work. Senior Teacher 2 needs 12 months at ST1 and two extra duties. Level 3 Classroom Teacher is 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 is paid only in the trial schools. Relief teachers move up a step after every 200 days worked (Award cl 10(4)).
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Should you be on a higher step?
If you have overseas, Catholic, independent, casual or industry experience, check whether it should put you above Senior Teacher 1, and get a letter to HR drafted.
Check my pay stepFrequently asked questions
How much does a Senior Teacher 1 teacher earn in WA?
What is Senior Teacher 1 after tax?
How much more is Senior Teacher 2 than Senior Teacher 1?
When does Senior Teacher 1 get a pay rise?
How much super does a Senior Teacher 1 teacher get?
Am I on the right step?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16
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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.