If you teach in a maintained school in England, your salary is set by a national framework rather than negotiated case by case. The current figures come from the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) 2025, which applied a 4% uplift to every pay range and allowance from 1 September 2025. Those 2025/26 figures are the latest officially published scales and the ones that should appear on your payslip today. The 2026/27 award has not yet been confirmed: the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) was asked in July 2025 to make recommendations for 2026/27 and beyond, with its report due to government by the end of February 2026. Until that is published and accepted, no 2026/27 figure is official, so every number below is the verified 2025/26 rate, labelled with its source.
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How teacher pay is structured
Classroom teacher pay in England runs on two linked ranges. The Main Pay Range (MPR), points M1 to M6, is where most teachers start and progress in their early years. The Upper Pay Range (UPR), points U1 to U3, is reached by applying to "cross the threshold" once you have demonstrated sustained performance. Above that sit the Leading Practitioner range and the Leadership range (L1–L43) for heads, deputies and assistant heads. Teachers without qualified teacher status (QTS) are paid on a separate Unqualified Teacher range.
Two further elements commonly appear on a teacher's payslip on top of the base scale point: Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) payments for extra duties such as leading a subject or key stage, and Special Educational Needs (SEN) allowances. Every range and allowance also varies by geography through four pay-area bands: the rest of England, the London Fringe, Outer London and Inner London.
Academies and free schools are not legally bound by the STPCD and can set their own pay, but in practice the great majority mirror the national framework closely. Scotland and Wales run entirely separate systems, covered briefly at the end.
Main Pay Range (M1–M6), 2025/26
These are the statutory minimums for the rest of England plus the advisory points published by the unions for the other three pay areas. Figures are the 2025/26 rates effective from 1 September 2025 (STPCD 2025, 4% award).
| Point | Rest of England | London Fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £32,916 | £34,398 | £37,870 | £40,317 |
| M2 | £34,823 | £36,373 | £39,851 | £42,234 |
| M3 | £37,101 | £38,627 | £41,935 | £44,238 |
| M4 | £39,556 | £41,075 | £44,128 | £46,339 |
| M5 | £42,057 | £43,545 | £46,800 | £48,952 |
| M6 | £45,352 | £46,839 | £50,474 | £52,300 |
Source: National Education Union, Pay scales – England (2025/26), drawn from STPCD 2025.
Upper Pay Range (U1–U3), 2025/26
Once you cross the threshold from M6, you move onto the Upper Pay Range. Progression up the UPR is not automatic and is decided by your school's pay policy.
| Point | Rest of England | London Fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | £47,472 | £48,913 | £52,219 | £57,632 |
| U2 | £49,232 | £50,668 | £54,151 | £60,464 |
| U3 | £51,048 | £52,490 | £56,154 | £62,496 |
Source: National Education Union, Pay scales – England (2025/26), drawn from STPCD 2025.
Leadership scale and TLR allowances
The Leadership range spans 43 points (L1–L43); a school assigns an Individual School Range within it for each leadership post based on size and context. The figures below show the lower end and a mid-point for the rest of England to illustrate the scale; the full L1–L43 spine is published by the NEU.
| Point | Rest of England | Inner London |
|---|---|---|
| L1 | £51,773 | £61,554 |
| L5 | £57,137 | £66,935 |
| L10 | £64,691 | £74,479 |
| L15 | £73,105 | £82,888 |
| L20 | £82,654 | £92,447 |
| L43 | £143,796 | £153,490 |
Source: National Education Union, Pay scales – England (2025/26), leadership group spine.
TLR payments and the SEN allowance are added to the base scale point. The statutory ranges for 2025/26 are:
| Allowance | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| TLR1 | £10,174 | £17,216 |
| TLR2 | £3,527 | £8,611 |
| TLR3 (fixed-term) | £702 | £3,478 |
| SEN allowance | £2,787 | £5,497 |
Source: National Education Union, TLR payments and SEN allowances (2025/26). The Leading Practitioner range for the rest of England runs from £52,026 to £79,092 in 2025/26.
London weighting
There is no separate "London weighting" line on a teacher's payslip in the way some employers show it. Instead, the geography is baked into the scale point itself, with four pay areas:
- Inner London — the inner London boroughs.
- Outer London — the outer London boroughs.
- London Fringe — a defined ring of areas just outside London (parts of Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey and Berkshire).
- Rest of England — everywhere else.
The gap is substantial: an M1 starter earns £32,916 in the rest of England but £40,317 in Inner London for 2025/26, a difference of £7,401. Always check which pay area your school sits in, because it determines every figure on your payslip.
Pension: the Teachers' Pension Scheme
Teachers in England and Wales are members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), a career-average (CARE) defined-benefit scheme. You build up a pension worth 1/57 of your pensionable earnings each year, revalued annually, rather than a pot linked to investment returns.
Your member contribution is a percentage of your actual pensionable salary, set by a six-tier banded table. Because contributions are taken under a net-pay arrangement, they come off your gross pay before income tax is calculated, giving immediate tax relief. The 2025/26 salary bands and rates are below; the same rates apply for 2026/27 but the band thresholds rise by 3.8% from 1 April 2026.
| Annual salary (1 Apr 2025 – 31 Mar 2026) | Annual salary (from 1 Apr 2026) | Member rate |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £34,872.99 | Up to £36,198.99 | 7.4% |
| £34,873.00 to £46,943.99 | £36,199.00 to £48,727.99 | 8.9% |
| £46,944.00 to £55,660.99 | £48,728.00 to £57,776.99 | 9.9% |
| £55,661.00 to £73,768.99 | £57,777.00 to £76,572.99 | 10.5% |
| £73,769.00 to £100,590.99 | £76,573.00 to £104,413.99 | 11.6% |
| £100,591.00 and above | £104,414.00 and above | 12% |
Source: Teachers' Pensions, Calculating contributions. The employer contribution rate is 28.68%, including the 0.08% administration levy — this is paid by the school, not deducted from you.
How the teacher payslip reads
Here is a worked monthly example for a teacher on M3 in the rest of England (£37,101 a year), on the standard 1257L tax code, for 2025/26. M3 sits in pension tier 2, so the member rate is 8.9%.
| Line | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £37,101.00 | £3,091.75 |
| TPS pension (8.9%) | −£3,301.99 | −£275.17 |
| Income tax (PAYE) | −£4,245.80 | −£353.82 |
| National Insurance | −£1,962.48 | −£163.54 |
| Net pay | £27,590.73 | £2,299.22 |
How the deductions are built: pension is 8.9% of the full £37,101. Income tax is charged on pay after pension (£33,799.01), with the first £12,570 covered by the personal allowance and the remaining £21,229.01 taxed at the 20% basic rate. National Insurance is charged on gross pay above the £12,570 primary threshold at 8% (the 2025/26 employee rate). Figures are rounded for illustration; your exact payslip depends on your tax code, pay area and any TLR or SEN allowance.
Tax code notes
Most teachers are on the standard 1257L code, reflecting the £12,570 personal allowance frozen for 2025/26. A few points worth checking:
- A week 1/month 1 marker (e.g.
1257L W1) means your tax is worked out on each pay period in isolation, usually after a job change — it often corrects itself once HMRC issues a cumulative code. - A K code means deductions (such as untaxed benefits) exceed your allowances, so tax is added rather than relieved.
- If you live in Scotland your code carries an S prefix (e.g.
S1257L) and Scottish income tax bands apply, even though TPS and your contract may sit under separate Scottish teacher pay arrangements. - If you live in Wales your code carries a C prefix (e.g.
C1257L); Welsh rates currently match England's, but the prefix routes the revenue to the Welsh Government.
Your pay area (Inner London, etc.) does not change your tax code — it changes your gross salary, which in turn changes the tax.
Pay progression example
A common trajectory for a teacher in the rest of England, using 2025/26 figures, looks like this:
| Stage | Scale point | Salary 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|
| Early Career Teacher (year 1) | M1 | £32,916 |
| Early Career Teacher (year 2) | M2 | £34,823 |
| Established teacher | M3 | £37,101 |
| Experienced teacher | M6 | £45,352 |
| Post-threshold | U1 | £47,472 |
| Top of Upper Pay Range | U3 | £51,048 |
| With a TLR2 (mid) on U3 | U3 + TLR2 | from £56,000+ |
Source: salary points from NEU 2025/26 scales; the final row adds a mid-range TLR2 of £6,069 to U3 for illustration. Progression timing and threshold decisions are governed by your school's pay policy.
Action checklist
- Confirm which pay area your school is in — it sets every figure on your payslip.
- Check the scale point on your contract and payslip matches what your pay policy says you should be on.
- Verify any TLR or SEN allowance is being paid and at the agreed amount.
- Check your pension tier matches your salary band, especially after a pay rise or a new TLR pushes you into a higher tier.
- Confirm your tax code is right (1257L for most; S or C prefix if you live in Scotland or Wales).
- Recheck everything each September, when the new STPCD takes effect, and again when the 2026/27 STRB award is confirmed.
Disclaimer
This guide is for general educational information about how teacher pay and payslips work in England. It is not regulated financial, tax or pensions advice, and individual circumstances vary. The figures are the latest officially published 2025/26 rates and may have been superseded by later awards by the time you read this — the 2026/27 STRB report was due to government by the end of February 2026. For pay-policy or contractual questions, speak to your union (for example the NEU or NASUWT). For pension specifics, contact Teachers' Pensions directly. For your personal tax position, check with HMRC.
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Check My Payslip FreePayslipIQ provides educational information and estimated calculations only. It does not provide tax, legal, financial, payroll, accounting, pension, benefits or employment advice. Always verify your payslip, tax code, deductions and take-home pay with your employer's payroll department, HMRC, your pension provider, a qualified accountant, tax adviser or another appropriately qualified professional.
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