What a Headteacher (UK) payslip looks like
A typical UK headteacher (uk) payslip is paid monthly and shows a basic pay line at the top. Headteacher pay covers the Leadership Pay Range L6-L43, with school-size and group rating determining position. The line items below depend on grade, shift pattern and contractual additions, but the structure usually mirrors HMRC's recommended payslip layout: a payments block, a deductions block, a year-to-date column, and a net pay summary.
Common employers in this occupation include Local authority maintained schools, Multi-academy trusts, Independent schools. Each employer runs payroll slightly differently, but the underlying PAYE computation against tax code 1257L or K-prefix and Class 1 National Insurance is identical across the UK (excluding Scotland for income tax). The biggest variability between two headteacher (uk) payslips at the same gross will be in the additions block: Head teacher pay sits in the leadership group range, £53,586 to £148,829 outside London from 1 September 2026, with eight overlapping group ranges set by pupil numbers and key stages. Teachers' Pension runs from 9.9% to 12% across that span and comes off before tax, so the £104,059 group 8 figure is taxed as £91,988 and stays clear of the £100,000 personal-allowance taper; only the top of the leadership range reaches it.
Year-to-date columns are critical to verify on this role because the additions and salary sacrifice items change month to month. If your YTD gross divided by months elapsed in the tax year does not match your expected annual run-rate, that is the single best signal that something is mis-coded.
Leadership group pay range: £53,586 to £148,829 from 1 September 2026
Head teacher pay is set by the school’s group, from 1 to 8, which is decided by pupil numbers and the number of key stages. The eight group ranges overlap, so the head of a large primary and the head of a small secondary can be on the same money.
| Step | Published / year | Pension | Tax + NI | Net / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum of the leadership group | £53,586 | £5,305 (9.9%) | £10,225 | £3,171 |
| Group 1 school, head teacher range | £60,619 | £6,365 (10.5%) | £12,357 | £3,491 |
| Group 4 school, head teacher range | £73,827 | £7,752 (10.5%) | £17,349 | £4,061 |
| Group 8 school, head teacher range | £104,059 | £12,071 (11.6%) | £28,319 | £5,306 |
| Maximum of the leadership group | £148,829 | £17,859 (12%) | £50,126 | £6,737 |
- From £53,586 to £148,829 is £95,243 of gross progression and £42,787 after deductions, which is £3,566 a month, or 45p in the pound.
- The grade crosses £50,270 at Group 1 school, head teacher range: £60,619 gross is £54,254 once the 10.5% pension contribution comes off. At the top step £148,829 is taxed on £130,970, of which £87,440 falls in the 40% band.
- The top step goes past £125,140 of taxable income even after pension: £5,830 of the £130,970 charged to tax there is in the 45% band, so the marginal rate at the top of this grade is 45%, not 40%.
- £30,970 of the top step is above £100,000 once the 12% pension contribution is off the £148,829 gross, which withdraws £12,570 of personal allowance and adds £5,319 of tax on top of what is already charged on it.
STRB 36th Report 2026, Appendix F. The England scale outside London, and M1, M6, U1 and U3 are statutory while M2 to M5 are advisory, so a school may space the range differently. Net figures are estimates on 1257L with rUK bands and no student loan, Teachers’ Pension Scheme off before tax but not before NI. Full scale, allowances and Teachers’ Pension Scheme tiers.
Common deductions for a Headteacher (UK)
- PAYE income tax.Calculated against tax code 1257L or K-prefix. Cumulative coding means refunds can appear if you start mid-year.
- National Insurance (Class 1).8% between £12,570 and £50,270 of annual earnings, then 2% above. Period-by-period method is standard.
- Pension.Auto-enrolment minimum 5% employee on qualifying earnings (£6,240 - £50,270), unless your employer runs a more generous scheme such as the NHS, Teachers Pension or Civil Service alpha.
- Salary sacrifice patterns.Common in this occupation: cycle-to-work, electric-car salary sacrifice, additional pension contributions, and where applicable workplace nursery vouchers (still tax-efficient via pre-existing schemes).
- Union or professional body.Tax-deductible for HMRC-listed bodies. Headteacher (UK)s commonly hold subscriptions covered by section 344 ITEPA 2003 (List 3).
Headteacher (UK) payslip FAQ
How much does a Headteacher (UK) earn in 2026/27?
Leadership group pay range is published at £53,586 to £148,829, effective 1 September 2026, in STRB 36th Report 2026, Appendix F. The England scale outside London, and M1, M6, U1 and U3 are statutory while M2 to M5 are advisory, so a school may space the range differently.
What is the take-home pay for a Headteacher (UK)?
At the top of the grade, £148,829, income tax and National Insurance come to about £50,126 a year, and Teachers’ Pension Scheme takes a further £17,859, leaving roughly £6,737 a month. At the bottom of the grade, £53,586, it is roughly £3,171 a month. Estimated on tax code 1257L with England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands and no student loan.
What is unusual about a Headteacher (UK) payslip?
Head teacher pay sits in the leadership group range, £53,586 to £148,829 outside London from 1 September 2026, with eight overlapping group ranges set by pupil numbers and key stages. Teachers' Pension runs from 9.9% to 12% across that span and comes off before tax, so the £104,059 group 8 figure is taxed as £91,988 and stays clear of the £100,000 personal-allowance taper; only the top of the leadership range reaches it.
Which tax code should a Headteacher (UK) typically be on?
Most people in this role on standard PAYE will see 1257L or K-prefix. Check the prefix and suffix carefully: a K-prefix means deductions exceed your allowance (often after a bonus or P11D benefit), 0T means you have no allowance left at this employer, and BR means basic rate on the whole job (common in second jobs).
Related roles
Pay figures: STRB 36th Report 2026, Appendix F, the determination in force from 1 September 2026. Tax, National Insurance and pension figures are estimates from this site's 2026/27 engine.