Teacher Pay Scales Explained
The teacher pay scales for 2026/27 set out what qualified teachers earn in England and Wales. New teachers start on M1 at £34,068 and progress annually through the main pay scale to M6 at £46,939. After passing the threshold assessment, experienced teachers move onto the upper pay scale, topping out at UPS3 at £52,835.
The figures above show monthly take home pay after income tax and National Insurance. For example, an M4 teacher on £40,940 takes home £2,750/month, while an M5 teacher on £43,529 takes home £2,905/month. For a broader look at how teaching compares to other careers, see our teaching salaries UK guide.
Full Teacher Pay Scale 2026/27 (Gross & Take-Home)
Every classroom teacher pay point for the rest of England and Wales (outside London), showing the gross salary and the monthly take-home after income tax and National Insurance:
| Pay Point | Gross Salary | Take Home/Year | Take Home/Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 (Main Scale 1) | £34,068 | £28,049 | £2,337 |
| M2 (Main Scale 2) | £36,042 | £29,470 | £2,456 |
| M3 (Main Scale 3) | £38,400 | £31,168 | £2,597 |
| M4 (Main Scale 4) | £40,940 | £32,996 | £2,750 |
| M5 (Main Scale 5) | £43,529 | £34,860 | £2,905 |
| M6 (Main Scale 6) | £46,939 | £37,316 | £3,110 |
| UPS1 (Upper Pay Scale 1) | £49,134 | £38,896 | £3,241 |
| UPS2 (Upper Pay Scale 2) | £50,955 | £40,111 | £3,343 |
| UPS3 (Upper Pay Scale 3) | £52,835 | £41,202 | £3,433 |
Take-home figures are after income tax and National Insurance only (2025/26 tax thresholds, frozen to 2028) and do not deduct the Teachers' Pension contribution — see the pension section below for the after-pension figure. Leadership pay (L1–L43) runs from £53,585 to £143,796; the most common leadership points are listed in the take-home grid above.
Teacher Pay by Region
Teacher pay varies by location. Schools in and around London pay higher rates to reflect the cost of living. Here are the main pay scale ranges for 2026/27:
| Region | M1 Salary | UPS3 Salary | Allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of England & Wales | £34,068 | £52,835 | Base rate |
| London Fringe | £35,602 | £54,327 | +£1,534 on M1 |
| Outer London | £39,195 | £58,119 | +£5,127 on M1 |
| Inner London | £41,728 | £64,683 | +£7,660 on M1 |
Inner London teachers on M1 earn over £7,000 more than their counterparts outside London. Even the London Fringe supplement adds roughly £1,000-£1,300. These regional differences are set by the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB).
Where Teacher Pay Sits Nationally
A UPS3 or leadership teacher earns well above the UK median. See where teacher salaries rank against every UK earner and how the next career step compares:
Teachers' Pension Scheme
All teachers contribute to the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS). Employee contributions are tiered from 7.4% of salary for the lowest earners, rising to 11.7% for the highest. The employer contributes 28.68%, making TPS one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK. A teacher on M1 pays roughly £210/month in pension contributions, while a UPS3 teacher pays around £436/month — but the guaranteed career-average benefit is worth far more than the contribution.
2025/26 vs 2026/27 Teacher Pay Scales — What Changed
The pay award confirmed for 2026/27 (also written 26/27, 2026-27 or 2026/2027) is the School Teachers' Review Body's 3.5% consolidated uplift, effective 1 September 2026. Every statutory point moved by the same percentage, so here is the old scale, the new scale, the cash rise and what the new figure is worth monthly after tax:
| Point | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Rise | Take-home/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £32,916 | £34,068 | £1,152 | £2,337 |
| M2 | £34,823 | £36,042 | £1,219 | £2,456 |
| M3 | £37,101 | £38,400 | £1,299 | £2,597 |
| M4 | £39,556 | £40,940 | £1,384 | £2,750 |
| M5 | £42,057 | £43,529 | £1,472 | £2,905 |
| M6 | £45,352 | £46,939 | £1,587 | £3,110 |
| UPS1 | £47,472 | £49,134 | £1,662 | £3,241 |
| UPS2 | £49,232 | £50,955 | £1,723 | £3,343 |
| UPS3 | £51,048 | £52,835 | £1,787 | £3,433 |
| L1 | £51,773 | £53,585 | £1,812 | £3,470 |
| L10 | £64,691 | £66,955 | £2,264 | £4,116 |
| L20 | £82,654 | £85,547 | £2,893 | £5,015 |
| L30 | £105,595 | £109,291 | £3,696 | £6,007 |
The cash rise is largest where the salary is largest, but so is the tax on it: £1,152 on M1 is worth £69 a month in the hand, while £3,696 on L30 is worth £117 a month — because L30 sits inside the £100,000–£125,140 personal-allowance taper, where the marginal rate is 62%. If your salary is in that band, see the £100k tax trap.
If you are on the September 2025 scale until your school's increment date, the 2025/26 column is the figure to use. Both columns are statutory: the older one applied from 1 September 2025, the newer from 1 September 2026.
London Teacher Pay After Tax
The four area scales are set by the STRB, and the gap between them is real money. Here is what each area is worth after income tax and National Insurance at the bottom and the top of the classroom range:
| Area | M1 gross | M1 take-home/mo | UPS3 gross | UPS3 take-home/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of England & Wales | £34,068 | £2,337 | £52,835 | £3,433 |
| London Fringe | £35,602 | £2,429 | £54,327 | £3,506 |
| Outer London | £39,195 | £2,645 | £58,119 | £3,689 |
| Inner London | £41,728 | £2,797 | £64,683 | £4,006 |
An inner-London teacher on M1 keeps £460 a month more than one on the same point outside London, and at UPS3 the inner-London advantage is £573 a month. Note that the gap narrows in percentage terms as you go up: UPS3 in inner London is over the £50,270 National Insurance upper earnings limit and into the 40% band, so more of the extra is taxed away.
These are the four statutory areas only. Individual schools cannot invent a fifth, though academies and free schools are not bound by the STPCD at all and may pay differently.
How Teachers Move Up the Pay Scale
Progression is annual, from 1 September, and it is not automatic in the sense of being unconditional — but the presumption is in favour of it:
- Main scale (M1–M6). One point a year, subject to a satisfactory appraisal. Six years takes a new teacher from £34,068 to £46,939, a rise of £12,871 in gross and £773 a month in the hand.
- Crossing to the upper scale. In England this needs a successful threshold application demonstrating that you are highly competent and that your achievement is sustained. It is a bigger single jump than an annual increment: £46,939 to £49,134.
- Upper scale (UPS1–UPS3). Movement is normally every two years rather than annually, so the full climb from UPS1 to UPS3 typically takes four years.
- Leadership. A leadership post is not a further increment — it is a new pay range, set by the governing body from the L1–L43 spine according to the school's group. That is why the jump from UPS3 to a leadership point can be far larger than any main-scale step.
- Allowances on top. TLR payments and SEN allowances are added to your point rather than moving you along it, so they can be worth more than a year's increment.
Pay portability means a move to another maintained school should not cost you your position on the scale — but academies set their own pay policies, so check the offer against the statutory scale before accepting.
Teacher Pay Scales in Wales
Wales is not on the scale above. The power to set teachers' pay and conditions transferred to the Welsh Ministers in September 2018, and Wales has published its own School Teachers' Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document ever since, on the recommendation of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body. The numbers differ at every point, the main scale has five points starting at M2 rather than six starting at M1, and there is no London weighting.
The full Welsh scale — main, upper, unqualified, leading practitioner, all 43 leadership points, headteacher groups and TLR/ALN allowances, each with monthly take-home — is on the Wales teacher pay scales page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the teacher pay scale for 2026/27?
The teacher pay scale for 2026/27 in England & Wales (outside London) starts at £34,068 for M1 and rises to £52,835 at UPS3. Leadership pay ranges from £53,585 (L1) to £143,796 (L43). Teachers progress through six main scale points (M1-M6), then three upper pay scale points (UPS1-UPS3).
How much do teachers take home after tax?
An M1 teacher on £34,068 takes home approximately £2,337 per month after tax and National Insurance. A UPS3 teacher on £52,835 takes home approximately £3,433 per month. Pension contributions of 7.4% reduce take home further. See each pay point above for exact monthly figures.
Do teachers pay into a pension?
Yes, all teachers automatically contribute to the Teachers' Pension Scheme. Employee contributions range from 7.4% to 11.7% of salary depending on earnings. The employer contributes 28.68%, making it one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK.
What is the highest teacher pay scale?
The highest teacher pay point is Leadership L43 at £143,796 per year. However, most classroom teachers top out at UPS3 which pays £52,835 in England & Wales outside London. Moving beyond UPS3 requires taking on a leadership role such as head of department or headteacher.
What were the 2025/26 teacher pay scales?
The 2025/26 statutory scale ran from £32,916 at M1 to £51,048 at UPS3, with leadership from £51,773 at L1. The 2026/27 scale above is those figures uplifted by the confirmed STRB 3.5% award effective 1 September 2026 — see the year-by-year comparison for every point.
How much is the teacher pay rise for 2026/27?
3.5%, consolidated, effective 1 September 2026. In cash that is £1,152 on M1 and £1,787 on UPS3 — but after tax and National Insurance an M1 teacher keeps £69 a month more and a UPS3 teacher £86 a month more.
How much does a teacher earn in London after tax?
An inner-London teacher on M1 earns £41,728 gross, which is £2,797 a month after income tax and National Insurance. At UPS3 in inner London, £64,683 gross is £4,006 a month. Outer London M1 is £2,645 a month and the London fringe £2,429. See the London table for all four areas.
Are the teacher pay scales in Wales the same?
No. Wales sets its own scale through the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body and the figures differ at every point — the Welsh main scale has five points starting at M2, and there is no London weighting. See teacher pay scales Wales.
Do teachers get an automatic increment each year?
On the main scale, yes in practice: progression is annual from 1 September with an assumption in favour unless appraisal says otherwise. On the upper pay scale, movement is normally every two years. Leadership pay is not an increment at all — it is a separate range set by the governing body from the L1–L43 spine.
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