The Welsh classroom teacher range, from the bottom of the main pay scale to the top of the upper pay scale, under the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document 2025 — the scale in force for the 2026/27 school year until a new Wales award is published.
Is There a 2026/27 Wales Teacher Pay Scale Yet?
Not as a new document, no — and that is the honest answer to the question. As at August 2026, the most recent statutory pay document published by the Welsh Government is the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document 2025, revised March 2026. Its pay scales took effect from 1 September 2025 and remain the statutory Welsh scales until a successor document is made.
So if you are a teacher in Wales asking what you are paid in the 26/27 school year, the tables on this page are the figures your school must apply right now. If and when the Welsh Government publishes a 2026 Document with a September 2026 uplift, the scale below is the base it will be applied to.
Why Wales is different from England at all. The power to set teachers' pay and conditions in Wales transferred from the Secretary of State to the Welsh Ministers on 30 September 2018. The 2018 Document was the last one to cover both countries; from 2019 onwards the Wales Document is Wales-only, and the Welsh figures are recommended by the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) rather than the STRB. Searching for the England scale and reading it as if it applied in Wales will give you the wrong number at every single point.
Wales Main Pay Scale (MPR) and Take-Home Pay
The first thing to notice is that the Welsh main pay scale has five points, not six, and it starts at M2. There is no M1 in Wales. A newly qualified teacher in a maintained school in Wales starts at the minimum of the main pay scale, which the document labels M2.
| Point | From 1 Sep 2024 | From 1 Sep 2025 | Take-home/yr | Take-home/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2 (minimum) | £32,433 | £33,731 | £27,806 | £2,317 |
| M3 | £35,039 | £36,441 | £29,757 | £2,480 |
| M4 | £37,739 | £39,249 | £31,779 | £2,648 |
| M5 | £40,710 | £42,339 | £34,004 | £2,834 |
| M6 (maximum) | £44,802 | £46,595 | £37,068 | £3,089 |
The uplift between the two columns is 4% across the board — the Welsh Government's implementation of the pay award from 1 September 2025. Take-home is after income tax and National Insurance on 2026/27 thresholds (frozen to 2028) and before the Teachers' Pension contribution; see the pension note below.
Wales Upper Pay Scale (UPR) and Take-Home Pay
| Point | From 1 Sep 2024 | From 1 Sep 2025 | Take-home/yr | Take-home/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1 (minimum) | £46,446 | £48,304 | £38,298 | £3,192 |
| U2 | £48,168 | £50,095 | £39,588 | £3,299 |
| U3 (maximum) | £49,944 | £51,942 | £40,684 | £3,390 |
A change worth knowing about landed with the 2025 Document: it removed the application requirement to move between the main pay scale and the upper pay scale, implementing recommendation 1 of the IWPRB's Strategic Review of the Structure of Teachers' and Leaders' Pay and Conditions in Wales. In England, crossing to the upper pay range still runs through a threshold application; in Wales that hurdle has gone.
Wales also applies mandatory pay portability for moves between teaching posts within Wales on the main or upper scale. The new employer must at least match the point you had already reached, including any increment you would have been due had you stayed — and it applies pro rata for part-time moves and across breaks for redundancy, maternity, medical or family reasons.
Unqualified Teacher Pay Scale (Wales)
A six-point scale for teachers without qualified teacher status — including instructors and many teachers still working towards QTS:
| Point | From 1 Sep 2024 | From 1 Sep 2025 | Take-home/yr | Take-home/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (minimum) | £21,812 | £22,685 | £19,853 | £1,654 |
| 2 | £24,348 | £25,322 | £21,751 | £1,813 |
| 3 | £26,884 | £27,960 | £23,651 | £1,971 |
| 4 | £29,419 | £30,596 | £25,549 | £2,129 |
| 5 | £31,959 | £33,238 | £27,451 | £2,288 |
| 6 (maximum) | £34,495 | £35,875 | £29,350 | £2,446 |
Point 1 sits below the personal allowance threshold at which higher deductions start, so the effective tax rate at the bottom of this scale is much lower than on the qualified scale — the take-home column shows the difference.
Leading Practitioner Pay Range (Wales)
A separate range for teachers appointed to model and lead improvements in teaching skills:
| Point | From 1 Sep 2024 | From 1 Sep 2025 | Take-home/yr | Take-home/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | £50,902 | £52,939 | £41,262 | £3,439 |
| Maximum | £77,382 | £80,478 | £57,235 | £4,770 |
This is a range, not a spine: the school sets an individual pay range within the statutory minimum and maximum, so there are no published intermediate points to look up. Your school's pay policy is the document that decides where in the range a post sits.
Wales Leadership Pay Spine — All 43 Points
Headteachers, deputy and assistant headteachers, and ALN coordinators are paid from the leadership group pay spine. These are the points from 1 September 2025, with monthly take-home:
| Point | Salary | Take-home/yr | Take-home/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | £52,680 | £41,112 | £3,426 |
| L2 | £53,997 | £41,876 | £3,490 |
| L3 | £55,345 | £42,658 | £3,555 |
| L4 | £56,723 | £43,457 | £3,621 |
| L5 | £58,136 | £44,276 | £3,690 |
| L6 | £59,597 | £45,124 | £3,760 |
| L7 | £61,198 | £46,052 | £3,838 |
| L8 | £62,612 | £46,872 | £3,906 |
| L9 | £64,174 | £47,778 | £3,982 |
| L10 | £65,822 | £48,734 | £4,061 |
| L11 | £67,531 | £49,725 | £4,144 |
| L12 | £69,088 | £50,628 | £4,219 |
| L13 | £70,814 | £51,630 | £4,302 |
| L14 | £72,579 | £52,653 | £4,388 |
| L15 | £74,384 | £53,700 | £4,475 |
| L16 | £76,364 | £54,849 | £4,571 |
| L17 | £78,116 | £55,865 | £4,655 |
| L18* | £79,288 | £56,544 | £4,712 |
| L18 | £80,080 | £57,004 | £4,750 |
| L19 | £82,067 | £58,156 | £4,846 |
| L20 | £84,100 | £59,335 | £4,945 |
| L21* | £85,329 | £60,048 | £5,004 |
| L21 | £86,183 | £60,544 | £5,045 |
| L22 | £88,322 | £61,784 | £5,149 |
| L23 | £90,509 | £63,053 | £5,254 |
| L24* | £91,836 | £63,822 | £5,319 |
| L24 | £92,754 | £64,355 | £5,363 |
| L25 | £95,058 | £65,691 | £5,474 |
| L26 | £97,410 | £67,055 | £5,588 |
| L27* | £98,836 | £67,882 | £5,657 |
| L27 | £99,824 | £68,455 | £5,705 |
| L28 | £102,299 | £69,431 | £5,786 |
| L29 | £104,832 | £70,394 | £5,866 |
| L30 | £107,442 | £71,385 | £5,949 |
| L31* | £109,005 | £71,979 | £5,998 |
| L31 | £110,097 | £72,394 | £6,033 |
| L32 | £112,832 | £73,434 | £6,119 |
| L33 | £115,635 | £74,499 | £6,208 |
| L34 | £118,494 | £75,585 | £6,299 |
| L35* | £120,238 | £76,248 | £6,354 |
| L35 | £121,440 | £76,705 | £6,392 |
| L36 | £124,446 | £77,847 | £6,487 |
| L37 | £127,540 | £79,383 | £6,615 |
| L38 | £130,696 | £81,055 | £6,755 |
| L39* | £132,555 | £82,041 | £6,837 |
| L39 | £133,882 | £82,744 | £6,895 |
| L40 | £137,221 | £84,514 | £7,043 |
| L41 | £140,650 | £86,331 | £7,194 |
| L42 | £144,173 | £88,198 | £7,350 |
| L43 | £146,313 | £89,332 | £7,444 |
Points shown with an asterisk are the additional safeguarded points printed alongside 18, 21, 24, 27, 31, 35 and 39 in the statutory table. Note that the top of the spine, £146,313, is above the £125,140 additional-rate threshold, and everything from around £100,000 upwards runs through the personal-allowance taper — see the £100k tax trap for why the marginal rate in that band is 62%.
Headteacher groups
A headteacher's pay range is not free-form. The school is assigned to one of eight groups by its total unit score, and that group sets the range the governing body must work within:
| School group | From | To | Take-home/mo range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | £59,597 | £79,288 | £3,760 – £4,712 |
| Group 2 | £62,612 | £85,329 | £3,906 – £5,004 |
| Group 3 | £67,531 | £91,836 | £4,144 – £5,319 |
| Group 4 | £72,579 | £98,836 | £4,388 – £5,657 |
| Group 5 | £80,080 | £109,005 | £4,750 – £5,998 |
| Group 6 | £86,183 | £120,238 | £5,045 – £6,354 |
| Group 7 | £92,754 | £132,555 | £5,363 – £6,837 |
| Group 8 | £102,299 | £146,313 | £5,786 – £7,444 |
The group comes from a unit score built up from pupil numbers weighted by key stage — 7 units per pupil in the preliminary, first and second key stages, 9 in the third, 11 in the fourth and 13 in the fifth:
| Total unit score | Group |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,000 | Group 1 |
| 1,001 to 2,200 | Group 2 |
| 2,201 to 3,500 | Group 3 |
| 3,501 to 5,000 | Group 4 |
| 5,001 to 7,500 | Group 5 |
| 7,501 to 11,000 | Group 6 |
| 11,001 to 17,000 | Group 7 |
| 17,001 and over | Group 8 |
A headteacher's range should not normally exceed the maximum of their group, and the maximum plus any additional payments must not exceed the group maximum by more than 25% other than in exceptional circumstances, with external independent advice and a business case.
TLR and ALN Allowances (Wales)
Allowances are paid on top of the scale point, so they push both gross and take-home up:
| Allowance | From 1 Sep 2024 | From 1 Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| TLR 1 minimum | £9,955 | £10,354 |
| TLR 1 maximum | £16,844 | £17,518 |
| TLR 2 minimum | £3,451 | £3,590 |
| TLR 2 maximum | £8,426 | £8,764 |
| TLR 3 minimum | £686 | £714 |
| TLR 3 maximum | £3,403 | £3,540 |
| ALN allowance minimum | £2,728 | £2,838 |
| ALN allowance maximum | £5,379 | £5,595 |
A TLR 1 at the top of its range adds £17,518 to salary. On the top of the main scale that takes gross from £46,595 to £64,113, and monthly take-home from £3,089 to £3,979 — a gain of £890 a month, because the allowance falls entirely in the 40% band once the underlying salary is above the higher-rate threshold.
Wales vs England: The Same Job, Different Numbers
England's 2026/27 scale reflects the confirmed STRB 3.5% award effective 1 September 2026; Wales is still on its September 2025 scale. Comparing like for like:
| Wales (from Sep 2025) | England (from Sep 2026) | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom of the main scale | £33,731 | £34,068 | −337 |
| Top of the main scale | £46,595 | £46,939 | −344 |
| Bottom of the upper scale | £48,304 | £49,134 | −830 |
| Top of the upper scale | £51,942 | £52,835 | −893 |
| Bottom of the leadership spine | £52,680 | £53,585 | −905 |
| Top of the leadership spine | £146,313 | £143,796 | +2,517 |
Two structural differences sit behind those numbers. Wales has no London weighting at all — there is one national scale for the whole country, where England runs four separate area scales. And the Welsh main scale starts at M2 with five points, so “M3 in Wales” and “M3 in England” are not the same rung. For the England figures in full, see teacher pay scales 2026/27.
The Teachers' Pension in Wales
Teachers in Wales are in the same Teachers' Pension Scheme as teachers in England, on the same tiered employee contribution rates — from 7.4% of salary at the bottom of the range up to 12% for the highest earners, with the employer paying 28.68% on top. The take-home columns on this page are before that deduction, so subtract your tier from the gross to see the figure that actually reaches your bank account. The individual pay point pages show the after-pension figure for each English point, and the arithmetic is identical for a Welsh salary.
Do Welsh Teachers Pay Different Income Tax?
You will have a C-prefix tax code if your main home is in Wales on 6 April, which means you pay the Welsh Rates of Income Tax rather than the rest-of-UK rates. In practice this makes no difference to your pay: the Welsh Government has the power to vary the rates but has so far set them identical to England and Northern Ireland, so the take-home figures above are correct on either side of the border. This is the opposite of Scotland, where six separate Scottish bands genuinely change the answer.
Wales Teacher Pay FAQs
What are the teacher pay scales in Wales for 26/27?
The statutory Welsh scale in force is the one set by the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document 2025, effective from 1 September 2025. The main pay scale runs £33,731 to £46,595 and the upper pay scale runs £48,304 to £51,942. These apply until a new Wales document is published.
Why does the Welsh main pay scale start at M2?
Because the Welsh main pay scale has five points rather than six. The Wales document labels the minimum of the range M2, so there is no M1 in Wales and the point numbers do not line up with the English scale.
Is teacher pay in Wales the same as England?
No. Wales has set its own teachers' pay since the transfer of functions in September 2018, on the recommendation of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body rather than the STRB. Every point differs: the bottom of the Welsh main scale is £33,731 against £34,068 in England, and Wales has no London weighting.
How much does a teacher in Wales take home after tax?
At the bottom of the main scale, £33,731 gross is £27,806 a year or £2,317 a month after income tax and National Insurance. At the top of the upper scale, £51,942 is £3,390 a month. Both are before the Teachers' Pension contribution.
Do you still have to apply to move to the upper pay scale in Wales?
No. The 2025 Wales document removed the application requirement for moving between the main pay scale and the upper pay scale, implementing recommendation 1 of the IWPRB's strategic review. England still runs a threshold application.
Is there London weighting for teachers in Wales?
No. Wales has a single national scale with no area weighting. England runs four separate scales for inner London, outer London, the London fringe and the rest of the country.
What is the highest teacher salary in Wales?
The top of the leadership pay spine, £146,313, which is the maximum of the Group 8 headteacher range. That is above the £125,140 additional-rate threshold, so it takes home £7,444 a month.
Do Welsh teachers pay different income tax?
You get a C-prefix tax code as a Welsh taxpayer, but the Welsh Rates of Income Tax have so far been set identical to England and Northern Ireland, so your take-home is the same. Scotland is the country where the rates genuinely differ.
Related Pages
More on teacher pay and what it is worth after tax:
- Teacher Pay Scales 2026/27 (England) — the STRB scale, M1 to UPS3 plus leadership
- Teaching Salaries UK — how teaching compares to other careers
- Teacher Salary UK — the profession page, with career progression
- C-Prefix Tax Codes — what marks you out as a Welsh taxpayer
- Scottish Income Tax — the country where the rates really do differ
- Take Home Pay Calculator — run any Welsh scale point, with pension and student loan
Check your exact take home pay
Run any Welsh scale point through the calculator, with pension and student loan.
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