What does an NQT earn after tax outside London 2026/27?

On the £34,069 M1 point the 7.4% Teachers Pension tier applies, and take-home is about £26,032 a year or £2,169 a month, after £2,521 pension, £3,796 Income Tax and £1,720 National Insurance. The contribution comes off before Income Tax, so taxable pay is £31,548 rather than the full gross.

Is the Teachers Pension a good deal at this salary?

It is a career average scheme building 1/57th of each year's pensionable pay into an indexed pension, and the employer pays 28.68% of salary into it (a figure that includes the 0.08% administration levy) against the 7.4% the member pays at M1. The member contribution is deducted before Income Tax, so relief is automatic at the marginal rate.

Graduate Teacher (NQT) Salary 2026/27

First-year teacher pay in England is set by the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document. The main pay range starts at £34,069 outside London under the 2026 award, in force from 1 September 2026, with separate and higher columns for the fringe, outer London and inner London. Induction under the Early Career Framework runs for two years.

Typical pay & take-home

M1, the first point of the main pay range: £34,069
M1 to M2, the two years of early career teacher induction: £34,069–£36,042
Take-home at median: £28,049 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.

At the median for this profession, you earn 13% below the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the bottom 37% of UK earners.

See exact take-home for £34,069 →

What influences graduate teacher (nqt / ect) pay

The main pay range has six advisory points. In most of England you progress M1 to M6 over six years, from £34,069 to £46,940 under the 2026 award, in force from 1 September 2026. London is a separate column rather than an allowance on top: M1 is £41,729 in inner London, £39,196 in outer London and £35,602 in the fringe area.

Only England follows STPCD. Wales publishes its own pay and conditions document, Scotland negotiates its scales through the SNCT, and Northern Ireland has a separate structure again, so moving between the four nations means moving onto a different scale rather than a regional variant of this one.

Teachers' Pension contributions are banded on salary, and the main pay range spans two of the bands: 7.4% up to £36,198.99 and then 8.9% to £48,727.99 (tiers effective 1 April 2026). It is a net pay arrangement, so the contribution is deducted before Income Tax and reduces taxable pay, but National Insurance is charged on the full gross. Same structure as the NHS scheme.

Career progression

M1, the first year: £34,069 outside London, £41,729 in inner London.
M6, the top of the main pay range after six years: £46,940 outside London.
Upper pay range, after the performance threshold: £49,134 at U1 to £52,835 at U3.
Teaching and Learning Responsibility payments, then the leadership group: assistant head, deputy head, headteacher.

Frequently asked questions

What does an NQT earn after tax outside London 2026/27?: On the £34,069 M1 point the 7.4% Teachers Pension tier applies, and take-home is about £26,032 a year or £2,169 a month, after £2,521 pension, £3,796 Income Tax and £1,720 National Insurance. The contribution comes off before Income Tax, so taxable pay is £31,548 rather than the full gross.
Is the Teachers Pension a good deal at this salary?: It is a career average scheme building 1/57th of each year's pensionable pay into an indexed pension, and the employer pays 28.68% of salary into it (a figure that includes the 0.08% administration levy) against the 7.4% the member pays at M1. The member contribution is deducted before Income Tax, so relief is automatic at the marginal rate.

Getting into this job

How to become a teacher in England

The routes to qualified teacher status in England, what each one costs, and every STPCD pay point from M1 to U3 with real take-home.

All UK professions →