What is the take-home for a secondary headteacher?

On £85,000, a salary inside the Group 5 range, the 11.6% tier applies and take-home is about £53,941 a year or £4,495 a month, after £9,860 pension, £17,488 Income Tax and £3,711 National Insurance. The Income Tax is worked out after the contribution, on £75,140: 20% on the £37,700 basic band and 40% on the £24,870 above it.

Does the £100,000 taper affect headteachers?

Less often than gross pay suggests. Adjusted net income is gross less the pension contribution, so on the 12% tier it takes £113,637 of gross before the taper starts and £142,205 before the allowance is gone. Inside that band each further pound of adjusted net income is taxed at 60%, so a further pension contribution is relieved at 60% and no more. The higher figure sometimes quoted adds National Insurance, which a net pay contribution does not save: NI is charged on the full gross whether the contribution is made or not, and only genuine salary sacrifice changes that.

Is the Teachers Pension worth the 11.6% contribution?

A year at £85,000 builds 1/57th of it as career average pension, £1,491 a year for life, revalued each year. The employer pays 28.68% of salary into the scheme (including the 0.08% administration levy) against the member's 11.6%, and the member's share is deducted before Income Tax, so at a 40% marginal rate the £9,860 contribution costs £5,916 of take-home.

Headteacher Salary 2026/27: Take-Home Across School Type

Headteacher pay is set by the school's headteacher group, which STPCD assigns from its total unit score rather than from pupil numbers alone. Under the accepted 2026 award the rest-of-England ranges run from £60,619 to £80,652 for Group 1 up to £104,059 to £148,829 for Group 8, with higher ranges in the fringe area and the two London areas.

Typical pay & take-home

Typical Group 5 secondary headteacher post: £85,000
Group 1 minimum to Group 8 maximum, rest of England: £60,619–£148,829
Take-home at median: £59,857 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.

At the median for this profession, you earn about 118% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 5% of UK earners.

See exact take-home for £85,000 →

The statutory leadership range, the headteacher group ranges, and why no published pay point exists for a deputy or assistant head: School leadership pay 2026/27 →

What influences headteacher pay

Headteacher pay is higher-rate pay from the bottom of Group 1: a Teachers' Pension member first pays 40% at £55,794 of gross, and the lowest published group minimum is £60,619. The £100,000 personal allowance taper is a separate question and catches far fewer heads than the headline pay suggests, because it is measured on adjusted net income: on the 12% tier gross pay has to reach £113,637 for that, which is more than the £110,881 top of the Group 5 range a typical secondary head is paid on. Only the largest groups reach it.

Pay is determined by the headteacher group, 1 to 8, which STPCD assigns from the school's total unit score. Group 1 runs £60,619 to £80,652 and Group 8 runs £104,059 to £148,829 outside London, with separate columns for the fringe area, outer London and inner London. Multi-academy trust executive heads sit outside STPCD entirely and can be paid above the Group 8 maximum under trust pay policy.

The Teachers' Pension contribution is banded: 10.5% up to £76,572.99, 11.6% to £104,413.99 and then 12% above £104,413.99 (2026/27 tiers), so most heads pay 11.6% or 12%. It is a net pay arrangement and the relief is Income Tax only, so at a 40% marginal rate an 11.6% contribution costs 7% of gross in take-home. The employer pays 28.68% of salary into the scheme on top.

Career progression

Experienced classroom teacher on the upper pay range: £49,134 to £52,835.
Deputy headteacher: an individual range set inside the £53,586 to £148,829 statutory leadership span.
Headteacher, Groups 1 and 2 (smallest schools): £60,619 to £86,796.
Headteacher, Group 5 (typical secondary): £81,457 to £110,881.
Headteacher, Group 8 (largest schools): £104,059 to £148,829.
Multi-academy trust executive headteacher: set by trust pay policy, outside STPCD.

Frequently asked questions

What is the take-home for a secondary headteacher?: On £85,000, a salary inside the Group 5 range, the 11.6% tier applies and take-home is about £53,941 a year or £4,495 a month, after £9,860 pension, £17,488 Income Tax and £3,711 National Insurance. The Income Tax is worked out after the contribution, on £75,140: 20% on the £37,700 basic band and 40% on the £24,870 above it.
Does the £100,000 taper affect headteachers?: Less often than gross pay suggests. Adjusted net income is gross less the pension contribution, so on the 12% tier it takes £113,637 of gross before the taper starts and £142,205 before the allowance is gone. Inside that band each further pound of adjusted net income is taxed at 60%, so a further pension contribution is relieved at 60% and no more. The higher figure sometimes quoted adds National Insurance, which a net pay contribution does not save: NI is charged on the full gross whether the contribution is made or not, and only genuine salary sacrifice changes that.
Is the Teachers Pension worth the 11.6% contribution?: A year at £85,000 builds 1/57th of it as career average pension, £1,491 a year for life, revalued each year. The employer pays 28.68% of salary into the scheme (including the 0.08% administration levy) against the member's 11.6%, and the member's share is deducted before Income Tax, so at a 40% marginal rate the £9,860 contribution costs £5,916 of take-home.

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 →