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INTeachers Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Teachers Award actually pays — the right classification level, casual daily rates, early childhood shift loadings and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Teachers Award is applied
- This is a salary-based award — clause 17.1 sets annual salaries, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. The hourly figures here are the weekly salary (annual ÷ 52.18) divided by 38.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on a daily rate (weekly ÷ 5) or half-day rate (weekly ÷ 10) — with a minimum engagement of half a day in schools.
- School teachers sit on an annualised salary with a 205-day attendance model — the award gives them no separate evening, weekend, public-holiday or overtime rates, and public holidays follow the NES.
- Teachers in early childhood services open 48+ weeks a year do get loadings: early morning 110%, afternoon 115%, night up to 130% and Saturday 125% — Sunday work is overtime, not a penalty window.
- For those early childhood teachers, overtime pays 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200% (casuals: 187.5% / 250%, with the loading applied before the overtime rate).
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift loadings — but not to overtime. And the long day care +4% is the line item employers of early childhood teachers most often miss.
Who the award covers
- Registered and accredited schools — preschool through secondary — and their teachers
- Long day care centres, childcare centres and nurseries employing degree-qualified teachers
- Kindergartens, preschools and early childhood intervention programs
- Out-of-school-hours care and vacation care services
- On-hire teachers placed into schools or early childhood services
Teacher aides and school office staff sit under the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award, non-degree educators under the Children’s Services Award — and private tutors, sports coaches, principals and deputy principals are excluded altogether. Check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Teachers Award has one five-level ladder, and it runs on accreditation and years of service — not duties. A graduate starts at Level 1, moves to Level 2 on proficient accreditation, then climbs a level for every 3 years of satisfactory teaching service, topping out at Level 5 for Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher accreditation. The classroom role can look identical at every level; the pay cannot.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $38.30 | $1455.40 | Graduate teacher · Provisionally or conditionally accredited teacher | The entry level: a graduate teacher, or any teacher holding provisional or conditional accreditation/registration — working towards proficient accreditation. |
| Level 2 | $41.86 | $1590.70 | Proficient teacher | Holds proficient teacher accreditation/registration (or the employer-assessed equivalent where the state has no scheme). |
| Level 3 | $45.57 | $1731.70 | Proficient teacher (3+ years at Level 2) | A proficient teacher after 3 years’ satisfactory teaching service at Level 2 — maintained accreditation plus compliance with the professional standards. |
| Level 4 | $49.28 | $1872.70 | Proficient teacher (3+ years at Level 3) | A proficient teacher after a further 3 years’ satisfactory teaching service at Level 3. |
| Level 5 | $52.99 | $2013.70 | Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher | Holds Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher accreditation/registration — or the employer-assessed equivalent where the state offers none. |
- The rates shown are the schools and preschools stream. Teachers in long day care services operating 48 weeks or more a year are paid 4% above these — about $1.53 more an hour at Level 1.
- Progression is largely automatic: maintain proficient accreditation, comply with the professional standards, and 3 years’ satisfactory service moves a teacher from Level 2 to 3, and from 3 to 4.
- A casual engaged for fewer than 5 consecutive days is classified no higher than Level 3 — engage them for 5 days or more and their true level applies.
- Teaching service counts across every employer in the industry: part-time above 90% of a full load counts as a full year, and 200 full casual days equal one full-time year.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Teachers Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Teachers Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Teachers Award requires:
The unpaid-break rule doesn’t apply to early childhood teachers in services open 48+ weeks a year — their Schedule A arrangements govern instead.
Calculate a week under the Teachers Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000077) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Why does a teachers award show hourly rates at all?
The award is salary-based — clause 17.1 sets annual salaries, and the award itself converts them: weekly is the annual divided by 52.18, hourly is the weekly divided by 38. The calculator uses exactly those derived figures, so treat the weekly result as a planning number against the annual salary.
How are casual teachers paid?
By the day, not the hour: a full day is the weekly rate divided by 5, a half day divided by 10, each plus a 25% loading. Two catches — schools must engage a casual for at least half a day, and a casual engaged for fewer than 5 consecutive days is paid no higher than Level 3.
Do teachers get weekend or public-holiday penalty rates?
School teachers don’t — their annualised salary and 205-day attendance model covers the school year, and public holidays follow the NES. Teachers in early childhood services open 48+ weeks a year are the exception: they get the shift and Saturday loadings shown here, and overtime at 150% then 200%.
Does super apply to the shift loadings?
Yes — shift and Saturday loadings on ordinary hours are ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. True overtime is excluded. The calculator applies exactly that split.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
