Queensland Teacher Salaries
Government & Catholic school pay by classification
Government schools
Teachers in Queensland government schools, paid under Teaching in State Education Award – State 2016 (1 September 2026 reprint), CA 2022 and QIRC 267 interim salary order — the clearest pay benchmark.
Queensland government school teacher pay
10 bands · $80,615–$242,573
Band 1 Step 1 |
Band 1 Step 2 |
Band 2 Step 1 |
Band 2 Step 2 |
Band 2 Step 3 |
Band 2 Step 4 |
Band 3 Step 1 |
Band 3 Step 2 |
Band 3 Step 3 |
Band 3 Step 4 |
Senior Teacher Senior Teacher (four-year trained), on the 1 September 2026 award floor. Annual equivalent of the published fortnightly minimum. $124,601Open in pay calculator ↗ |
EST Step 1 |
EST Step 2 |
Highly Accomplished Teacher Highly Accomplished Teacher (HAT). Interim annual estimate from 7 September 2026; no separate HAT award rate is published. $134,693Open in pay calculator ↗ |
Lead Teacher Lead Teacher (LT). Interim annual estimate from 7 September 2026; no separate Lead Teacher award rate is published. $147,049Open in pay calculator ↗ |
Paypoint 2 |
Paypoint 3 |
Paypoint 2 |
Paypoint 3 |
Paypoint 2 |
Paypoint 3 |
Paypoint 2 |
Paypoint 3 |
Level 1 Paypoint 2 |
Level 1 Paypoint 3 |
Level 2 Paypoint 2 |
Level 2 Paypoint 3 |
Level 3 Paypoint 2 |
Level 3 Paypoint 3 |
Level 4 Paypoint 2 |
Level 4 Paypoint 3 |
Level 5 Paypoint 2 |
Level 5 Paypoint 3 |
Level 6 Paypoint 2 |
Level 6 Paypoint 3 |
Level 7 Paypoint 2 |
Level 7 Paypoint 3 |
Level 8 Paypoint 1 |
Level 8 Paypoint 2 |
Level 9 Paypoint 1 |
Level 9 Paypoint 2 |
Level 10 Paypoint 1 |
Level 10 Paypoint 2 |
Latest rates effective 7 Sep 2026 under the Teaching in State Education Award – State 2016 (1 September 2026 reprint), CA 2022 and QIRC 267 interim salary order. Checked against official sources 14 Sep 2026 — September award floors and interim order checked; interim annual figures are estimates pending updated payroll.
Catholic schools
Catholic systemic school teachers in Queensland, paid under Catholic Employers Single Enterprise Collective Agreement – Diocesan Schools of Queensland 2023–2026 (EB10).
Queensland catholic school teacher pay
1 band · $76,689–$126,795
Rates effective 1 July 2025 under the Catholic Employers Single Enterprise Collective Agreement – Diocesan Schools of Queensland 2023–2026 (EB10). Checked against official sources 18 July 2026 — no successor agreement in force.
Catholic and independent school teachers without a school agreement are paid the national teachers' award minimum — see the award page.
Find your teacher pay
Pick a sector and classification to preview the salary range, an estimated take-home figure and super. Open the calculator for your exact step, frequency, HECS-HELP and salary sacrifice.
Sits in the lower of Queensland government pay.
Key Information
Queensland teacher pay facts, agreement context and conditions to check before comparing pay.
Current rates from
Sep 2026
Employer super
12%
Graduate entry
$90,164/yr
Agreement expiry
30 June 2025
Queensland government school teachers are paid under the Teaching in State Education Award – State 2016 (1 September 2026 reprint), CA 2022 and QIRC 267 interim salary order. Catholic school scales are shown on this page where published.
Queensland teacher Salary Guide by Classification
Quick reference for every Queensland teacher classification and what it pays in 2026–2027 — gross salary plus the estimated take-home pay, employer super, and total package the salary table doesn't show. Select any level to calculate your exact take-home pay after tax, Medicare, and super.
Classroom Teacher Salary
A Classroom Teacher earns $80,615–$119,357 gross — roughly $64,000–$89,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$90,000–$134,000 total package). Band 1–3 classroom scale on the 1 September 2026 award floor. Band 1 covers Permission to Teach / Intern appointments; qualified four-year-trained graduates enter at Band 2 Step 1.
Calculate Classroom Teacher take-home pay →Senior Teacher Salary
A Senior Teacher earns $124,601–$124,601 gross — roughly $93,000–$93,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$140,000–$140,000 total package). Senior Teacher (four-year trained), on the 1 September 2026 award floor. Annual equivalent of the published fortnightly minimum.
Calculate Senior Teacher take-home pay →Experienced Senior Teacher Salary
An Experienced Senior Teacher earns $127,549–$127,549 gross — roughly $95,000–$95,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$143,000–$143,000 total package). Experienced Senior Teacher (EST). Both agreement steps are subject to the award’s single Experienced Senior Teacher minimum, which exceeds both interim estimates. Annual equivalent of the published fortnightly minimum.
Calculate Experienced Senior Teacher take-home pay →Highly Accomplished Teacher Salary
A Highly Accomplished Teacher earns $134,693–$134,693 gross — roughly $99,000–$99,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$151,000–$151,000 total package). Highly Accomplished Teacher (HAT). Interim annual estimate from 7 September 2026; no separate HAT award rate is published.
Calculate Highly Accomplished Teacher take-home pay →Lead Teacher Salary
A Lead Teacher earns $147,049–$147,049 gross — roughly $107,000–$107,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$165,000–$165,000 total package). Lead Teacher (LT). Interim annual estimate from 7 September 2026; no separate Lead Teacher award rate is published.
Calculate Lead Teacher take-home pay →Head of Program Level 1 Salary
A Head of Program Level 1 earns $145,321–$148,003 gross — roughly $106,000–$107,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$163,000–$166,000 total package). Heads of department (HOD), guidance officers (GO) and heads of special education services level 2 (HOSES2). Paypoint 2 is an interim annual estimate from 7 September; Paypoint 3 uses the higher 1 September award floor. Heads of department – curriculum are listed separately because their award classification differs.
Calculate Head of Program Level 1 take-home pay →Head of Department – Curriculum Salary
A Head of Department – Curriculum earns $145,321–$147,889 gross — roughly $106,000–$107,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$163,000–$166,000 total package). Heads of department – curriculum (HODC), previously heads of curriculum (HOC), share the agreement’s Head of Program Level 1 scale but have the separate ST2-1 award floor. Both paypoints use interim annual estimates from 7 September 2026.
Calculate Head of Department – Curriculum take-home pay →Head of Program Level 2 Salary
A Head of Program Level 2 earns $152,651–$155,352 gross — roughly $110,000–$112,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$171,000–$174,000 total package). Senior guidance officers (SGO) and heads of special education services level 3 (HOSES3). Both paypoints use interim annual estimates from 7 September 2026, above their award floors.
Calculate Head of Program Level 2 take-home pay →Deputy Principal Salary
A Deputy Principal earns $161,745–$164,604 gross — roughly $116,000–$117,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$181,000–$184,000 total package). Deputy principals and heads of special education services level 4 (HOSES4). Interim annual estimates from 7 September 2026 exceed the comparable award floors.
Calculate Deputy Principal take-home pay →Principal Salary
A Principal earns $146,775–$242,573 gross — roughly $107,000–$159,000 take-home after income tax and Medicare, plus 12% employer super (~$164,000–$272,000 total package). Principals, Levels 1–10. Interim annual estimates from 7 September 2026 exceed the comparable award floors. School resourcing determines the principal level; site allowances are additional.
Calculate Principal take-home pay →Take-home and total package figures are estimates. Take-home excludes HECS/HELP, the Medicare Levy Surcharge, and salary sacrifice, and assumes a resident taxpayer claiming the tax-free threshold. Total package adds employer super to gross salary.
About Queensland Teacher Pay Scales
Queensland government schools set teacher pay through Teaching in State Education Award – State 2016 (1 September 2026 reprint), CA 2022 and QIRC 267 interim salary order. The classroom-teacher scale runs from $90,164 for a graduate to $119,357 at the top step, with leadership and principal classifications reaching $242,573. The take-home figures in the table already account for income tax and the Medicare levy.
Pay points & progression
A Queensland classroom teacher starts at $90,164 and steps up the scale each year for experience, reaching $119,357 at the top before moving into Highly Accomplished/Lead, leadership or principal roles by promotion.
- Graduate teachers start on the first step and move up automatically each year — progression is by service, not negotiation.
- Leadership and principal classifications sit above the classroom scale, up to $242,573.
- Queensland catholic schools mostly pay at or above this government scale; their published rates are shown on this page.
How pay rises work
These are blended rates: the higher of the September 2026 teaching award floor and the interim salary ordered from 7 September 2026. The interim increase applies to the higher agreement or award rate at 30 June 2025. Interim annual amounts are estimates rounded to whole dollars pending an updated Department of Education payroll schedule.
Superannuation
Queensland pays 12% employer superannuation on base pay.
Total package
Base salary plus 12% employer super. You can lift retirement savings further by salary sacrificing into super.
Award-reliant schools in Queensland
Non-government schools without their own agreement pay the national Educational Services (Teachers) Award minimum.
Queensland public service pay
Browse Queensland public-sector salary bands across every classification, beyond teaching.
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Background reading on tax, super, and salary topics.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do teachers earn in Queensland?
Queensland government school teachers are paid under Teaching in State Education Award – State 2016 (1 September 2026 reprint), CA 2022 and QIRC 267 interim salary order, with a graduate on the classroom-teacher scale starting at $90,164 and the top step paying $119,357, before leadership and principal roles. Queensland catholic schools mostly pay at or above this scale — their rates are shown further down the page.
What does a graduate teacher earn in Queensland?
A graduate teacher in a Queensland government school starts at about $90,164 a year on the graduate step of the classroom-teacher scale and moves up a step each year. Switch on "Take-home" in the table above to see pay after income tax and the Medicare levy at each step.
Do Catholic and independent schools in Queensland pay more than government schools?
Queensland catholic schools generally pay at or close to the government classroom-teacher scale, and some independent schools pay above it. The exact rate depends on each school's enterprise agreement; the tables on this page show the published systemic and independent scales alongside the government one so you can compare like for like.
Which teachers earn the most in Queensland?
Beyond the classroom-teacher scale, Highly Accomplished/Lead Teacher, leading-teacher and learning-specialist roles, and the principal classes (assistant principal, deputy and principal) sit at the top of the Queensland structure. The full bands are in the table above.
How do I work out my Queensland teaching take-home pay?
Switch on "Take-home" in the table above to see pay after income tax and the Medicare levy, or open the pay calculator to include HECS/HELP and superannuation for your exact salary and pay frequency.
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