Teacher pay after tax in Wales 2026/27 | Money Worked Out
Wales sets its own teacher pay scale, with one rate for the whole country. The table shows the Welsh scale in force from 1 September 2025, because the 2026/27 scale had not been published when this page was checked. A Welsh teacher at the bottom of the main pay scale, M2, earns £33,731 and takes home £2,150.90 a month.
| Point | Salary | Pension | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main pay range | ||||
| M2 | £33,731 | £2,496.09 | £25,810.85 | £2,150.90 |
| M3 | £36,441 | £3,243.25 | £27,164.32 | £2,263.69 |
| M4 | £39,249 | £3,493.16 | £28,986.15 | £2,415.51 |
| M5 | £42,339 | £3,768.17 | £30,990.94 | £2,582.58 |
| M6 | £46,595 | £4,146.96 | £33,752.23 | £2,812.69 |
| Upper pay range | ||||
| U1 | £48,304 | £4,299.06 | £34,861.03 | £2,905.09 |
| U2 | £50,095 | £4,959.41 | £35,622.27 | £2,968.52 |
| U3 | £51,942 | £5,142.26 | £36,906.15 | £3,075.51 |
| Unqualified range | ||||
| UQ1 | £22,685 | £1,678.69 | £18,511.65 | £1,542.64 |
| UQ6 | £35,875 | £2,654.75 | £27,227.60 | £2,268.97 |
| Leadership range | ||||
| L1 | £52,680 | £5,215.32 | £37,423.34 | £3,118.61 |
| L43 | £146,313 | £17,557.56 | £79,675.63 | £6,639.64 |
Pay scale: www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2026-02/school-teachers%E2%80%99-pay-and-conditions-wales-document-2025-revised-march-2026_0.pdf, effective 1 September 2025
How the Welsh scale differs from England's
The Welsh main pay scale starts at M2, which the Welsh pay document marks as the minimum, and runs to M6. There is no M1 point on the Welsh scale. Every point in Wales, including the ones in the middle of each range, is set in the pay document itself. In England only the ends of each range are fixed, and the points between them are advisory.
At the top of the main pay scale Wales pays more than the rest of England scale: £46,595 at M6. The Welsh upper range, £48,304 to £51,942, is also a little higher than England outside London. Wales has no London style area scales.
Welsh rates of income tax are the same as England's for 2026/27, so the tax on a given salary is the same on both sides of the border. Differences in take-home come from the pay scales alone.
Deductions along the Welsh scale
M2 is in the lowest Teachers' Pension tier, with a deduction of £2,496.09. From M3 the salary is in the next tier, so the rate rises on the whole salary. Take-home runs from £25,810.85 at M2 to £33,752.23 at M6, all taxed at the basic rate only.
On the upper range, U2 crosses into a further pension tier, and the deduction there is £4,959.41. U3 is above £50,270, so a small slice pays National Insurance at 2%. Its taxable pay still stays in the basic band once the pension comes off. Take-home at U3 is £36,906.15, or £3,075.51 a month.
Leadership pay in Wales uses a numbered spine from L1, £52,680, to L43, £146,313. At L43 the personal allowance is lost in full and part of the pay is taxed at the additional rate, leaving £79,675.63. Unqualified teachers earn £22,685 to £35,875. The teacher pay calculator gives part-time figures.
Questions
Why does the Welsh scale start at M2?
The Welsh pay document lists its main pay scale from M2, marked as the minimum, to M6. There is no M1, so M2 is the lowest point a qualified classroom teacher on that scale can be placed on.
Which Welsh pay scale does this page use?
The scale in force from 1 September 2025. The 2026/27 Welsh scale had not been published when this page was checked, although the Welsh Government had said it would consult on the award.
Is income tax different for teachers in Wales?
Not in 2026/27. Welsh rates of income tax match the rates in England, so any gap in take-home between the two nations comes from the different pay scales.