Teachers Award.
Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020. Verified penalty rates, shift loadings, leave loading and RDO arrangements, with a live calculator under the NES.
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| Component | Formula | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Accrual rate (FULL-TIME) | 4 wks × 38h ÷ 52 | 2.923 hrs/wk |
| Hours accrued | 2.923 × 52 wks | 152.42 hrs |
| Hourly base rate | - | $35.00 |
| Base leave value | 152.42 × $35.00 | $5,334.62 |
| 17.5% leave loading | base × 0.175 | + $933.56 |
| Total payout | - | $6,268.17 |
Disclaimer: This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. Results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation or your circumstances. This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. We do not recommend taking actions based solely on these results. The calculator makes assumptions and results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation, modern awards, or your personal circumstances. You use this information at your own risk. We can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. For official guidance, visit Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au). Fair Work Ombudsman.
Teachers Award pay rates and penalties.
Dollar rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the Annual Wage Review increase. Penalty rates verified against the MA000077 award text.
Hourly rate by classification level
10 levels, measured from $0 so the gaps between them are true to scale.
- Preschools and schools, Level 1Graduate teacher and all other teachers (as defined) including those holding provisional or conditional accreditation/registration ($75,941 a year)
- Preschools and schools, Level 2Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent ($83,004 a year)
- Preschools and schools, Level 3Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years' satisfactory teaching service at Level 2 ($90,362 a year)
- Preschools and schools, Level 4Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years' satisfactory teaching service at Level 3 ($97,720 a year)
- Preschools and schools, Level 5Teacher with Highly Accomplished/Lead Teacher accreditation/registration or equivalent ($105,076 a year)
- Long day care centres, Level 1Graduate teacher and all other teachers (as defined) including those holding provisional or conditional accreditation/registration ($78,979 a year)
- Long day care centres, Level 2Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent ($86,324 a year)
- Long day care centres, Level 3Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years' satisfactory teaching service at Level 2 ($93,976 a year)
- Long day care centres, Level 4Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years' satisfactory teaching service at Level 3 ($101,629 a year)
- Long day care centres, Level 5Teacher with Highly Accomplished/Lead Teacher accreditation/registration or equivalent ($109,279 a year)
National Minimum Wage, 4-year trend
Lifted each year by the Annual Wage Review. Up 23.7% since FY2023. Percentages are the movement in the NMW itself, which exceeded the award increase in the years the Commission realigned it to the C13 rate.
Where these numbers come from
- Dollar rates
- The MA000077 award text as consolidated by the Fair Work Commission, reflecting Annual Wage Review [2026] FWCFB 3500, effective 1 July 2026.
- Penalty rates and allowances
- MA000077 on awards.fairwork.gov.au, the official award text.
- Your own figures
- Check your classification in the FWO Pay Calculator.
Penalty rates in full
Every loading in the award, side by side for full-time, part-time and casual employees.
| Hours worked | Full-time / part-time | Casual (incl. loading) |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours | 100% | 125% |
| Saturday | 100% | 125% |
| Sunday | 100% | 125% |
| Public holiday | 100% | 125% |
This award has no weekend penalty on ordinary hours. The 100% above is not a missing figure: ordinary hours under this award do not attract a Saturday or Sunday loading, so weekend work is either paid at the ordinary rate or falls into overtime. Check the overtime clause rather than the penalty table for what a weekend shift is worth.
All values are percentages of the base hourly rate. Casual rates shown are inclusive of the 25% casual loading on top of the FT/PT rate. For your own dollar amounts, use the FWO Pay Calculator.
These are the percentages. To turn them into dollars for a specific roster, the penalty rates calculator prices Saturday, Sunday, public holiday and shift hours against this award’s own classification rates.
Pay rates by classification
Weekly rates are for 38 ordinary hours. Casual hourly includes the 25% loading.
| Level | Classification | Weekly rate | Hourly rate | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preschools and schools, Level 1 | Graduate teacher and all other teachers (as defined) including those holding provisional or conditional accreditation/registration ($75,941 a year) | $1,455.40 | $38.30 | $47.88 |
| Preschools and schools, Level 2 | Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent ($83,004 a year) | $1,590.70 | $41.86 | $52.33 |
| Preschools and schools, Level 3 | Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years' satisfactory teaching service at Level 2 ($90,362 a year) | $1,731.70 | $45.57 | $56.96 |
| Preschools and schools, Level 4 | Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years' satisfactory teaching service at Level 3 ($97,720 a year) | $1,872.70 | $49.28 | $61.60 |
| Preschools and schools, Level 5 | Teacher with Highly Accomplished/Lead Teacher accreditation/registration or equivalent ($105,076 a year) | $2,013.70 | $52.99 | $66.24 |
| Long day care centres, Level 1 | Graduate teacher and all other teachers (as defined) including those holding provisional or conditional accreditation/registration ($78,979 a year) | $1,513.60 | $39.83 | $49.79 |
| Long day care centres, Level 2 | Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent ($86,324 a year) | $1,654.40 | $43.54 | $54.42 |
| Long day care centres, Level 3 | Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years' satisfactory teaching service at Level 2 ($93,976 a year) | $1,801.00 | $47.39 | $59.24 |
| Long day care centres, Level 4 | Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration or equivalent after 3 years' satisfactory teaching service at Level 3 ($101,629 a year) | $1,947.70 | $51.26 | $64.07 |
| Long day care centres, Level 5 | Teacher with Highly Accomplished/Lead Teacher accreditation/registration or equivalent ($109,279 a year) | $2,094.30 | $55.11 | $68.89 |
Rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the Annual Wage Review increase. Weekly rates are for 38 ordinary hours. Casual rates include the 25% loading on top of the hourly rate. Source: the MA000077 award text as consolidated to 1 July 2026.
Allowances
Paid on top of the base rate. Amounts effective from 1 July 2026.
| Allowance | Amount | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director's allowance, up to 39 places | $8,733.22 | per year | Early childhood or preschool teacher appointed as a Director. Part-time Directors are paid in proportion to their hours (cl 19.2). |
| Director's allowance, 40 to 59 places | $10,821.59 | per year | Clause 19.2(b). |
| Director's allowance, 60 or more places | $13,137.79 | per year | Clause 19.2(b). |
| Leadership allowance, Level 1 | $6,075.28 / $5,315.87 / $4,784.28 | per year, school category A / B / C | School teachers in a leadership position such as managing a major department or an equivalent pastoral care or educational leadership role. Category A is a school with more than 600 students, B 300 to 600, C 100 to 299 (cl 19.3). |
| Leadership allowance, Level 2 | $4,176.76 / $3,607.20 / $3,037.64 | per year, school category A / B / C | Positions such as small learning area department heads or sports co-ordinator (cl 19.3). |
| Leadership allowance, Level 3 | $2,088.38 / $1,784.61 / $1,215.06 | per year, school category A / B / C | Schools with fewer than 100 students set their own positions and allowances (cl 19.3(f)). |
| Educational leader allowance | $4,784.28 | per year | Early childhood teacher required to be the educational leader under Regulation 118 of the National Regulations. Paid on top of any Director's allowance, pro rata if acting for less than 5 days a week (cl 19.4). |
| Vehicle allowance, motor car | $1.01 | per km | Maximum payment up to 400 km a week (cl 19.5(a)). |
| Vehicle allowance, motorcycle | $0.34 | per km | Maximum payment up to 400 km a week (cl 19.5(a)). |
The numbers that drive this award.
Set by Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (MA000077) and the NES.
Award-specific provisions.
Where this award goes beyond, or sits at, the NES floor.
Standard NES floor of 4 weeks per year of full-time service. Pro-rata for part-time.
Day workers get a flat 17.5% on the minimum hourly rate. This award has no shiftwork provisions. Run the numbers in the annual leave loading calculator.
No formal RDO accrual cycle in this award. Time off in lieu of overtime (TOIL) may still be available.
Calculate your leave under this award
The Teachers Award sets your pay rates, but your paid leave runs on the National Employment Standards. Work out 4 weeks of holidays with the annual leave calculator, and your 10 days of paid sick and carer's leave with the personal leave calculator. To confirm which award applies to you and how it lifts entitlements above the NES floor, read our guide to modern awards.
Who this award covers.
The Teachers Award (MA000077) is the common name for the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.
Industries
Work types
Notes & exclusions. Two distinct cohorts. Teachers in schools and preschools operate on an annualised salary that absorbs weekend, evening and public-holiday work, and the award sets no penalty rates for them; annual leave is taken during school holidays and the salary is structured to cover this. The pay table shows both rates in clause 17.1: preschools and schools, and long day care centres, which are 4% higher because those teachers are not covered by the clause 15 hours of work provisions (clause 17.2). Teachers in early childhood services operating at least 48 weeks per year fall under Schedule A, which does set explicit penalties: Saturday 125%, afternoon shift 115%, night shift 117.5%, permanent night shift 130%, and, by agreement, 152 hours over 19 days in each 4 week period with one rostered day off on full pay (clause A.2). Excludes principals and deputy principals. A casual engaged for less than 5 consecutive days is paid no higher than the Level 3 rate (clause 17.5(a)(i)), so the Level 4 and Level 5 casual figures apply only to a casual engaged for 5 or more consecutive days. Casuals are paid a full day rate of the weekly rate divided by 5 plus 25%, or a half day rate of the weekly rate divided by 10 plus 25% (clause 17.5(b)), and the casual hourly column is the full day rate divided by 7.6. In childcare, preschool, long day care and outside school hours care services, clause 4.4(c) excludes teacher and integration aides, helpers, classroom assistants and directors or supervisors, other than a university qualified early childhood teacher. Outside a school-run service, those roles are classified under the Children's Services Award.
Roles paid under this award.
Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.
- 01Level 1: graduate teacher, including provisional or conditional accreditation
- 02Level 2: teacher with proficient accreditation
- 03Level 3: proficient teacher after 3 years at Level 2
- 04Level 4: proficient teacher after 3 years at Level 3
- 05Level 5: Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher
- 06early childhood teacher appointed as Director
- 07early childhood educational leader
Teachers Award questions, answered.
Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000077. Verified against the modern award text.
Who does the Teachers Award cover?
Are there Saturday penalty rates under the Teachers Award?
Are there Sunday penalty rates under the Teachers Award?
What rate applies for public holidays under the Teachers Award?
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Teachers Award?
How is annual leave loading calculated under the Teachers Award?
What is the casual loading under the Teachers Award?
Does the Teachers Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Teachers Award?
Verified against the modern award text.
Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (MA000077) on the Fair Work Commission's awards.fairwork.gov.au.
For up-to-date pay rates by classification, refer to the FWO Pay Calculator. Modern awards are reviewed and varied periodically by the Fair Work Commission; check the source for the latest text.