VIC Teacher Salary 2026: Pay Scales, Steps, and What to Expect

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Victoria's teacher pay structure works differently from most other states. There are no fixed annual steps tied to years of service; instead, progression through three salary ranges is linked to an annual performance review. Under the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2026, graduate teachers start at $92,882 from 1 October 2026 and the top of the classroom scale is $133,456. The VGSA 2026, accepted by ballot in August 2026 and awaiting Fair Work Commission approval, lifts a graduate to $84,631 backdated to 15 May 2026 and $92,882 from 1 October 2026.

1. How Victoria's teacher pay structure works

Victorian government school teachers are classified into three salary ranges:

• Range 1, graduate and early proficient classroom teachers
• Range 2, proficient to experienced classroom teachers
• Range 3, Leading Teachers and Learning Specialists (promoted positions requiring application)

Within Range 1 and Range 2, teachers progress through levels (Range 1 has five levels; Range 2 has six). Each level represents an annual salary increment, but that increment is not automatic; it requires satisfactory completion of the annual Performance and Development (P&D) cycle. Range 3 is a separate category. Moving into Range 3 is a promotion to a substantive position, requiring an application and selection process.

Because pay progression depends on a structured annual review rather than automatic increments, understanding the system matters from the start of your career. A teacher who misses a progression decision in year two doesn't just lose that year's increment; they fall one step behind for the remainder of their time at that level. The practical difference between Range 1 entry and the Range 2 ceiling is approximately $40,574 per year in gross salary. Getting progression right, consistently, is one of the more consequential things a new VIC teacher can manage.

2. Government school pay scale (from 1 October 2026)

The following rates apply under the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2026 from 1 October 2026, subject to Fair Work Commission approval. Until it commences, the VGSA 2022 rates apply: $79,589 at Range 1-1 and $118,063 at Range 2-6. [Source: AEU Victoria, VGSA 2026 full progression table]

Range 1 and Range 2, Classroom Teachers

Every subdivision above is an exact figure from the VGSA 2026 progression table, not an estimate. They apply from 1 October 2026, subject to Fair Work Commission approval. [Source: AEU Victoria, VGSA 2026 full progression table] The official DET salary rates page publishes the schedule once the agreement commences.

Range 3, Leading Teachers and Learning Specialists

[Source: AEU Victoria, VGSA 2026 full progression table] The official DET salary rates page publishes the schedule once the agreement commences.

Range 3 positions have a formal position description and selection process. A classroom teacher at the top of Range 2 does not automatically become a Range 3 teacher.

3. What's changing: the VGSA 2026

After the VGSA 2022 expired on 31 December 2025, the Australian Education Union (AEU) and the Victorian government entered protracted negotiations. In March 2026, approximately 35,000 teachers rallied in Melbourne. An in-principle agreement was reached in May 2026.

[Source: AEU Victoria, in-principle VGSA 2026 and full progression table, May 2026; ballot result August 2026]

Members voted to accept the agreement in a ballot that closed on 17 August 2026. It does not commence until seven days after the Fair Work Commission approves it, so until that happens Victorian teachers are still paid the VGSA 2022 rates in the table above. On approval, the first increase is backdated to the first pay period on or after 15 May 2026 and a $2,000 lump sum is paid at the start of the agreement, pro rata for part-time.

The most reliable source of ratification timing is the AEU Victoria; check their website or member communications. The Department of Education's Policy and Advisory Library (PAL) will publish the updated salary schedule once the agreement is formally in effect.

4. How Performance and Development drives your pay

Salary progression in Victoria is directly tied to the Performance and Development (P&D) cycle, a structured annual process between each teacher and their reviewer (principal or delegate). [Source: Victorian DET, Performance and Development policy]

The P&D cycle

The cycle runs May to April each year:

What happens to your pay

Progression is normally one level per year. Employees outside the principal class may also be considered for accelerated salary progression, under procedures the Department determines, so a second level in one cycle is possible but is not something you can count on. Employers cannot set quotas; every teacher who meets requirements will progress. To be eligible on 1 May, you need at least six months of eligible service at your current salary level during the May–April cycle.

If you start partway through the year

The progression cycle runs 1 May to 30 April, so a graduate who starts in, say, February waits until the following 1 May to move off Range 1-1, having spent more than a year on the bottom step. The VGSA 2026 compensates for that with a lump sum, paid when you progress to Range 1-2, that scales with how early in the cycle you started.

[Source: VGSA 2026 cl. 13(3)(g)] It applies only at Range 1-1, and only if you commenced before 1 May. Commence on or before 1 November and you already have the six months you need, so you progress on the next 1 May and there is nothing to compensate. From December onwards the payment shrinks the later you start, because it stands in for the part of an increment you would have earned had you qualified in time.

Evidence requirements

Evidence must be "adequate, authentic, appropriate and accurate". Common forms:

• Student learning outcome data tied to your goals
• Direct observation feedback (from colleagues or leadership)
• Documentation of professional learning completed
• Reflection on how your practice connects to the VIT teaching standards

5. Victorian Catholic school pay

Catholic schools in Victoria operate under the Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement (CEMEA), negotiated between Catholic employing authorities (including MACS, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, and other diocesan employers) and the Independent Education Union (IEU VicTas).

CEMEA 2022, current rates

The CEMEA 2022 delivered eight 1% increases every six months from January 2022 through July 2025. Catholic graduate starting salary has historically mirrored the government scale closely. [Source: IEU VicTas, CEMEA 2022 summary]

2026 Catholic employer offer

In October 2025, the Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) made an offer to teaching and support staff that included:

• A minimum 7% wage rise from January 2026, which Catholic employers described as the largest single-year increase in over 25 years
• A $1,500 sign-on bonus for all ongoing and fixed-term employees (pro rata for part-time)
• A parity commitment: Catholic employers have committed to match whatever increases the Victorian government schools agreement delivers

If both the Catholic offer and the VGSA 2026 proceed as outlined, Catholic teachers in VIC will effectively reach parity with government rates over the life of the new agreement.

6. Independent school pay in Victoria

Independent school pay in Victoria varies significantly and cannot be summarised as a single scale. Each school sets its own terms, usually through an individual enterprise agreement negotiated with staff and/or the IEU VicTas.

Legal minimum, the Award

All teachers not covered by a school enterprise agreement fall back on the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (minimum rates, effective 1 July 2025):

[Source: Fair Work Australia, Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020, 2025 rates] These are legal minimums. Most Victorian independent schools pay above Award, particularly those with enterprise agreements.

In practice

• Most independent schools with enterprise agreements pay within 5–10% of government rates, or above
• Elite schools (such as those in the AHIGS or APS groups) typically pay at or above the top of the government scale
• Smaller non-systemic independent schools may pay at or closer to Award
• Independent school contracts often include additional conditions; review any package offer holistically (non-contact time, professional learning budget, salary packaging options)

When comparing an independent school offer to a government role, raise the following with the school:

7. Allowances and additional payments

Beyond base salary, government school teachers may receive the allowances below. The VGSA 2026 raises most of them, and like the salary rates those amounts need Fair Work Commission approval before they are payable. [Source: VGSA 2026 cl. 20; Victorian DET PAL Allowances for the current amounts]

The leave loading cap is the one allowance that keeps moving: $1,682 in 2026, then $1,750 in 2027, $1,819 in 2028 and $1,909 in 2029. You are paid 17.5% of four weeks' salary or the cap, whichever is lower, so most full-time teachers are on the cap.

The remote area allowances are modest, sitting significantly lower than equivalent payments in NT, WA, or Queensland. Victoria's primary financial mechanism for attracting teachers to regional and rural schools is the separate TFI program.

Targeted Financial Incentives (TFI), up to $50,000

The Targeted Financial Incentives (TFI) program offers payments of up to $50,000 before tax for teachers who accept roles at hard-to-staff rural and regional schools. [Source: Victorian DET, Targeted Financial Incentives program page]

TFI positions are advertised through School Jobs Vic; filter by role type "Targeted Financial Incentive". For enquiries: sr.financial.incentives@education.vic.gov.au.

8. Take-home pay, two examples

These are estimates based on 2025–26 ATO income tax brackets and standard assumptions. They do not account for HECS-HELP debt, salary packaging, or additional allowances.

9. How Victoria compares to other states

Graduate and top-of-scale rates for every state, on their current published figures:

[Source: the pay scale data behind this site, traced to each state's current agreement or award]

The gap with NSW was historically the most acute interstate comparison for teacher pay: a $10,588 differential at graduate level under the VGSA 2022, which drove teacher movement across the border and is a well-documented issue in Victoria's workforce planning. The VGSA 2026 closes it exactly. Victoria reaches $92,882 on 1 October 2026 and NSW reaches the same figure on 9 October, and the match is deliberate rather than coincidental.

At the experienced teacher level, the $151,419 top of classroom scale scheduled for November 2029 would exceed the current NSW top of $133,422 by approximately $17,997. Whether this follows through depends on the final ratified agreement and any subsequent NSW increases over the same period.

For teachers currently weighing a move interstate: on the October rates the two states are level at graduate entry. A teacher considering VIC from NSW should factor in the backdated increase to 15 May 2026, the $2,000 lump sum and the October rates when evaluating offers. A VIC teacher considering NSW should check whether the Fair Work Commission has approved the VGSA 2026 before relying on the new VIC rates. Browse current VIC teaching jobs to see what's available right now, or use the pay calculator to estimate your net take-home at any step.

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