Question 1

What is the take-home pay for an M5 teacher in 2026-27?

Accepted Answer

An M5 teacher in England (outside London) earns £39,178 gross and takes home £28,549/year (£2,379/month) after income tax, National Insurance and 7.4% TPS pension contributions.

Question 2

How does M5 compare to M4 and M6 take-home?

Accepted Answer

M5 gross is £39,178 (take-home £28,549) vs M4 £37,099 (£27,154) and M6 £41,333 (£30,002). M5 is one step from the main scale ceiling — the take-home gap to M6 is £1,453/year.

Question 3

How much does an M5 teacher earn in Inner London?

Accepted Answer

The Inner London allowance adds £6,479, giving a gross of £45,657. After tax, NI and TPS, the Inner London M5 take-home is approximately £33,214/year (£2,768/month) — about £4,665 more than outside London.

Question 4

What is the TPS contribution at M5?

Accepted Answer

At M5 (£39,178 gross), the 7.4% TPS contribution is approximately £2,899/year (£242/month). The employer contributes approximately 23.7%, giving a total pension contribution of around 31% of your salary.

Question 5

What happens after M5 — can an M5 teacher move to M6?

Accepted Answer

Performance-related progression from M5 to M6 (£41,333 gross, £30,002 take-home) is typical for teachers meeting their performance objectives. After M6, teachers can apply to move to the Upper Pay Scale (UPS1 = £44,329 gross).

Scale	Gross/yr	Take-Home/yr	Take-Home/mo
M1	£31,650	£23,486	£1,957
M2	£33,483	£24,724	£2,060
M3	£35,196	£25,880	£2,157
M4	£37,099	£27,154	£2,263
M5	£39,178	£28,549	£2,379
M6	£41,333	£30,002	£2,500
UPS1	£44,329	£32,025	£2,669
UPS2	£45,415	£32,761	£2,730
UPS3	£46,525	£33,512	£2,793

M5 Teacher Salary Take-Home 2026-27

All Teacher Pay Scales 2026-27 — England Outside London

London Pay Supplements — M5 2026-27

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Teacher Pay Scales