Question 1

What is the take-home pay for a UPS2 teacher in 2026-27?

Accepted Answer

A UPS2 teacher in England (outside London) earns £45,415 gross and takes home £32,761/year (£2,730/month) after income tax, National Insurance and 7.4% TPS pension contributions.

Question 2

How does UPS2 compare to UPS1 take-home?

Accepted Answer

UPS2 gross is £45,415 (take-home £32,761) vs UPS1 £44,329 (take-home £32,025). The step up to UPS2 adds £1,086 gross and £736 take-home per year (£61/month more).

Question 3

How much does a UPS2 teacher earn in Inner London?

Accepted Answer

The Inner London allowance adds £6,479, giving a gross of £51,894. After tax, NI and TPS, Inner London UPS2 take-home is approximately £37,426/year (£3,119/month) — about £4,665 more than outside London.

Question 4

What is the TPS contribution at UPS2?

Accepted Answer

At UPS2 (£45,415 gross), the 7.4% TPS contribution is approximately £3,361/year (£280/month). The employer contributes approximately 23.7%, giving a combined pension contribution of around 31% of gross salary.

Question 5

Is it worth progressing from UPS2 to UPS3?

Accepted Answer

UPS2 take-home is £32,761 vs UPS3 £33,512 — a difference of £751/year (£63/month). The additional £1,110 gross triggers a £751 increase in take-home. UPS progression requires an application demonstrating sustained excellent performance.

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

UPS2 Teacher Salary Take-Home 2026-27

All Teacher Pay Scales 2026-27 — England Outside London

London Pay Supplements — UPS2 2026-27

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Teacher Pay Scales