Question 1

What is the take-home pay for a UPS3 teacher in 2026-27?

Accepted Answer

A UPS3 teacher in England (outside London) earns £46,525 gross and takes home £33,512/year (£2,793/month) after income tax, National Insurance and 7.4% TPS pension contributions. UPS3 is the highest teacher pay point before leadership scale.

Question 2

How does UPS3 compare to UPS2 take-home?

Accepted Answer

UPS3 gross is £46,525 (take-home £33,512) vs UPS2 £45,415 (take-home £32,761). The step up to UPS3 adds £1,110 gross and £751 take-home per year (£63/month more). UPS3 is the UPS ceiling.

Question 3

How much does a UPS3 teacher earn in Inner London?

Accepted Answer

The Inner London allowance adds £6,479, giving a gross of £53,004. After tax, NI and TPS, Inner London UPS3 take-home is approximately £38,177/year (£3,181/month) — about £4,665 more than outside London.

Question 4

What is the TPS contribution at UPS3?

Accepted Answer

At UPS3 (£46,525 gross), the 7.4% TPS contribution is approximately £3,443/year (£287/month). The employer contributes approximately 23.7%, giving a combined pension contribution of around 31% of gross salary.

Question 5

What salary comes after UPS3 for teachers?

Accepted Answer

After UPS3, further pay progression requires moving to a leadership or management post. Assistant Headteacher L1–L6 (£51,179–£57,173 outside London) and Headteacher scales are the next steps. These involve significantly different roles and responsibilities.

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

UPS3 Teacher Salary Take-Home 2026-27

All Teacher Pay Scales 2026-27 — England Outside London

London Pay Supplements — UPS3 2026-27

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Teacher Pay Scales