What a teacher keeps in Ireland after tax, 2026
Teaching here is public sector work on a nationally negotiated scale, and the published figures read well enough. Three separate charges, PAYE, USC and PRSI, plus pension contributions on top, leave the monthly reality a good distance beneath the advertised number.
The teaching scale in 2026, from gross to net
Primary and post-primary teachers share one national scale running to 25 increments. A newly qualified teacher begins at Point 1, worth €38,901 in secondary and much the same in primary, and the scale finishes at Point 25 on €62,799, with separate allowances for Deputy Principals and Principals.
These 2026 numbers follow the October 2023 public sector agreement and include the 2.25% sectoral rise applied that January. A new entrant premium of roughly €2,000 a year, introduced in 2023, is already inside the Point 1 figure.
| Scale Point / Role | Gross/Year | PAYE+USC+PRSI | Net/Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point 1 (NQT entry) | €38,901 | ~€8,920 | €2,498/mo |
| Point 5 (~Year 4) | €43,276 | ~€10,250 | €2,752/mo |
| Point 10 (~Year 9) | €49,748 | ~€12,130 | €3,135/mo |
| Point 15 (~Year 14) | €54,419 | ~€13,810 | €3,384/mo |
| Point 20 (~Year 19) | €58,788 | ~€15,220 | €3,630/mo |
| Point 25 (top, ~Year 24) | €62,799 | ~€16,590 | €3,851/mo |
| Deputy Principal | €67,500-€72,000 | ~€18,200-€19,900 | €4,108-€4,342/mo |
| Principal (large school) | €90,000-€110,000 | ~€26,600-€33,900 | €5,283-€6,342/mo |
No pension deduction appears above, and integrated scheme members typically pay 6.5%. Those in the Single Public Service Pension Scheme contribute roughly 3% to 5% of salary. Once pension comes out, monthly take-home falls somewhere between €100 and €250 beneath what is shown.
The unresolved new entrant pay problem
Anyone joining the public service after January 2011 spent years on a lower scale than colleagues who had arrived earlier, a two-tier arrangement that bred lasting resentment and pushed teachers abroad. The October 2023 agreement formally ended it and brought new entrants to parity, which is where the roughly €2,000 lift at Point 1 comes from.
The repair came too late for the money already lost. Teachers who spent 2011 to 2020 on the lower scale forfeited a substantial amount cumulatively, and the 2023 settlement changed future pay without backdating anything. Someone who started in 2013 and now sits at Point 12 earns exactly what a pre-2011 colleague at Point 12 earns, and the intervening years stay lost.
What is left once the pension has been paid
A Point 15 teacher on €54,419 with the Single Public Service Pension Scheme paying 3.5% contribution (€1,905/year):
- Gross: €54,419
- PAYE: approximately -€9,568
- USC: approximately -€1,434
- PRSI: -€2,177
- Pension: -€1,905
- Net take-home: approximately €39,335/year → €3,278/month
That leaves 60.3% of gross salary reaching the bank. The pension is not lost, since it is building a defined-benefit entitlement, but it is equally unavailable month to month.
Irish and British teachers compared
- 🇮🇪 Ireland NQT (Point 1): €38,901 gross → ~€2,340/month (after pension)
- 🇬🇧 UK NQT (M1, England): £32,758 gross → ~£2,620/month (before TPS pension deduction); after TPS ~£2,380/month
- 🇮🇪 Ireland Point 10: €49,748 → ~€2,960/month after pension
- 🇬🇧 UK M6: £43,685 → ~£2,850/month after TPS
On net pay the two countries finish close together. Irish teachers gross slightly more at most points, and comparable effective tax treatment brings the monthly figures back into line. Where Ireland pulls clear is in the middle and upper range, Points 15 to 25, which outpace the entry points on the British leadership spine.
Questions readers ask
How much does a newly qualified teacher earn in Ireland after tax in 2026?
A newly qualified teacher on Scale Point 1 earns €38,901 gross. After PAYE, USC and PRSI but before any pension contribution, take-home comes to roughly €2,498 a month. After the pension contribution of 3.5% to 6.5% depending on scheme, take-home lands near €2,250 to €2,340 a month.
Do teachers in Ireland get paid during summer holidays?
They are. Irish teacher salaries are divided into 12 equal monthly payments covering the full year, holidays included, so teachers receive their standard monthly salary in July and August. There is no extra pay for summer, and equally no docking for non-teaching periods.
What pension do Irish teachers get?
Teachers who joined the public service before 2013 are in the Integrated Scheme, a defined-benefit pension paying 1/80th of final salary for each year of service plus a 3/80ths lump sum. After 35 years on a final salary of €60,000 the pension would be €26,250 a year alongside a €78,750 lump sum. Teachers who joined from January 2013 are in the Single Public Service Pension Scheme, which accrues on career-average pay rather than final salary.
Is there a shortage of teachers in Ireland?
There is, acutely so in STEM and special education. The Teaching Council registers roughly 1,500 newly qualified teachers a year from Irish institutions, but emigration, particularly to Australia and the Middle East, and limited initial teacher education places have created shortfalls. Many vacancies are filled by teachers on daily casual substitute terms rather than permanent contracts, which lowers effective annual income considerably for newer teachers.