Teaching assistant salary 2026
Updated 4 Nov 2026 · Reviewed by SchoolJobs
Short answer
Most teaching assistants are paid on the NJC pay spine, which starts at £13.28 an hour (£25,614 full-time) from April 2026. Because most TAs work term-time and fewer than 37 hours a week, actual yearly pay is usually lower: about £15,900–£23,500 for common grades and hours. On SchoolJobs, TA adverts currently pay £25,816–£28,173 (median £26,637) full-time equivalent.
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Key facts
- Pay scale: NJC spine, 3.3% rise from 1 April 2026
- Lowest point: £13.28 an hour (spine point 3)
- Typical TA contract: 27.5–32.5 hours a week, term-time
- Paid in 12 equal monthly payments, including the holidays
- Live TA adverts (FTE): typically £25,816–£28,173, median £26,637
Full-time salary vs what TAs actually earn
Actual pay = FTE × (hours ÷ 37) × (paid weeks ÷ 52.143)
| Spine point | Hourly | FTE | 32.5 hrs, term-time* | 27.5 hrs, term-time* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | £13.28 | £25,614 | £18,813 | £15,918 |
| 5 | £13.70 | £26,427 | £19,410 | £16,424 |
| 8 | £14.36 | £27,709 | £20,351 | £17,220 |
| 12 | £15.31 | £29,542 | £21,698 | £18,360 |
| 17 | £16.61 | £32,046 | £23,537 | £19,916 |
*Term-time = 43.6 paid weeks, a common figure for a 39-week contract; yours may differ. Work out your paid weeks
Pay by TA level
Each council or trust sets its own grades, so the same title can sit on different points. As a rough guide, entry-level TA posts are usually in the lower part of the spine, Level 3 and specialist TAs higher, and HLTAs higher again. The advert shows the grade or spine points. Live advertised pay for teaching assistant, Level 3 TA, SEN TA and HLTA jobs is shown in the live data on this page where we have at least 5 adverts.
Take-home pay example
A TA on point 5, 32.5 hours, 43.6 paid weeks earns about £19,410 a year. After the pension (5.8%), tax and National Insurance, that's about £1,383 a month. Use the support staff pay calculator for your own figures.
How to earn more as a TA
- Gain a Level 3 qualification or specialist skills (SEN, speech and language, ELSA)
- Take on HLTA status
- Increase your hours, or look for all-year roles
- London and some trusts pay London weighting or higher scales
- Move into cover supervision or train as a teacher
Pay spine
Official support staff pay spine · 2026/27
NJC pay points 3–43
Full-time, full-year rates from 1 April 2026 (3.3% increase agreed). Show all pay points
| Pay point (SCP) | Annual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 |
| 4 | £26,016 | £13.48 |
| 5 | £26,427 | £13.70 |
| 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 |
| 7 | £27,274 | £14.14 |
| 8 | £27,709 | £14.36 |
| 9 | £28,153 | £14.59 |
| 10 | £28,608 | £14.83 |
| 11 | £29,071 | £15.07 |
| 12 | £29,542 | £15.31 |
| 13 | £30,023 | £15.56 |
| 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 |
| 15 | £31,015 | £16.08 |
| 16 | £31,525 | £16.34 |
| 17 | £32,046 | £16.61 |
| 18 | £32,578 | £16.89 |
| 19 | £33,119 | £17.17 |
| 20 | £33,673 | £17.45 |
| 21 | £34,237 | £17.75 |
| 22 | £34,811 | £18.04 |
| 23 | £35,570 | £18.44 |
| 24 | £36,581 | £18.96 |
| 25 | £37,563 | £19.47 |
| 26 | £38,510 | £19.96 |
| 27 | £39,481 | £20.46 |
| 28 | £40,444 | £20.96 |
| 29 | £41,177 | £21.34 |
| 30 | £42,123 | £21.83 |
| 31 | £43,149 | £22.37 |
| 32 | £44,253 | £22.94 |
| 33 | £45,529 | £23.60 |
| 34 | £46,579 | £24.14 |
| 35 | £47,665 | £24.71 |
| 36 | £48,738 | £25.26 |
| 37 | £49,817 | £25.82 |
| 38 | £50,908 | £26.39 |
| 39 | £51,928 | £26.92 |
| 40 | £53,051 | £27.50 |
| 41 | £54,143 | £28.06 |
| 42 | £55,224 | £28.62 |
| 43 | £56,293 | £29.18 |
Source: NJC for Local Government Services pay agreement 2026 (Annex 1)
Councils and most maintained schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay support staff on this spine; each employer decides which pay points a role sits on. Annual figures are for a full-time (37-hour), all-year post — term-time and part-time staff are paid a proportion of them. Hourly rates are for a 37-hour week. Pay point 2 was removed, so the spine now starts at point 3. Academies, independent schools and private nurseries may use their own pay.
Read the official pay agreement (Local Government Association)Advertised salary evidence
Advertised salary evidence
£21,316 per year – £25,010 per year
Median advertised range in England · Local-government support-staff pay structures (England and Wales)
Midpoint of advertised salary ranges: £23,163 per year
Strong evidence
Based on salary information published in live vacancy adverts on SchoolJobs.
Based on 209 live public vacancies · Last refreshed 4 Nov 2026
Statistics are derived from live public vacancies at the time of the last refresh. They are a snapshot of advertised pay, not a historical earnings series.
How we calculate salary informationSupports the class teacher with learning, small groups and 1:1. Very often a term-time-only contract.
Advertised pay by unit and nation
Annual, monthly, weekly, daily and hourly adverts are measured separately, and each nation is measured on its own evidence.
| Nation | Unit | Median advertised range | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | per year | £21,316 per year – £25,010 per yearMidpoint of advertised ranges: £23,163 per year | Strong evidence209 live vacancies · 209 employers |
| Nation not identified | per year | £21,662 per year – £25,989 per yearMidpoint of advertised ranges: £23,826 per year | Strong evidence95 live vacancies · 95 employers |
| England | per hour | £13.70 per hour – £14.03 per hourMidpoint of advertised ranges: £13.86 per hour | Limited evidence20 live vacancies · 20 employers |
| Nation not identified | per hour | £13.70 per hour – £13.92 per hourMidpoint of advertised ranges: £13.81 per hour | Limited evidence9 live vacancies · 9 employers |
How advertised pay is worked out
Each vacancy is counted once using the midpoint of its advertised full-time salary range, then we take the median across eligible vacancies. This describes advertised pay, not what employees currently earn. Pro-rata, actual or unqualified-scale pay, reversed ranges and duplicates are left out. How advertised pay works
Where teaching assistants are being advertised
Live jobs and pay right now
From live adverts on SchoolJobs. Pay comes from our salary guide; it's hidden when there isn't enough evidence.
2026/27 advertised pay £21,316 per year – £25,010 per year · midpoint £23,163 per year (based on 209 adverts)Salary guide · Pay calculator
2026/27 advertised pay £20,191 per year – £26,613 per year · midpoint £23,402 per year (based on 14 adverts)Salary guide · Pay calculator
Latest teaching assistant jobs
£20,111–£20,431 a year (actual)
29.58 hours per week · term time only
Posted 1 day ago
via Teaching Vacancies
Pay not stated
Full time · Part time · Temporary
Posted 1 day ago
via Teaching Vacancies
£25,287 a year
Full time · Permanent
Posted 1 day ago
via Teaching Vacancies
Frequently asked questions
Do TAs get paid in the summer holidays?
Yes, in 12 equal payments; they aren't paid extra for holidays.
Do academies pay TAs on the NJC spine?
Many do; academies can set their own pay.
When is the next TA pay rise?
The NJC award runs from April; the 2027/28 award isn't agreed yet.