Guide
Teaching Assistant Payslip Explained: Term-Time Pay and LGPS
A teaching assistant’s advertised salary can be much higher than the actual annual pay for the job. Check the hours and paid weeks first, then the school support-staff pension and tax deductions.
By IsMyPayRight
Last reviewed
2026/27; school support staff and LGPS in England and Wales; England tax example
Quick answer
Use the actual contracted annual salary, not the full-time equivalent figure in the advert. Check the support-staff grade, hours fraction, paid weeks and holiday calculation. Where you belong to the LGPS in England and Wales, the contribution band uses actual pensionable pay. A school’s teacher salary scale and Teachers’ Pension deduction are separate arrangements.
On this page
Which salary and pay scale apply to your support-staff role?
Start with the school or employer named on your contract. Ask for the support-staff grade, pay point, location arrangements and annual full-time rate that apply to your post. The teacher main and upper ranges do not establish a teaching assistant’s contracted pay.
Then find the actual annual salary: the gross pay for your agreed hours and paid weeks. A job advertised at a full-time equivalent, or FTE, salary may pay less because it is part-time, term-time-only, or both. If the advert already states actual pay, do not reduce it a second time.
Pay awards, progression and changes in duties need the employer’s written decision and effective date. There is no single teaching-assistant salary table that replaces those contract details across all schools. A higher-level role or extra responsibility should be checked against the role and pay determination actually agreed.
Worked example: from a £30,000 FTE advert to actual annual pay
Fictional contract illustration: the employer confirms a £30,000 FTE salary, 30 contracted weekly hours against a 37-hour full-time week, and 44.4 paid weeks including its calculated holiday entitlement. Its agreed full-year divisor is 52.143. These inputs illustrate a method; they are not a national teaching-assistant pay rate or standard holiday entitlement.
| Step | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Hours fraction | 30 ÷ 37 |
| Paid-weeks fraction | 44.4 ÷ 52.143 |
| Actual annual salary, rounded to pence | £30,000 × 30 ÷ 37 × 44.4 ÷ 52.143 = £20,712.27 |
| Average monthly gross over 12 instalments | £20,712.27 ÷ 12 = £1,726.02 |
Use the employer’s confirmed paid weeks and divisor. Some contracts use 52. The NJC term-time guidance starts its model from 365 days; 365 ÷ 7 is approximately 52.143 weeks. Interchanging the divisors without checking the rest of the calculation changes the answer.
Our term-time-only guide explains holiday eligibility, payment methods and joining or leaving adjustments. Monthly instalments arriving in the summer do not, on their own, mean the contract pays for every week of the year.
Check the contract before calculating tax
Paid weeks and actual salary establish the starting figure for take-home pay.
Check the LGPS band against actual pensionable pay
First confirm your pension scheme. For the LGPS in England and Wales, the member contribution page says the rate is based on actual pensionable pay, with each job assessed separately. These are the first three published bands from April 2026:
| Actual pensionable pay | Member rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £18,400 | 5.5% |
| £18,401–£29,000 | 5.8% |
| £29,001–£47,300 | 6.5% |
Higher bands are on the scheme page. These are its whole-pound labels, checked 31 October 2026. In the main section, the selected percentage applies to pensionable pay, not just the amount above a band boundary. The 50/50 section has different contributions and benefit accrual.
On the example’s steady £20,712.27 actual pensionable salary, the main-section rate is 5.8%. Using the £30,000 FTE figure instead would point to the wrong band for this example. Ask payroll for the annual pensionable-pay figure it has assessed and whether a pay change caused a review.
Worked example: after LGPS, Income Tax and NI
Annual planning illustration continuing the contract above: all £20,712.27 is pensionable at 5.8% in the main section. Assume England in 2026/27, the full £12,570 Personal Allowance, category A NI and net pay pension relief. There is no student loan, salary sacrifice, additional job, allowance, other income or other deduction. Annual deductions are rounded to pence.
| Item | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Actual gross salary | £20,712.27 |
| LGPS: £20,712.27 × 5.8%, rounded | £1,201.31 |
| Income Tax: (£20,712.27 − £1,201.31 − £12,570) × 20% | £1,388.19 |
| Employee NI: (£20,712.27 − £12,570) × 8% | £651.38 |
| Take-home after these deductions | £17,471.39 |
That gives a monthly average of £1,455.95. The pension reduces Income Tax here, but not NI earnings. Actual pay-period thresholds, the tax code and previous earnings can make the payslip differ from this annual estimate. Employer pension contributions shown for information are not an additional deduction from your wages.
Extra hours, a second school and agency work
Record extra hours separately from your usual contract. Match approved hours, the agreed payment and the payroll cut-off. Ask how any additional pay affects pensionable earnings and your contribution assessment.
If you have two school jobs, keep both payroll records. The LGPS contribution rate is assessed separately for each job, while your Income Tax position depends on all your income and how HMRC allocates allowances. Our two-jobs calculator can compare the tax assumptions; it does not determine scheme membership.
If an agency or umbrella company employs you, check its written pay offer and pension terms. Do not assume you receive the school’s LGPS arrangement. An umbrella assignment rate also has to fund employer costs before it becomes employee gross pay; follow our umbrella payslip guide.
A useful message to school payroll
Try: “Please confirm my support-staff grade and pay point, FTE salary, actual annual salary, weekly-hours fraction, paid weeks including holiday, and full-year divisor. Which actual pensionable pay and LGPS rate did you use, and how is the annual salary spread across paydays?”
If a pay award is backdated, request the old and new actual salary for each covered period. If your hours changed, ask payroll to split the calculation at that date. Use the arrears checklist before comparing only the final net amount.
Enter your confirmed actual salary and pension settings in the calculator. It cannot establish a school contract’s holiday allowance or choose an LGPS band. Keep tax-code questions separate from a disagreement about gross pay.
What to check
- This guide covers teaching assistants and similar school support staff in England and Wales, with LGPS checks where that scheme applies.
- Check whether the quoted salary is full-time equivalent, actual annual pay or an hourly rate.
- Worked weeks and paid weeks can differ because the contract includes paid holiday.
- An agency or umbrella employer may use different pension and holiday arrangements.
What to do next
- Keep the advert, contract, grade or pay-point letter and recent payslips.
- Request the actual annual salary calculation, including paid weeks and the full-year divisor.
- Ask payroll which actual pensionable earnings and LGPS rate it used.
Try the tool
Check your payslip or model a change.
Use the checker if you already have a payslip. Use the calculator if you want to model take-home pay or salary-sacrifice changes before payday.
About this guide
Published by IsMyPayRight to help you understand pay and deductions. Guides use official reference material and practical examples, with AI assistance in content preparation.
This is general guidance, not a professional review of your circumstances. Read our editorial process and corrections information.
Methodology and sources
See how the calculations work, which sources they use, how results are tested, and which payroll details the estimates cannot verify.
Common questions
- Why is my teaching assistant salary lower than the job advert?
- The advert may quote full-time equivalent pay, while the job has fewer weekly hours, fewer paid weeks or both. Ask for actual annual salary, the hours fraction, paid weeks including holiday and the divisor. Do not reduce an advertised actual salary again.
- Does a teaching assistant’s LGPS band use the advertised FTE salary?
- For the LGPS in England and Wales, the contribution rate is based on actual pensionable pay and each job is assessed separately. Confirm membership and the earnings assessed. Agency or umbrella work may have a different pension arrangement.
- Should I add holiday pay again to my term-time annual salary?
- Check the calculation first. The confirmed annual salary may already include the employer’s holiday allowance. Worked weeks and paid weeks can differ, and equal monthly instalments do not mean that every week of the year is paid.
Official sources
Official sources
Use these references to check the rules behind this guide. Check the tax year and your circumstances before applying an example to your own pay.