Tax · Professions
Headteacher Take-Home Pay Across the Full Range
The headteacher pay range spans nearly £90,000 of gross salary. The effective tax rate at the bottom of it can be higher than at the top.
2026/27 tax year · England, Wales & Northern Ireland · London fringe pay range, in force from 1 September 2026
School leadership pay is published, which makes it one of the few professions where the whole range can be modelled honestly. It also produces a counter-intuitive result: a headteacher near the bottom of the range with children can face a higher marginal rate than one near the top.
The numbers
| Pay point | Gross | Take-home | Monthly | Marginal rate | With two children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom of range | £62,101 | £46,576 | £3,881 | 42.0% | 53.7% |
| Top of range | £150,301 | £91,446 | £7,620 | 47.0% | 47.0% |
Marginal rate is the tax on the next £1 earned, for someone with no children and no student loan. The final column adds two children, where Child Benefit is being clawed back between £60,000 and £80,000. A Plan 2 student loan adds a further 9 points at both pay points.
What it means
The reason is the High Income Child Benefit Charge, which claws back Child Benefit between £60,000 and £80,000. A head at the bottom of the London fringe range sits inside that band. A head at the top has passed through it and is simply paying the additional rate. Higher gross, lower marginal rate.
Run your own figures with the take-home pay calculator, or see whether a pension contribution escapes the taper with the high-earner optimiser.
Sources
- Both gross figures: School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document, headteacher group pay range, London fringe, from 1 September 2026 (after the 3.5% award). Take-home, monthly and marginal figures are derived from the 2026/27 income tax and National Insurance rates.
General information, not financial or tax advice. Pay scales change; check the current published scale before relying on a figure.