Are the teaching assistant presets official salary statistics?

No. Unless a particular source and effective date are explicitly identified, role labels and prefilled amounts are editable planning examples, not verified market medians, an employer pay award or an individual entitlement. Use your current contract, pay statement or actual business records.

Why might the result differ from my payslip or tax return?

This is an annual estimate. Actual results depend on your UK jurisdiction, tax code, pension method, pensionable earnings, loan notices, other income and the timing of payments. Payroll rounding, arrears, benefits and irregular pay can change the result. A self-employed or partnership arrangement also needs its own profit and National Insurance treatment.

Does a professional fee or expense always reduce my tax?

No. Check the applicable HMRC conditions, the amount you actually paid and whether your employer reimbursed it. A deduction normally reduces taxable income rather than producing a pound-for-pound repayment. Do not claim the same cost twice.

2026/27 role-specific pay planning

Teaching Assistant salary and take-home pay

Full-time equivalent versus term-time actual pay. Use the specialist inputs below to compare your actual contract or working arrangement.

By AfterTaxUK Editorial Team · Method and source guidance reviewed 26 October 2026

Use your own figures. Presets are planning examples unless a specific published scale and effective date are cited. They are not a verified salary survey. Confirm current pay, allowances, expense eligibility and pension deductions with your employer, scheme or records.

NJC 2026/27 School Support Staff Modeller

UK Teaching Assistant Take-Home Pay Calculator

Accurately model NJC Green Book spine points, term-time only (TTO) pro-rata fractions, LGPS CARE pension, and monthly net pay.

Tax Region:

Select Standard School Support Staff Role & NJC Spine Range:

Level 2 TA (Qualified / SEN 1:1 Support): Delivering targeted interventions, providing dedicated 1-to-1 support for EHCP pupils, and implementing behavioural plans.

Typical Spine: NJC SCP 5–7

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Salary:37 hrs / 52.14 wks baseline

This is the advertised whole-year salary on your school contract before pro-rata deductions.

Contract Basis:

Paid across 12 equal monthly instalments, including all school holidays.

Term-Time Only (TTO) Pro-Rata Formula

Pro-Rata Fraction: 74.1% of FTE

Weekly Contracted Hours:32.5 hrs / week

10 hrs (Part-time)32.5 hrs (School Day)37 hrs (Full-time)

Based on standard school hours (e.g. 08:30 to 15:30 with 30-minute unpaid lunch = 6.5 hrs/day = 32.5 hrs/wk).

Paid Weeks per Year:44 weeks / yr

38.0 wks (Term only)44.0 wks (Term + Holiday)46.0 wks (Long service)

Standard UK formula: 39 working term weeks (190 pupil days + 5 INSET training days) + 5.0 pro-rata paid holiday weeks = 44.0 weeks.

Statutory Formula: (32.5h ÷ 37h) × (44w ÷ 52.14w) = 74.12% of FTE.

Actual Base Salary: £19,643.06 / yr

School Location (London Weighting):Weighting is pro-rated to £0.00/yr.

Special Educational Needs (SEN) Allowance:Pro-rated SEN pay: £0.00/yr.

Extra Duties (Breakfast/Lunch/After-School):

Midday meals supervisor or wraparound care hourly earnings.

Student Loan Plan:

Assessed on total actual earnings before pension deductions.

Union Membership Tax Relief (s.344)Claim Relief

School support staff members of UNISON, NEU, or GMB can claim tax relief on professional dues, saving £36.00/yr in tax under Section 344 ITEPA 2003.

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS 2026/27):

Under LGPS Regulation 9, your contribution tier is 5.8% based on your actual pro-rata pay of £19,643.06 (not FTE).

Section:

Guaranteed CARE Accrual: This year's service adds +£400.88 / year guaranteed index-linked pension for life at retirement.

Section 193 Net-Pay Tax Relief Applied Automatically

Estimated Net Take-Home Pay (2026/27)

£1,383.93/ month

Paid Every Month in 12 Equal Instalments: Even though term-time support staff work 39 weeks of the year, school payroll automatically averages your earnings so you receive an equal payslip of £1,383.93 every month, including August and Christmas!

Actual Pro-Rata Gross:

£1,636.92

74.1% of £26,500.00 FTE

Income Tax (PAYE):

-£95.90

After LGPS Net-Pay relief

National Insurance:

-£47.15

Class 1 (8% & 2%)

LGPS Pension:

-£94.94

5.8% Contribution

Union Tax Relief: £180.00/yrTotal Statutory Deductions: -£237.99

Effective Deduction Rate: 14.5%

Monthly Take-Home 50/30/20 Budget Allocation (£1,383.93 / mo)

How a Teaching Assistant taking home £1,383.93 net per month can allocate their earnings under the UK 50/30/20 living cost benchmark:

Needs (50%)

£691.97 / mo

Rent/mortgage, council tax, energy bills, groceries, and travel to school.

Wants (30%)

£415.18 / mo

Socialising, streaming subscriptions, clothing, dining out, and hobbies.

Savings & Debt (20%)

£276.79 / mo

Emergency buffer fund, ISA savings, or extra credit repayments.

What matters in this pay comparison?

Full-time equivalent versus term-time actual pay

Start with the full-time equivalent rate, then check contracted weekly hours and the paid weeks in your contract. Term-time working weeks and paid weeks including holiday are not interchangeable.

Add paid extra duties or an SEN allowance once. Confirm the employer’s actual term-time factor and LGPS deduction before comparing the tool with your monthly payslip.

Check the basis before comparing offers

Use the same year, working hours and paid weeks. An hourly rate, full-time equivalent salary, day rate and actual annual receipts are different inputs.
Check pension method and pensionable pay. Net-pay pensions generally reduce Income Tax but do not reduce employee NI or student-loan earnings; salary sacrifice can affect all three.
Separate cash received from non-cash benefits, reimbursements and deferred awards. Eligibility for a tax deduction is a separate question from whether a payment is taxable.

A reproducible reference calculation

This is an illustrative annual employment salary of £45,000.00, not a typical salary for this occupation or the specialist calculator’s default. It assumes England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the standard Personal Allowance, no other income, no pension contribution and no student loan.

Annual gross salary: £45,000.00
Income Tax: £6,486.00
Employee National Insurance: £2,594.40
Annual net estimate: £35,919.60
Monthly average: £2,993.30

Increasing the annual salary by £1,000 in this reference case increases annual net income by £720.00. This change is calculated from both complete estimates, so it captures any allowance taper or tax-band crossing.

The reference uses annualised employee NI thresholds. Your actual pay-period NI and payroll rounding can differ. Scotland requires its devolved Income Tax calculation.

Sources and checks for your own contract

Use the tax sources for the calculation rules and the role or scheme authority for the applicable working arrangement. A link to tax guidance does not verify an employer salary, a market median or every preset.

Rates are labelled for 2026/27; pay awards and scheme rules can have different effective dates. For a discrepancy, send the page and calculation assumptions to our corrections contact.

Teaching Assistant pay questions

Check the pay structure, not just the headline number.

Start with the full-time equivalent rate, then check contracted weekly hours and the paid weeks in your contract. Term-time working weeks and paid weeks including holiday are not interchangeable. Add paid extra duties or an SEN allowance once. Confirm the employer’s actual term-time factor and LGPS deduction before comparing the tool with your monthly payslip.

Recommended Resources