Head teacher salary in Scotland
Head teachers in Scotland earn between £67,332 and £124,365 from 1 August 2026. The salary for each headship is fixed by job sizing on the SNCT spine shared with depute heads.
Take-home pay
From a salary of £0 a year
Estimate for a full-time teacher with tax code 1257L and Scottish income tax for 2026/27, the teachers' pension at the tier for your salary, and National Insurance on an annual basis. Your payslip can differ slightly because tax and NI are worked out each month.
Depute Headteachers and Headteachers scale
Spot salary set by job sizing; same spine for depute heads and head teachers; no annual increments within the post.
| Point | From 1 April 2026 | From 1 August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Point 1 | £65,214 | £67,332 |
| Point 2 | £67,218 | £69,402 |
| Point 3 | £69,438 | £71,694 |
| Point 4 | £71,820 | £74,154 |
| Point 5 | £74,205 | £76,617 |
| Point 6 | £76,218 | £78,696 |
| Point 7 | £78,435 | £80,985 |
| Point 8 | £80,646 | £83,268 |
| Point 9 | £82,839 | £85,530 |
| Point 10 | £85,047 | £87,810 |
| Point 11 | £88,722 | £91,605 |
| Point 12 | £92,328 | £95,328 |
| Point 13 | £95,790 | £98,904 |
| Point 14 | £99,210 | £102,435 |
| Point 15 | £102,879 | £106,224 |
| Point 16 | £107,583 | £111,078 |
| Point 17 | £111,324 | £114,942 |
| Point 18 | £115,884 | £119,649 |
| Point 19 | £120,450 | £124,365 |
Source: SNCT salary scales as published by the EIS. Checked 1 October 2026.
What sets a head teacher's pay
A head teacher's salary is tied to the post, not the person. The SNCT job sizing toolkit scores the school and the role. That score fixes a point from 1 to 19.
Larger and more complex schools score higher. Pupil roll, staff numbers, budget and partner work all feed into the score.
Shared headships also matter. A change in head teacher partnership arrangements, such as taking on a second school, can trigger a review.
There are no annual increments for head teachers. Pay rises come from national deals, such as the 3.25% from 1 August 2026, or from a re-size.
Head teacher pay and take-home by point
| Point | Salary from 1 August 2026 | Pension rate | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £67,332 | 10.61% | £3,631 |
| 5 | £76,617 | 11.73% | £3,975 |
| 10 | £87,810 | 11.73% | £4,428 |
| 12 | £95,328 | 12.14% | £4,701 |
| 15 | £106,224 | 12.14% | £5,122 |
| 19 | £124,365 | 12.14% | £5,648 |
Take-home figures assume a full year, a standard tax code and no student loan. The full 19-point table is on the depute head teacher page.
The £100,000 personal allowance taper
The personal allowance shrinks by £1 for every £2 of adjusted net income over £100,000. It disappears completely at £125,140.
Pension contributions come off before this test. That makes a real difference for heads.
- At point 16 (£111,078), pay after pension is £97,593. The full allowance survives.
- At point 17 (£114,942), pay after pension is just over £100,000. The taper starts.
- At point 19 (£124,365), pay after pension is £109,267. The allowance falls to about £7,937.
On income inside the taper, the effective income tax rate is 67.5%. That is the 45% advanced rate plus the lost allowance. Extra pension contributions also reduce adjusted net income.
Pension at the top of the spine
From point 12 upwards, salary passes £92,694. All of it is then charged at the top pension rate of 12.14%. At point 19, that is about £15,098 a year.
The scheme is career average. Each year adds 1/57th of that year's pensionable pay to your pension. A full year at £124,365 adds about £2,182 a year of pension, before revaluation.
Worked example: point 19
| Item | Per year |
|---|---|
| Gross salary | £124,365 |
| Pension at 12.14% | £15,098 |
| Income tax | £36,987 |
| National Insurance | £4,498 |
| Take-home | £67,782 |
From 1 April to 31 July 2026, this point paid £120,450. The August rise added £3,915 a year gross.
Quick answers
- How much does a head teacher earn in Scotland?
Between £67,332 and £124,365 from 1 August 2026. The point for each headship is set by job sizing, so larger and more complex schools pay more.
- Do head teachers in Scotland get pay increments?
No. A headship is paid at one point on the spine. Pay changes through national pay deals or if the post is re-sized.
- What is a head teacher's take-home pay in Scotland?
About £3,631 a month at point 1 and £5,648 at point 19. This assumes August 2026 salaries, a standard tax code and no student loan.
- Does the £100,000 tax taper affect head teachers?
It can from point 17 upwards. Pension contributions come off first. At point 16, pay after pension stays under £100,000, so the full allowance remains.