The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has gazetted the official changes to the salary tables for teachers in South Africa for 2026.
The DBE said that the salary scales up to 31 March 2025 will be adjusted by 4%, with effect from 1 April 2026, for all employees under the Employment of Educators Act (EEA).
In South Africa, teacher salaries are organised into specific bands and “notches” that correspond to experience levels and job positions.
The lowest bands are designated for newly qualified, entry-level teachers. As teachers gain more experience and assume additional responsibilities, their salaries increase within the bands and notches.
The upper bands represent the higher tiers of teaching and school management, typically reflecting the levels of principals or department heads.
Salaries are divided into 432 “notches,” as determined by the DBE, and vary by Relative Education Qualification Value (REQV) level.
These standardised levels reflect the education and qualifications of teachers.
REQV levels 10 to 12 represent teachers with a matriculation certificate and some relevant training, while REQV 13 and above indicate those with diplomas and degrees.
The lowest notch (001) reflects the lowest salary a teacher in South Africa can earn. This was R154,671 per annum from 1 April 2024, which increased to R163,179 per annum from 1 April 2025.
The newly gazetted salary for notch 001 is R169,707 per year, which comes to around R14,142 per month.
The upper end of the range, notch 432, reflects the highest salary in the sector, totalling R1,209,279 in 2024, R1,275,789 in 2025 and now R1,326,822 in 2026.
The newly gazetted R1,326,822 for 2026 amounts to a salary of R110,569 per month.
It is important to note that teachers receive additional benefits such as pension contributions, medical aid subsidies, housing allowances, and bonuses, which may increase their overall compensation packages.
General Classroom Teacher Pay 2026
| Role | Notches | Min Salary 2025 |
Max Salary 2025 |
Min Salary 2026 | Max Salary 2026 |
| Teacher REQV 10-12 | 1-106 | R163,179 | R268,008 | R 169,707 | R278,727 |
| Teacher REQV 10-12 | 108-268 | R270,498 | R577,407 | R281,319 | R600,504 |
| Senior Teacher REQV 13 | 200-268 | R415,038 | R577,407 | R431,640 | R600,504 |
| Master Teacher REQV 13 | 232-268 | R485,868 | R577,407 | R505,302 | R600,504 |
| Teacher REQV 14-17 | 164-326 | R351,972 | R763,608 | R366,051 | R794,151 |
| Senior Teacher REQV 14-17 | 200-326 | R415,038 | R763,608 | R431,640 | R794,151 |
| Master Teacher REQV 14-17 | 232-326 | R485,868 | R763,608 | R505,302 | R794,151 |
School Management Pay 2026
| Role | Notches | Min Salary 2025 |
Max Salary 2025 |
Min Salary 2026 | Max Salary 2026 |
| Departmental Head | 210-392 | R435,240 | R1,052,718 | R452,649 | R1,094,826 |
| Deputy Principal | 244-408 | R514,563 | R1,138,056 | R535 146 | R1,183,578 |
| Principal P5 (highest P level) | 350-432 | R858,426 | R1,275,789 | R892,764 | R1,326,822 |
South Africa’s educator crisis
According to parliamentary data disclosed by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube in response to a question from Build One South Africa (Bosa), South Africa has lost over 32,000 teachers in the past five years.
This averages to more than 6,000 educators leaving the teaching industry each year. Of these departures, 30,992 were resignations attributed to overwhelming workload pressures, career changes, and emigration.
Additionally, this report revealed that 1,245 educators were dismissed under the Employment of Educators Act.
Bosa pointed out that more than 50% of South Africa’s primary school learners are now taught in overcrowded classes with more than 40 students.
However, the department’s own national recruitment database lists at least 12,700 qualified, unemployed educators actively seeking work while classrooms remain understaffed.
This data aligns with findings from the Teacher Preferences and Job Satisfaction in South Africa report by the Research on Socio-Economic Policy unit (Resep) at Stellenbosch University.
The report revealed that nearly half of all in-service teachers in the public system are considering leaving within the next decade.
The primary factors driving this potential mass exodus include overwork, underpayment, administrative paperwork, high stress, emotional burnout, and a lack of support.
The full salary table for teachers can be found below:
