Teacher Assistant Pay Rates in Tasmania
Tasmanian State Service Award (Tasmanian Industrial Commission, consolidated as Order No 6 of 2026), General Stream Band 2, with the salaries set by the Public Sector Union Wages Agreement 2025, an industrial agreement under s55 of the Industrial Relations Act 1984 that runs from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028. Appendix 16 of the award holds the conditions that apply only to school support staff in the Department for Education, Children and Young People.
Teacher Assistants from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2025 (In force)
| Classification | Hourly | Full-time a year | Take-home a year | Full breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 2New Teacher Assistants start here | $36.2775 | $69,593 | $56,803 | $70,000 page |
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 3 | $36.9197 | $70,825 | $57,640 | $70,000 page |
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 4 | $37.5917 | $72,114 | $58,518 | $70,000 page |
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 5 | $38.4747 | $73,808 | $59,670 | $75,000 page |
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 6 | $39.0111 | $74,837 | $60,369 | $75,000 page |
DECYP Salary Scales as at 27 August 2026, Teacher Assistant rows (class code b2ta). The annual figures match Schedule 1 of the Public Sector Union Wages Agreement 2025, column for 1 December 2025. Hourly = annual ÷ (36.75 hours × 52.2 weeks), as the department prints it. Annual is the full-time, full-year rate; term-time staff are paid for the weeks they work.
Teacher Assistants from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026 (Approved, starts later)
| Classification | Full-time a year | Take-home a year | Full breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 2$74,499 from 1 Sep 2027 | $72,505 | $58,783 | $75,000 page |
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 3$75,802 from 1 Sep 2027 | $73,774 | $59,647 | $75,000 page |
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 4$77,167 from 1 Sep 2027 | $75,102 | $60,549 | $75,000 page |
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 5$78,959 from 1 Sep 2027 | $76,846 | $61,735 | $75,000 page |
| Band 2 Range 1 Level 6$80,048 from 1 Sep 2027 | $77,906 | $62,456 | $80,000 page |
Schedule 1 of the Public Sector Union Wages Agreement 2025, column for 1 December 2026: the 1 December 2025 salary plus the $800 structural adjustment (clause 7.5), then 3% (clause 7.1(ii)). The 1 September 2027 column (2.75%, clause 7.1(iii)) is in the note. The department has not yet published hourly rates for these columns.
Take-home pay uses 2026–27 resident tax rates with the low income tax offset and Medicare levy, no HECS, on the full-time figure; the linked page is the nearest $5,000 salary.
Hours, Part-Time and Term-Time Pay
Full-time ordinary hours under the award are 36 hours 45 minutes a week (Part VI, clause 1), and the department's hourly rate is the annual salary divided by 36.75 hours and 52.2 weeks. Teacher Assistants are school support staff under Appendix 16: they are paid to work during school terms and not during term breaks (clause 4). By agreement with the principal they can work up to three extra weeks, so employment is at most 43 weeks a year, plus one more week of hours spread across term time. Counting recreation leave, the award's own table comes to 47.42 paid weeks. Multiply the hourly rate by your hours and weeks, or elect in writing to annualise your salary evenly over 52 weeks (clause 2).
To turn an hourly rate into your own pay, use the hourly to salary calculator or the pro-rata salary calculator for part-time hours.
Where You Start and How You Move Up
A Teacher Assistant is classified at General Stream Band 2 and starts at Range 1 Level 2, the first salary point in the band; there is no Level 1 in Band 2. Each later level, up to Level 6, is a salary increment within the band. The DECYP schedule prints the same five rates for Teacher Assistant (MDT) and Bus Assistant positions, while Social Trainers run on from Band 2 into Band 3 ($77,850 to $84,084).
- Pay rises under the agreement: $800 added to base then 3% from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2025, $800 then 3% from 1 December 2026, and 2.75% from 1 September 2027 (clauses 7.1 to 7.5). The agreement runs to 30 June 2028.
- Appendix 16 allowances for Teacher Assistants: toileting and showering support $33.38 a week (clause 5), meal management plan $44.51 a week (clause 7), specialist programs in speech and language, Auslan or physiotherapy $44.51 a week (clause 8), credentialled health care procedures $44.51 a week (clause 9), aquatic support $10 for each day in the water with a student (clause 12), and 1.35% of base salary while working at a Support School or Tier Four site (clause 10).
- Public holidays that fall in a school holiday are still paid at the normal rate, up to 10 a year, and term-only staff are paid for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day when they fall on days they would ordinarily work (clause 4(d) and (g)).
- From 2027 a Teacher Assistant can elect two paid training days in the holidays before the school year starts, at the normal rate of pay (clause 11). Every day at work includes a 15 minute paid recess break (clause 6).
- Extra hours the employer asks for can be banked by written agreement and paid at ordinary time during the school holidays (clause 3).
Student wellbeing, engagement and youth work roles are often employed outside the school support structure, by a council or a community organisation under the SCHADS award: see youth worker pay rates for those minimums.
Teacher Aide Pay in Other States
Each state sets its own rates. Compare them on the school support staff pay hub, see teacher salaries on the TAS teacher pay page, and the award minimum for private and Catholic schools on the teacher aide pay rates page.
- NSW SLSO pay rates: School Learning Support Officer
- VIC ES pay rates: Education Support (ES) staff
- QLD teacher aide pay rates: Teacher Aide
- WA EA pay rates: Education Assistant
- SA SSO pay rates: School Services Officer
- ACT school assistant pay rates: School Assistant
- NT school-based AO pay rates: School-based Administrative Officer
Frequently Asked Questions
TAS TA pay questions and answers
How much does a teacher assistant earn in Tasmania?
From the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2025, a Teacher Assistant in a Tasmanian government school is paid $36.2775 an hour at Band 2 Range 1 Level 2 and $39.0111 at Level 6. The department prints those as $69,593 to $74,837 a year full-time. Most Teacher Assistants are paid for school terms only, so a year's pay is the hourly rate times the hours and weeks actually worked.
Are Tasmanian teacher assistants paid in the school holidays?
Not for the term breaks themselves. Appendix 16 of the Tasmanian State Service Award says school support staff are paid to work during school terms only, with the option of up to three extra weeks a year agreed with the principal (43 weeks at most) and one more week of hours in term time. Recreation leave and public holidays that fall in the breaks are still paid, which is how the award's table reaches 47.42 paid weeks. You can also elect in writing to spread your pay evenly over 52 weeks.
When is the next pay rise for Tasmanian teacher assistants?
From the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026: $800 is added to the base salary, then 3%. Level 2 goes from $69,593 to $72,505 a year full-time and Level 6 from $74,837 to $77,906. A further 2.75% applies from 1 September 2027, taking Level 2 to $74,499.
What allowances can a Tasmanian teacher assistant get?
Appendix 16 pays $33.38 a week for regular toileting or showering support, $44.51 a week each for meal management plans, specialist programs (speech and language, Auslan or physiotherapy) and credentialled health care procedures, $10 for each day spent in the water with a student, and 1.35% of base salary at a Support School or Tier Four site.
How we worked this out▼
Rates are copied from the instrument’s own table for the date shown. Annual salaries are as printed. Nothing is estimated from job ads.
Take-home pay uses 2026–27 resident tax rates with the low income tax offset and Medicare levy, no HECS, on the full-time figure; the linked page is the nearest $5,000 salary. General information, not advice: your payslip and your school’s HR team are the final word.
Sources & References
- 1DECYP Salary Scales as at 27 August 2026, Department for Education, Children and Young People (Tasmania)
- 2Public Sector Union Wages Agreement 2025, Schedule 1, Salaries for Tasmanian State Service Award, Tasmanian Industrial Commission
- 3Tasmanian State Service Award, consolidated Order No 6 of 2026 (T15379), Appendix 16, Tasmanian Industrial Commission
Last verified: 22 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
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