TL;DR: A DepEd Teacher I earns ₱31,705 a month at Step 1 (Salary Grade 11) as of January 1, 2026, per DBM National Budget Circular No. 601 — Teacher II (SG 12) starts at ₱33,947 and Teacher III (SG 13) at ₱36,125. On top of that comes a flat ₱2,000 monthly PERA and a ₱10,000-per-school-year Teaching Allowance under RA 11997. Master Teacher posts (SG 18-21) start from ₱53,818 to ₱73,303. GSIS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG deductions come off basic pay before withholding tax, while the ₱2,000 PERA is paid in full and is not subject to them. Private school pay is set school-by-school and, per a 2023 survey, often runs well below the public school rate.
Every year, thousands of education graduates and current LET reviewees ask the same question before committing to public school teaching: what does it actually pay? This guide walks through the current Salary Grade for every teaching rank from Teacher I to Master Teacher IV, the allowances and bonuses added on top, how private school pay compares, and what really lands in a teacher's account after mandatory deductions. Every figure below comes from a DBM circular, a Republic Act, or a named survey — nothing here is estimated.
How Much Does a Public School Teacher Earn in 2026?
A DepEd Teacher I earns ₱31,705 per month at Step 1, classified at Salary Grade 11 under the Third Tranche Monthly Salary Schedule effective January 1, 2026 (DBM National Budget Circular No. 601, dated January 22, 2026). That number is basic salary only — it does not yet include PERA, the teaching allowance, or annual bonuses, all of which are computed separately.
Teachers move up the 8-step ladder within their grade roughly every 3 years of satisfactory service, without needing a promotion. A Teacher I who has been in the same item for over two decades tops out at Step 8: ₱33,611/month. Promotion to Teacher II or Teacher III moves them to a genuinely higher grade, not just a higher step.
Disclaimer: salary figures follow the DBM tranche schedule under EO 64, s. 2024 and can change with the next tranche. Confirm current rates with DepEd payroll or the latest DBM circular before budgeting.
Teacher Salary Grade Table: Teacher I to Master Teacher IV
| Position | Salary Grade | Step 1 (2026) | Step 8 (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher I | SG 11 | ₱31,705 | ₱33,611 |
| Teacher II | SG 12 | ₱33,947 | ₱35,850 |
| Teacher III | SG 13 | ₱36,125 | ₱38,241 |
| Master Teacher I | SG 18 | ₱53,818 | ₱57,842 |
| Master Teacher II | SG 19 | ₱59,153 | ₱65,132 |
| Master Teacher III | SG 20 | ₱66,052 | ₱72,671 |
| Master Teacher IV | SG 21 | ₱73,303 | ₱80,831 |
Figures are Step 1 and Step 8 monthly basic salary from DBM NBC No. 601's Third Tranche Monthly Salary Schedule. Notice the jump between Teacher III (SG 13) and Master Teacher I (SG 18) — that's five grades, and it typically requires years of service, a strong Individual Performance Commitment and Review rating, and often a master's degree to reach, since Master Teacher posts are limited items that a school has to actually have open.
What Is PERA and How Much Is It?
PERA (Personnel Economic Relief Allowance) is a flat ₱2,000 per month paid to all covered government employees, teachers included, on top of basic salary. It has not increased since 2010 despite several bills filed in Congress to raise it, and it is paid in full regardless of salary grade — a Teacher I and an Undersecretary both receive the same ₱2,000 PERA.
For a Teacher I, that brings recurring monthly gross pay (basic + PERA) to roughly ₱33,705 at Step 1, before any deductions.
What Is the Teaching Allowance (Chalk Allowance)?
The benefit teachers used to call the "chalk allowance" — a ₱5,000-per-year stipend for teaching supplies — was replaced by a bigger, legally guaranteed version: Republic Act No. 11997, the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act. Under RA 11997, all public school teachers engaged in the basic education curriculum received a non-taxable Teaching Allowance of ₱5,000 for school year 2024-2025, rising to ₱10,000 per school year from SY 2025-2026 onward. It's meant to cover teaching supplies, incidental school expenses, and related costs like internet or communication for delivering lessons — and unlike basic salary, it's paid as an annual lump sum rather than monthly, and it isn't taxed.
What Bonuses Do Teachers Get?
Like other civilian government personnel, teachers qualify for the standard annual government bonuses, provided they meet the service and rating requirements set each year by the DBM:
- Mid-year bonus — one month's basic salary, released starting mid-May to personnel who rendered at least an aggregate of 4 months of service in the qualifying period and remain in service with a satisfactory rating or better.
- Year-end bonus — one month's basic salary as of October 31, released starting mid-November.
- Cash gift — an additional ₱5,000, released alongside the year-end bonus.
None of these are salary-grade-specific; they scale with each teacher's own basic pay.
How Much Private School Teachers Actually Earn
Private school teacher pay is not covered by the government salary grade system — each school sets its own rates, and there is no legal salary floor equivalent to a Teacher I's SG 11. The clearest data point on how this plays out comes from a 2023 survey by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (Private Schools), covering 103 teachers across 74 private schools nationwide: roughly 60% reported earning around ₱12,500 per month, with the two most common starting bands being ₱10,000-₱12,500 and ₱12,500-₱15,000. At the time, that same survey noted most respondents earned less than the public school entry-level rate, which was around ₱27,000 in 2023 — and the public entry rate has since climbed further, to ₱31,705 under the 2026 tranche.
DepEd does subsidize some private school teachers indirectly: the Teachers' Salary Subsidy (TSS) for schools participating in the Educational Service Contracting (ESC) voucher program rises from ₱18,000 to ₱24,000 per year (about ₱2,000/month) starting 2026, funded through DepEd's 2026 budget. That's a subsidy paid to help the school retain teachers, though — not a guaranteed individual salary floor, and actual take-home pay still depends on what each school pays on top of it.
Disclaimer: private school pay varies enormously by institution, tier, and region; treat the figures above as a general reference from a specific 2023 survey, not a current universal rate.
DepEd has described the ESC subsidy as support that helps participating private schools retain teachers while they take in government-sponsored students — an acknowledgment that private-sector teacher pay has lagged behind the public system for years.
What Does a Teacher Actually Take Home?
Basic salary is not take-home pay. Three deductions are mandatory for all government employees, teachers included:
| Deduction | Rate | On a Teacher I's ₱31,705 basic (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| GSIS (RA 8291, Sec. 5) | 9% member share, 12% employer share, member rate falling to 2% above the GSIS Board's AMC limit | See the note below |
| PhilHealth (RA 11223) | 5% total, split 2.5%/2.5% | ₱793 (employee share) |
| Pag-IBIG (HDMF Circular 460) | 2%, capped at ₱10,000 Maximum Fund Salary | ₱200 (employee share) |
Section 5 of RA 8291 fixes the GSIS rates as percentages of monthly compensation, but the same law lets the GSIS Board set — and periodically raise — a maximum average monthly compensation (AMC) limit, above which the member's share drops from 9% to 2%. That limit decides whether a Teacher I pays 9% of the full ₱31,705 or a much smaller amount, and this guide could not confirm the current limit from GSIS itself, so no peso figure for the GSIS line is published here. Read the actual amount off your own payslip, or ask your division payroll officer or GSIS directly.
PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG together take about ₱993 a month off a Teacher I's basic pay. The full ₱2,000 PERA is paid on top and is not subject to any of these deductions. Withholding tax is separate again and depends on the individual teacher's total taxable income and exemptions under the BIR's schedule — check the current BIR withholding table or a payroll officer for that piece specifically.
Deciding Whether Public School Teaching Pays Enough
- Compare the full package, not just basic pay. PERA, the ₱10,000 annual teaching allowance, and two yearly bonuses meaningfully change the real annual total versus the monthly salary-grade number alone.
- Weigh location pay differences carefully. Salary grade rates are uniform nationwide, but hardship/remote-area allowances exist for some postings — ask the specific division office what applies.
- If considering private school teaching, get the number in writing before resigning a public post, since private pay isn't standardized and the gap versus DepEd can be significant per the 2023 ACT survey data above.
- Track your PRC license and LET status carefully — see our how to pass the LET on your first try guide and check schools with strong LET passing rates if you're still choosing a program, since your license is the gate to any Teacher I item.
- If you're deciding on a Senior High School strand with teaching in mind, know the full salary path now rather than after you've committed years to it.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition, admission requirements, and LET passing rates across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- DBM National Budget Circular No. 601, s. 2026 — Third Tranche Salary Schedule (official PDF)
- Executive Order No. 64, s. 2024 — Official Gazette
- Republic Act No. 11997 — Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, full text, LawPhil
- Republic Act No. 11997 — Official Gazette
- GMA News — DBM to raise private school teacher subsidy to ₱24,000 by 2026
- Philstar — Most private school teachers paid less than entry-level public school salary, 2023 ACT survey
- Republic Act No. 8291, Sec. 5 — GSIS Act of 1997, schedule of contributions, LawPhil
- PIA — PhilHealth sets 5% premium contribution rate for 2026
- HDMF Circular No. 460 — Pag-IBIG contribution rate summary
- SchoolFinderPH — Government Salary Grade Table Explained
