🏫 Term Time Only Salary Calculator UK 2025/26 – School Staff, NJC & NHS Pro Rata Pay

Term Time Only Salary Calculator UK: Complete Guide for School Staff 2025/26

If you work in a UK school as a teaching assistant, school administrator, lunchtime supervisor, HLTA, or any other support role on a term time only contract, calculating your actual salary is more complex than a standard pro rata calculation. This is because your pay is reduced in two ways simultaneously — fewer hours per week than a full-time post, and fewer weeks per year than a full-time, full-year employee. This guide explains exactly how term time only salary is calculated, what the NJC pay scales look like in 2025/26, how holiday entitlement works, and what your monthly payslip should show.

The Term Time Only Salary Formula Explained: How to Work Out Term Time Pay

Understanding how to work out term time only salary requires a double pro rata calculation — not the single calculation used for standard part-time workers. Here is the full formula:

Worked Example: Teaching Assistant on NJC SCP 4

A teaching assistant is on NJC SCP 4 (FTE salary £23,500). They work 30 hours per week (full-time for their school is 37.5 hours) during 39 term weeks per year. Their statutory holiday is 5.6 weeks, pro-rated to their working pattern.

• Hours fraction: 30 ÷ 37.5 = 0.80 (80%)
• Pro-rated holiday: 5.6 × (39 ÷ 46.4) = 4.71 weeks
• Weeks fraction: (39 + 4.71) ÷ 52 = 43.71 ÷ 52 = 0.8406
• Term time salary: £23,500 × 0.80 × 0.8406 = £15,804 per year
• Monthly payslip: £15,804 ÷ 12 = £1,317 per month (gross)

Term Time Only Calculator for Schools: Why Most LA Calculations Use 39 Weeks

Most local authorities and academy trusts in England specify that term time only support staff work 39 weeks per year rather than 38. This is because the standard 38 pupil weeks is supplemented by up to 5 statutory INSET (In-Service Education and Training) days, which round up to approximately 1 extra week. Staff required to attend all INSET days therefore work 39 weeks, while those not required to attend INSET may work 38 weeks.

The distinction matters significantly for your salary calculation. Using our term time calculator for schools above:

FTE Salary	Hours	38 Weeks TTO	39 Weeks TTO	Annual Difference
£23,500	30/37.5	£15,390	£15,804	+£414/yr
£23,500	37.5 (FT)	£19,237	£19,755	+£518/yr
£26,873 (SCP 12)	30/37.5	£17,606	£18,079	+£473/yr
£30,825 (SCP 20)	32.5/37.5	£22,143	£22,742	+£599/yr

NJC Pay Scales 2025/26: School Support Staff Salary Points

The National Joint Council for Local Government Services (NJC) sets pay scales for school support staff — including teaching assistants, HLTAs, school administrators, caretakers, lunchtime supervisors, and other non-teaching roles — in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The NJC pay scales are negotiated between employers (represented by the Local Government Association) and trade unions (primarily UNISON and GMB).

The 2025/26 NJC pay scales took effect from 1 April 2025. The spinal column points (SCPs) run from SCP 1 to SCP 43, with most school support staff roles falling between SCP 2 and SCP 25. Common grade ranges:

• Teaching Assistants (Level 1–2): SCP 2–6 (£22,737–£24,294 FTE)
• Teaching Assistants (Level 3): SCP 7–11 (£24,702–£26,421 FTE)
• Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA): SCP 12–17 (£26,873–£29,269 FTE)
• School Administrators: SCP 8–16 (£25,119–£28,770 FTE)
• Lunchtime Supervisors: SCP 2–4 (£22,737–£23,500 FTE)
• Caretakers: SCP 5–10 (£23,893–£25,979 FTE)
• Finance Officers: SCP 12–20 (£26,873–£30,825 FTE)

These FTE salaries are then reduced using the term time only salary calculator formula above to arrive at the actual annual pay for term time only staff.

Term Time Only Salary Calculator UK Gov: What GOV.UK Says About TTO Pay

GOV.UK does not provide a dedicated term time only salary calculator, but the UK government's employment law framework establishes the legal requirements that underpin term time only pay calculations:

• Statutory holiday entitlement: Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks (28 days) annual paid leave, which must be pro-rated for part-year workers. Term time only workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks pro-rated to their working weeks — this holiday pay is built into the annual term time salary.
• Salary spreading: While not legally mandated, HMRC guidance confirms that spreading a term time salary across 12 equal monthly payments is an acceptable method that does not affect tax calculations.
• National Minimum Wage: Term time only workers must receive at least the National Living Wage (£12.21/hour for 21+ from April 2025) for every hour contracted, including any periods of holiday pay that is part of the pro-rated annual salary.
• Equal Pay: Under the Equality Act 2010, term time only workers must not receive a less favourable hourly rate than comparable full-time workers in the same role, unless there is a material justification.

Term Time Only Salary Calculator UK NHS: AfC Bands and School-Based NHS Staff

NHS staff who work in school-based roles — including school nurses, paediatric speech and language therapists, CAMHS outreach workers, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists working in school settings — may be employed on term time only contracts. Their salary is based on the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) pay bands, then calculated using the same double pro rata formula as NJC-based school support staff.

NHS AfC pay bands for 2025/26 (England):

Band	Min (FTE)	Max (FTE)	TTO Example (39 wks, FT hrs)	Common Roles
Band 2	£23,615	£23,615	£19,737	Healthcare Assistant, Admin
Band 3	£24,625	£26,290	£20,581–£21,974	Healthcare Support Worker
Band 4	£26,530	£29,114	£22,170–£24,330	Nursing Associate, Admin Officer
Band 5	£29,970	£36,483	£25,045–£30,487	Nurse, SLT, OT, School Nurse
Band 6	£37,338	£44,962	£31,205–£37,568	Specialist Nurse, Senior SLT
Band 7	£46,148	£52,809	£38,567–£44,132	Advanced Practitioner, Team Leader
Band 8a	£53,755	£60,504	£44,918–£50,558	Consultant Therapist, Service Manager

Use the NHS AfC Term Time tab in the calculator above to calculate your exact NHS term time salary for any band and hours combination.

Pro Rata Term Time Only Salary Calculator: Part-Time Hours at Term Time

The pro rata term time only salary calculator must handle two separate pro rata adjustments. The most common confusion is between these two scenarios:

• Part-time only (standard pro rata): You work 3 days per week all year. Salary = FTE × (3÷5) = 60% of FTE. Only one adjustment.
• Term time only at full-time hours: You work full hours but only during term (39 weeks). Salary = FTE × (43.71÷52) = 84.1% of FTE. Only one adjustment.
• Term time only at part-time hours (double pro rata): You work 30 of 37.5 hours AND only during term (39 weeks). Salary = FTE × (30÷37.5) × (43.71÷52) = 80% × 84.1% = 67.3% of FTE. Two adjustments — this is what the term time only salary calculator above calculates.

How Monthly Pay Works for Term Time Only Staff

One of the most important things to understand about term time only contracts in UK schools is how the monthly payment is structured. Most local authorities and academy trusts pay term time only staff an equal monthly salary across all 12 months of the year — including during summer, Christmas, and Easter school holidays when the employee is not working.

This means:

• Your annual term time salary (calculated using the formula above) is divided by 12
• You receive the same gross amount in January (a working month) and August (a holiday month)
• The August payment is not "extra" — it is part of your annual salary spread evenly
• If you leave mid-year, your employer calculates whether you have been overpaid or underpaid based on weeks actually worked and adjusts your final payment accordingly

Leaving or Starting Mid-Year: How Term Time Only Pay Is Adjusted

If you join a term time only job partway through the academic year, your salary for that year is calculated based on the number of term weeks remaining from your start date, not the full 39 weeks. Similarly, if you leave before the academic year end, your employer calculates your entitlement based on weeks worked and deducts any salary overpaid during school holidays before your start or after your leaving date.

Holiday Entitlement for Term Time Only Workers: The Legal Position

This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of term time only employment. Term time only workers are entitled to the full 5.6 weeks statutory holiday, pro-rated to their working pattern — they are not entitled to all school holidays as paid leave. The distinction is important:

• The 13 weeks of summer holiday is NOT all holiday pay for a term time only worker. You are being paid during this period through the 12-month salary spread.
• Your actual paid holiday entitlement is 5.6 weeks × (Your term weeks ÷ 46.4), approximately 4.7 weeks for a 39-week worker — this is built into your annual salary calculation.
• The remaining school holiday periods beyond your pro-rated entitlement are effectively unpaid — you are simply not required to work (and not paid for those specific days), but your annual salary has been calculated to account for this via the weeks fraction.

Term Time Only Salary Examples: Common Scenarios 2025/26

Role	NJC SCP	FTE Salary	Hours	Term Wks	Annual TTO	Monthly Gross
TA Level 1	SCP 3	£23,114	25/37.5	39	£12,302	£1,025
TA Level 2	SCP 4	£23,500	30/37.5	39	£15,804	£1,317
TA Level 3	SCP 8	£25,119	32.5/37.5	39	£18,326	£1,527
HLTA	SCP 14	£27,803	32.5/37.5	39	£20,285	£1,690
Admin (PT)	SCP 6	£24,294	30/37.5	39	£16,332	£1,361
Admin (FT)	SCP 10	£25,979	37.5/37.5	39	£21,764	£1,814
Lunchtime Sup.	SCP 2	£22,737	10/37.5	39	£5,074	£423
Finance Officer	SCP 16	£28,770	37.5/37.5	39	£24,094	£2,008

* Figures calculated using the formula: FTE × (hours ÷ 37.5) × [(39 + pro-rated holiday) ÷ 52]. Pro-rated holiday ≈ 4.71 weeks for a 39-week contract. Gross figures only — take-home will be lower after tax, NI, and pension contributions.

Frequently Asked Questions: Term Time Only Salary UK

Why is my term time only salary different from what I expected?

The most common reason is using a standard pro rata calculator that only adjusts for hours and ignores the term weeks reduction. The correct term time only calculation reduces your salary twice — once for fewer hours per week, and once for fewer weeks per year. Use the term time only salary calculator at the top of this page for the correct figure. Also confirm whether your school uses 38 or 39 weeks, and whether your local authority calculates holiday on top of term weeks or includes it within them.

Do I get paid more in summer because I am not working?

No. Your monthly pay is the same throughout the year — in August as in October. The summer payment is not a bonus; it is simply your annual term time salary divided by 12, spread evenly. You receive the same amount during working months and holiday months because your employer has calculated an annual rate that accounts for all the days you do not work and spread it evenly for budgeting convenience.

What is the difference between NJC and Agenda for Change pay scales?

NJC (National Joint Council) pay scales apply to local government workers, including school support staff employed by local authorities or many academy trusts. Agenda for Change (AfC) applies to NHS workers. School-based NHS staff (school nurses, NHS-employed therapists in schools) use AfC scales. Teaching staff (teachers and headteachers) are on separate School Teachers' Pay and Conditions scales — not NJC or AfC.

How does pension affect my term time only monthly take-home pay?

Most term time only school support staff are enrolled in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Employee contribution rates for 2025/26 range from 5.5% (for salaries up to £23,900) to 12.5% (for very high earners). On a typical TA salary of £15,000–£18,000 per year (term time), the pension contribution is approximately 5.5%, reducing monthly take-home by around £69–£83 per month. The employer also contributes approximately 19–22% of your salary to the pension, making LGPS one of the most generous pension schemes available to UK workers.

Can I use this term time only salary calculator for teachers?

Teachers in England and Wales are paid on the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) scales, not NJC scales. However, teachers in England are technically full-year employees (paid for 52 weeks, 195 directed days), so the concept of a "term time only" calculation does not apply to teachers in the same way as support staff. Part-time teachers receive a simple pro rata of their full-time salary based on timetable fraction. Our calculator can be used for part-time teachers by entering the full teacher salary as FTE and using only the hours fraction (leave weeks as 52).

Final Summary: Using the Term Time Only Salary Calculator UK

The term time only salary calculator at the top of this page is the most comprehensive free tool available in the UK for this calculation. It handles all four scenarios — standard term time only staff, NJC pay scale lookup with built-in 2025/26 figures, NHS Agenda for Change term time pay, and side-by-side contract comparison. The calculator applies the correct double pro rata formula, accounts for statutory holiday entitlement, shows your monthly payslip spread, and provides an estimated take-home pay figure after income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions, and student loan repayments.

If you are unsure whether your payslip is correct, use this calculator to check your expected gross monthly salary and compare it with what you are actually receiving. If there is a significant discrepancy, contact your payroll department or HR team with the calculation breakdown this tool provides. You are entitled to understand exactly how your term time only salary has been calculated.