NYC Public Schools Teacher Salary Overview
NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) offers full-time teachers extremely competitive salaries, along with extensive opportunities for salary increases. The salary schedule allows you to earn more money based on your teaching experience, as you spend more time teaching at NYCPS, and as you earn more education credits. This salary schedule is agreed upon by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and NYCPS as part of the teacher contract.
Refer to the following guidance when reviewing the salary schedule:
- Be sure to review the salary schedule page with the most recent date
- The left column vertically lists the salary steps (e.g., 1A, 1B, 2A, etc.), which is an incremental increase in salary based on previous years of teaching experience as well as longevity at NYCPS
- The top row horizontally lists the salary differentials (e.g., BAC1, C1+PD, etc.), which are salary increases based on credits earned after your bachelor's degree
What Will My Salary Be?
NYC Public Schools offers competitive starting salaries based on education and years of teaching experience. The starting salary for a teacher with a master’s degree and no prior teaching experience is currently $75,017, or $66,733 for a teacher with a bachelor's degree and no previous teaching experience. On September 14, 2025, these salaries will increase to $77,455 and $68,902, respectively. Once you begin teaching, you will need to submit a salary step application in the NYCPS Salary Application System within 6 months. Your salary step application will include information about your previous work history, which the Office of Salary Services will evaluate to determine your salary step. Note that new teachers can receive credit for up to 7.5 years of previous experience (up to step 8B).
You will also have the opportunity to apply for salary differentials for credits earned beyond your bachelor's degree. This application is also submitted in the Salary Application System, and must be submitted within 6 months after you begin teaching, or 6 months after the credits are earned.
If you do not apply for and qualify for salary steps and/or differentials, the base salary will remain your salary. Note that these processes are separate from your NYCPS Teacher Application that you submitted when applying to become a NYCPS teacher.
The UFT has created a salary calculator that you can use to estimate your teacher salary. Select Teachers as your job title, select the most recent contract effective date, and enter information about your credits, degrees, and salary step to see your estimated salary. Note that this salary estimate is not provided by the NYCPS Office of Salary Services and should be used for guidance purposes only.
Visit the Online Support Center salary articles and UFT salary webpages for additional guidance and support.