Levelling up premium payments for teachers
Mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers can claim payments for teaching in eligible state-funded secondary schools in their first 5 years.
Applies to England
From autumn 2022, early career teachers can claim a levelling up premium payment for teaching the following subjects in eligible state-funded secondary schools:
- mathematics
- physics
- chemistry
- computing
The levelling up premium payment gives eligible teachers up to £3,000 in the following academic years:
- 2022 to 2023
- 2023 to 2024
- 2024 to 2025
Register your interest in additional payments
Register your interest in additional payments if you teach one of the following subjects:
- mathematics
- physics
- chemistry
- computing
When you can apply
Use the table below to find out when you can apply for a levelling up premium payment. For postgraduates, use the year when your initial teacher training (ITT) course started. For undergraduates, use the year when your ITT course finished.
| ITT course start or finish | Academic years to apply |
|---|---|
| 2017 to 2018 | 2022 to 2023 (autumn 2022) |
| 2018 to 2019 | |
| 2019 to 2020 | |
| 2020 to 2021 | |
| 2021 to 2022 | |
| 2018 to 2019 | 2023 to 2024 (autumn 2023) |
| 2019 to 2020 | |
| 2020 to 2021 | |
| 2021 to 2022 | |
| 2022 to 2023 | |
| 2019 to 2020 | 2024 to 2025 (autumn 2024) |
| 2020 to 2021 | |
| 2021 to 2022 | |
| 2022 to 2023 | |
| 2023 to 2024 |
Eligibility criteria for teachers
You must meet the eligibility criteria to be able to claim any additional payments.
Once the claim window opens in autumn 2022, you will be able to answer some questions to find out what additional payments you are eligible to claim.
You will only be able to claim either an early-career payment or levelling up premium payment per academic year, even if you are eligible to claim for both payments.
Learn more about what additional payments are available.
School eligibility
Levelling up premium payments will be offered in schools identified as having a high need for teachers. If you teach in an eligible school in an Education Investment Area, you will receive a higher payment.
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Methodology
We have produced a which explains our funding approach.
Qualifications
To claim, you must have completed at least one of the following:
- an ITT course specialising in mathematics, physics, chemistry or computing
- training to get qualified teacher status (QTS) through assessment only or overseas recognition in an eligible academic year
- a UK undergraduate or postgraduate degree related to mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing on the JACS 3.0 principal subject codes or with a relevant
- an equivalent non-UK degree
QTS and QTLS
To claim a payment in the academic year 2022 to 2023, you must have one of the following:
- QTS
- qualified teacher learning and skills (QTLS) status and membership of the Society for Education and Training (SET)
You must have started a postgraduate ITT course or completed an undergraduate ITT course in the 2017 to 2018 to the 2021 to 2022 academic years.
The academic year runs from 1 September to 31 August.
Employment
You must be employed as a teacher in a state-funded secondary school in England when you apply for the payment. State-funded secondary schools include:
- local authority-maintained secondary schools (including middle-deemed secondary schools)
- academies, free schools or multi-academy trusts
- special schools (local authority-maintained or non-maintained)
You must have spent at least 50% of your contracted hours allocated to teaching one or more of the eligible subjects at the time of the application.
Supply, private school and sixth-form college teachers
If you are a supply teacher, you must:
- be employed directly by the school
- have been working for at least one term before applying
You cannot come from a private agency.
If you teach in a private school or sixth-form college, you are not eligible.
Part-time teachers
If you are a part-time teacher, you are eligible for the same levelling up premium payment amounts as full-time teachers.
You still need to meet the same eligibility criteria in full.
Breaks in teaching
You are allowed to have some breaks in your normal employment which include:
- sickness, maternity, paternity, parental or adoption leave
- annual leave
- time between unfair dismissal and an employee being reinstated
- military service, for example with a reserve force
- temporary lay-offs
Performance
You must not currently be subject to any:
- formal performance measures as a result of continuous poor teaching standards
- disciplinary action
Payments and deductions
Number of payments
You can only claim one additional payment in each academic year, even if you are eligible for more than one type of additional payment.
For example, if you are eligible for both the levelling up premium and early career payments, you can only claim one of these additional payments in the same academic year.
However, if you are eligible to claim back your student loan repayments, you will be able to claim this as well as a levelling up premium payment or early-career payment.
Paying Income Tax and National Insurance
The levelling up premium payment is considered taxable income.
The Department for Education will pay Income Tax up to basic rate (currently earnings of £12,571 to £50,270, taxed rate 20%) and National Insurance for the payment on your behalf.
If you become or already are a higher rate taxpayer, any additional Income Tax and National Insurance contributions for this payment over the higher rate will remain your responsibility. The higher rate is currently earnings of £50,271 to £150,000, taxed rate 40%.
The Department for Education is not liable to reimburse tax at the higher rate.
Please review the tax bands updated on Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances.
The payment is not part of your salary from your employer. You, your employer, or the government will not make a contribution to your pension as part of this payment.
Please consider any other benefits or tax credits that could be affected if you claim this payment.
Student loan deductions
If you have a student loan you are currently paying off, a deduction will go towards repaying your student loan. This is taken from your payment automatically.
Contact
If you have any questions about the levelling up premium payments, email levellinguppremiumpayments@digital.education.gov.uk.