Public-school educators received a 4% cost-of-living increase on 1 April 2026, applied to every notch on the salary scale (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026). That increase is not the same thing as your annual pay progression, and confusing the two is the most common reason a payslip looks wrong in April.
TL;DR: The 1 April 2026 cost-of-living adjustment is 4%, set under PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025 and applied to all salary levels 1 to 12 and educators on the Occupation Specific Dispensation. It moved the whole scale up by 4%. Your yearly notch progression — roughly 1.5% for satisfactory performance — is a separate increase that lands later in the year.
What is the 2026 teacher salary increase?
The 2026 increase is a 4% cost-of-living adjustment. It took effect on 1 April 2026 and applies to all public servants on salary levels 1 to 12, plus everyone on an Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) — which is where educators sit (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026).
A cost-of-living adjustment lifts the entire salary scale. Every notch moves up by the same percentage. It does not depend on your performance and it is not something you apply for. If you were employed under the Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998 on 1 April 2026, the new scale applied to you (ELRC, Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998, 1998).
Where the 4% comes from
The increase is governed by PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025, a three-year wage agreement signed on 19 February 2025 by the majority of unions in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council. For 2026/27 and 2027/28, the agreement does not fix a flat number. It ties the increase to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), but with a floor of 4% and a ceiling of 6% (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026).
National Treasury projected CPI for 2026/27 at 3.4%. Because that projection sat below the 4% floor, the floor kicked in. So the increase was set at 4% — not 3.4% — even though inflation was forecast lower. The floor protected educators from a sub-4% outcome (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026).
Citation capsule.: Under PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025, South African public-school educators on salary levels 1 to 12 and the educator OSD received a 4% cost-of-living adjustment effective 1 April 2026; projected CPI was 3.4% but the agreement's 4% floor (within a 4–6% collar) raised the deemed increase to 4% (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026).
The 4% increase versus the 1.5% pay progression
This is the part that trips people up. There are two different increases, and they are not the same money.
The cost-of-living adjustment is the 4%. It moves the whole scale up once a year, for everyone, on 1 April. You get it regardless of your performance score.
Pay progression is the notch increase. You move up one notch on your post-level scale each year, provided your performance is satisfactory. The standard public-service notch step is about 1.5%, separate from any cost-of-living adjustment (DPSA, Annual cost-of-living adjustments, 2026).
The key difference is timing and basis. The 4% is automatic and lands in April. Pay progression depends on your performance cycle and is paid out on its own schedule — qualifying employees received progression for the 2025/26 performance cycle from 1 July 2026, not in April (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026).
Why this matters on your payslip
If you only see 4% in April, that is correct. The notch step has not arrived yet. When it does, around mid-year, you should see a second, smaller bump. Reading the two as one number is why some educators think they were short-paid in April when they were not.
It also means a good year stacks. A 4% cost-of-living adjustment plus a roughly 1.5% notch step is a larger total increase than 4% alone — but the two arrive at different times and for different reasons.
How the new scale was published
The Department of Basic Education gives effect to the increase by gazetting the new educator salary scales under the Employment of Educators Act. The 2025 scales were adjusted upward and re-published, with the new figures effective 1 April 2026 (South African Government, Employment of Educators Act: new salary scales, 2025).
Educators move through four post levels:
- Post Level 1 — classroom educator
- Post Level 2 — Departmental Head
- Post Level 3 — Deputy Principal
- Post Level 4 — Principal
Each post level has its own notch scale. The 4% adjustment lifted every notch on every post level. The shape of the scale did not change — only the rand value at each notch.
What the increase means in take-home terms
A 4% increase on the scale does not mean 4% more in your bank account. It means 4% more on the basic-salary line before deductions.
When your basic salary rises, your percentage-based deductions rise with it in rand terms, even though the rates stay the same:
- GEPF pension — members contribute 7.5% of pensionable salary; the rate is unchanged, but the rand amount goes up because the basic went up (GEPF, Employer Contributions, 2026).
- UIF and tax — both scale with your earnings, so a higher basic means a higher rand deduction on each.
So the take-home gain is real but smaller than the headline 4%. The exact rand figure depends on your post level, notch, tax position, and medical-aid arrangement, which is why we point you to the official gazetted scale rather than quoting a single number that would not apply to everyone (South African Government, Employment of Educators Act: new salary scales, 2025).
The honest summary: 4% on the scale, slightly less than 4% in your pocket after deductions, plus a separate notch step later in the year if your performance qualifies.
FAQ
What is the teacher salary increase for 2026 in South Africa?
It is a 4% cost-of-living adjustment, effective 1 April 2026, applied to all salary levels 1 to 12 and educators on the Occupation Specific Dispensation, under PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025 (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026).
Why is the increase 4% when inflation was projected at 3.4%?
PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025 sets a 4% floor on the increase. Because projected CPI of 3.4% was below that floor, the increase was deemed 4% rather than 3.4% (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026).
Is the 4% the same as my pay progression?
No. The 4% is a cost-of-living adjustment that moves the whole scale up on 1 April. Pay progression is a separate notch step — about 1.5% for satisfactory performance — paid on its own schedule later in the year (DPSA, Annual cost-of-living adjustments, 2026).
When does the pay progression notch step arrive?
Pay progression for the 2025/26 performance cycle was paid from 1 July 2026, not on the 1 April cost-of-living date (DPSA, The Public Servant Online, 2026).
Does the increase mean 4% more in my bank account?
No. The 4% is on your basic salary before deductions. Percentage-based deductions like GEPF, UIF, and tax rise in rand terms with the higher basic, so your take-home gain is a little under 4% (GEPF, Employer Contributions, 2026).
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