Teacher Salary in Uganda 2026/27: Official Pay Scales

Teacher salary in Uganda for 2026/27 is set by Circular Standing Instruction (CSI) No. 6 of 2026, so use that official circular rather than a social-media table. From 1 July 2026, a primary Grade III teacher on U7 Upper is listed at UGX 700,000 a month, while a primary head teacher on U4 is UGX 1,537,976. Secondary rates depend on the official non-science or science band: a graduate classroom teacher is UGX 1,537,976 or UGX 4,000,000 respectively. These are monthly salary figures, not guaranteed take-home pay or allowances.

Source basis: Ministry of Public Service, CSI No. 6 Salary Structure for FY 2026/2027. The circular says it comes into effect on 1 July 2026 (PDF p. 2, paragraph 3.1). Primary figures below are transcribed from Schedule 3 (PDF pp. 13–14), secondary figures from the Addendum to Schedule 4-A (PDF pp. 15–17), and BTVET/teacher-training figures from Schedule 4-B (PDF pp. 18–20).

How much is the teacher salary in Uganda in 2026/27?

The official public-service schedules show a monthly range from UGX 261,326 for a primary teacher on trial terms (U7 Lower) to UGX 1,537,976 for a primary head teacher (U4). Secondary school rates run from UGX 1,357,964 for a non-science Assistant Education Officer/classroom teacher to UGX 6,500,000 for a science head teacher. Science and non-science are separate official bands, so the scale code alone is not enough: check the designation and band on your appointment or payroll record.

The figures are monthly amounts in Uganda shillings. Annual amounts in the circular are twelve times the monthly amount. They should be read as salary figures before any applicable PAYE, Local Service Tax, pension contribution where applicable, loan, union, SACCO or other authorised deduction. The circular is a public-service salary structure; it is not a private-school pay agreement.

The circular says Government allocated UGX 736.9 billion for salary enhancement in FY2026/27. Its listed categories include primary head teachers, deputy head teachers, Senior Education Assistants and Education Assistants; secondary head teachers, deputies and humanities-background teachers; and heads and humanities-background teachers, instructors and tutors in TVET institutions. This is the circular’s category description, not a promise that every public employee received an increase.

Primary teacher salary in Uganda: Schedule 3

Schedule 3 is titled “Salary Structure for Primary School Teachers for FY 2026/2027.” It lists the enhanced FY2026/27 monthly amount in a flat column for each primary teaching post. The older FY2025/26 column remains in the circular for comparison, but the table below reproduces the FY2026/27 figures that apply under CSI No. 6.

For comparison, the same Schedule 3 shows FY2025/26 ranges of UGX 777,512–980,211 for a primary head teacher, UGX 662,165–773,952 for a deputy, UGX 605,100–613,486 for a Senior Education Assistant and UGX 499,684–568,166 for a Grade III teacher. The trial-term figure is UGX 261,326. Use those older values only as the circular’s comparison column; do not confuse them with the FY2026/27 amount.

Secondary teacher salary: arts and science bands

The secondary schedule uses official “Science” and “Non-Science” designations. In a reader-facing explanation, non-science may be described as the arts or humanities band, but the appointment designation controls. The table below preserves the Ministry’s terminology and gives the annual figure shown or calculated in the circular.

This is why “U4 salary” is not one universal teacher salary. An Education Officer—Classroom Teacher on U4-LWR is UGX 1,537,976, while the U4-SC science designation is UGX 4,000,000. The same distinction applies at U3, U2 and U1E. Match your subject background, appointment designation and payroll band before comparing two payslips.

BTVET and teacher-training institution salary

Schedule 4-B covers public BTVET and teacher-training institutions excluding health-training institutions. It includes both science and non-science posts. The table includes the senior institution rows often missed in online summaries, including the non-science Principal Diploma Awarding Institution figure of UGX 4,130,169.

Gross salary, PAYE and what reaches your account

The salary schedule is not a payslip. PAYE is based on monthly chargeable income and the employee’s resident status, not automatically on the unadjusted salary-table figure. Uganda Revenue Authority’s official employment-income guidance gives the following resident-individual monthly bands for FY2026/27. Apply the formula to chargeable income after any legally allowable deductions; do not assume that every employee’s gross salary equals chargeable income.

URA’s guidance also matters for Local Service Tax. Where LST is an allowable deduction, it is deducted before PAYE is calculated. That means a simple calculation using the published salary as chargeable income can overstate PAYE. LST, pension, loans, union dues, SACCO deductions and other payroll items must be checked against the worker’s actual circumstances and the employer’s payroll calculation.

For illustration only, if the listed monthly amount is treated as chargeable income, the resident PAYE formula gives UGX 98,250 on UGX 700,000, leaving UGX 601,750 after PAYE alone. On UGX 1,537,976, the same assumption gives approximately UGX 349,643 PAYE and UGX 1,188,333 after PAYE. On UGX 4,000,000, it gives UGX 1,088,250 PAYE and UGX 2,911,750 after PAYE. These are not universal take-home amounts because chargeable income, LST and other lawful deductions can change the result.

Public-service pension: the verified rule

The Public Service Pension Fund Act, 2025 provides for a 5% employee contribution and a 10% Government employer contribution, both calculated on basic salary. Section 27(3)(a) states the employee rate; section 27(3)(b) states the employer rate; and section 27(4) says the deduction is effected on basic salary. These are not 5% and 10% of gross salary.

The Act commenced on 1 February 2026 under the Public Service Pension Fund Act (Commencement) Instrument, 2026. That commencement date should not be turned into a blanket promise that every teacher’s payroll deduction began on that date: section 27 refers to registration and contributing periods. Equally, do not promise that contributions only begin in July 2027. The official law gives the rates and statutory framework; the applicable registration and payroll implementation should be confirmed through the responsible officer or an official PSPF/payroll notice.

Official sources: Ministry pension-fund Act page, Public Service Pension Fund Act, 2025, and the 2026 commencement instrument.

Allowances and deductions: do not assume them

The circular tables provide the salary attached to the listed post and scale. They do not establish a universal allowance for every teacher. Do not add a hard-to-reach, housing, responsibility, travel or other allowance unless an applicable official instrument and the teacher’s appointment or payslip show that the person qualifies. Ask the responsible HR or education office to identify the legal basis, rate and eligibility before adding any allowance to a budget.

Likewise, do not call the salary-table amount “take-home pay.” A payslip may include PAYE, LST, pension where applicable, loan recovery, union or SACCO deductions and other authorised items. Private schools and other employers are outside these public-service salary schedules, so their contracts must be checked separately.

How to use the official scale

• Read the exact designation on the appointment letter or payroll record.
• Identify the schedule: Schedule 3 for primary teaching posts, Schedule 4-A for secondary teachers and laboratory staff, or Schedule 4-B for BTVET and teacher-training institutions excluding health-training institutions.
• Check the band, especially the U1E/U2/U3/U4/U5 science or non-science suffix.
• Compare the monthly salary with the FY2026/27 column, not an older FY2025/26 notch.
• Separate salary, taxable chargeable income, allowances and deductions when checking a payslip.
• If the figure does not match, keep the appointment letter and payslip and ask the responsible HR/payroll office to explain the discrepancy.

Avoid confusing teacher bands and deductions

• Using the general public-service table: teachers have dedicated schedules in the circular.
• Calling every U4 post the same: U4-LWR non-science and U4-SC science have different figures.
• Calling UGX 1,357,964 the graduate rate: in the secondary schedule it is the Assistant Education Officer/classroom teacher non-science rate; the Education Officer/classroom teacher non-science rate is UGX 1,537,976.
• Adding an allowance automatically: only add one when eligibility and rate are documented.
• Treating gross salary as chargeable income: URA PAYE depends on resident status and monthly chargeable income, with allowable deductions such as LST handled in the payroll calculation.
• Promising a July 2027 pension start: the Act provides 5% and 10% contributions on basic salary but the searched official sources do not establish that blanket payroll date.

Frequently asked questions

Use the right scale and payroll deductions

The official 2026/27 teacher salary in Uganda depends on the schedule, designation and science or non-science band. Primary Grade III is UGX 700,000, primary heads are UGX 1,537,976, secondary non-science classroom rates run from UGX 1,357,964 to UGX 3,562,500, and science rates run from UGX 2,200,000 to UGX 6,500,000. BTVET and teacher-training institutions use Schedule 4-B, including the often-missed non-science Principal Diploma Awarding Institution rate of UGX 4,130,169.

Use the salary figures as the starting point, then check your actual chargeable income, LST, PAYE, pension position and documented allowances. The Ministry circular is the controlling salary source; URA controls the PAYE calculation; and the Public Service Pension Fund Act supplies the 5% employee and 10% Government rates on basic salary.