Plain-English guide
Your payslip, explained
School and council payslips can be confusing. Here's what each part means, one bit at a time — using an example payslip.
Tax code and tax period
| Tax Code | 1257L |
| Tax Period | 07 |
| Period End | 31-Oct-2026 |
Tax code tells payroll how much you can earn before paying tax. 1257L means £12,570 a year. A slightly different number (like 1256L) is normal — it just means HMRC has made a small adjustment.
Tax period is the month of the tax year, which starts in April. So 01 is April, 07 is October and 12 is March.
Basic Pay
| Payments | Number | Rate | Amount |
| Basic Pay | 1,250.00 |
This is your normal pay for the month, for the hours in your contract. If you work term time only, it's the same every month — your pay for the year is spread into 12 equal payments, so you're paid in the holidays too.
This is the number to use in our TA pay calculator(choose “From my payslip”).
Lines marked Retro or X (back pay)
| Payments | Retro | Amount |
| Basic Pay | X | 31.20 |
| Basic Pay | X | 31.20 |
| Basic Pay | X | 31.20 |
| …one line for each month |
These small lines are back pay. When a pay rise is agreed late and backdated, you get the extra you should have had for each month — one line per month.
It's a one-off. Next month your pay will be your Basic Pay again (now at the higher rate), without these lines.
Overtime x 1.0
| Payments | Number | Rate | Amount |
| Overtime x 1.0 | 3.50 | 14.14 | 49.49 |
Extra hours you've claimed. Number is the hours, Rate is your hourly rate, and Amount is Number × Rate.
x 1.0 means paid at your normal rate. x 1.5 would mean time and a half. Overtime is usually paid the month after you claim it. Our overtime tracker helps you keep a record.
A minus overtime line
| Payments | Number | Rate | Amount |
| Overtime x 1.0 X | -4.00 | 13.69 | -54.76 |
| Overtime x 1.0 X | 4.00 | 14.14 | 56.56 |
This looks alarming but it's fine. After a backdated pay rise, payroll takes back overtime paid at the old rate (the minus line) and pays it again at the new rate. You gain the difference — here £1.80.
LGPS EE — your pension
| Deductions | Amount |
| LGPS EE | 73.04 |
Your payment into the Local Government Pension Scheme. “EE” means employee — it's your part. Your employer pays in around 20% on top, which you won't see on your payslip.
Most TAs pay 5.5% (if you earn up to £18,400 a year) or 5.8%. It's taken from overtime too, and it's taken off before tax.
Tax and National Insurance (NI)
| Deductions | Amount |
| Tax | 0.00 |
| NI | 0.00 |
£0 is normal for lots of TAs.You only pay income tax once you've earned more than £12,570 in the tax year, and National Insurance only in months where you earn more than about £1,048.
If you do lots of overtime one month, you might pay a little NI that month and none the next. That's normal too.
Taxable pay and year to date
| Taxable pay | Tax | NI | Pension |
| 8,402.16 | 0.00 | 14.20 | 489.02 |
Taxable pay is your pay after pension comes off — the amount tax is worked out on.
Year to dateadds up everything since April. It's handy for checking: if your taxable pay year to date stays under £12,570 by next March, you won't pay income tax this year.
Net pay — what you actually get
| NET PAY | 1,191.02 |
This is what lands in your bank account: total payments minus all deductions. Want to know what it should be in a normal month? Try the TA pay calculator.
Quick checks each month
- Is your hourly rate right for your pay point? See the TA pay rates.
- Is all the overtime you claimed there?
- Is your tax code 1257L, or close to it?
- Has your Basic Pay changed when you didn't expect it to?
Payslip questions
Why has my pay gone up suddenly with lots of small Basic Pay lines?
That’s back pay. When a pay rise is agreed late — like the 2026 rise for support staff, agreed in August but backdated to April — your school pays the difference for each month you’ve already worked. You’ll see one small line per month, marked Retro or X.
Why is there a minus line next to my overtime?
When the pay rise is backdated, overtime you already did is paid again at the new rate. Payroll takes the old payment back (the minus line) and pays it again at the new rate (the plus line). You only gain the difference.
Why am I not paying any tax or National Insurance?
You don’t pay income tax until you’ve earned £12,570 in the tax year, and you don’t pay National Insurance in a month where you earn under about £1,048. Many part-time TAs earn less than that, so both can be £0. It isn’t a mistake.
What should I do if something looks wrong?
Check your hourly rate against your pay point, check your hours and any overtime you claimed, then ask your school office or payroll team. Your union (usually UNISON or GMB) can help if it isn’t sorted.
Know when your pay is changing
We’ll email you when a pay rise is agreed, so you know what to look for on your payslip — including back pay.