Levelling up premium payments for teachers
Eligible chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics teachers can apply for levelling up premium payments between September and March.
Applies to England
Applications are currently closed
You can no longer claim for the academic year 2023 to 2024. You’ll be able to claim for the academic year 2024 to 2025 from September.
Payment
The levelling up premium payment ranges from £3,000 to £6,000, from the 2024 to 2025 academic year, depending on the school you teach in.
You can apply from September in the 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 academic years.
Eligible teachers of the following subjects can claim a levelling up premium payment for teaching, in eligible state-funded secondary schools:
- chemistry
- computing
- mathematics
- physics
Eligibility changes from September 2024
For academic years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026, eligible school and college teachers will be able to claim a levelling up premium payment in the first 5 years of teaching:
- STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects
- certain technical shortage subjects
Up to £6,000 will be available in the 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 academic years.
We will publish eligibility criteria in spring 2024.
When to apply
Use the table to find out when you can apply for a levelling up premium payment. If you are a postgraduate, use the academic year your ITT course started. If you are an undergraduate, use the academic year your ITT course finished.
| ITT course start or finish | Academic year in which to apply |
|---|---|
| 2019 to 2020 | 2024 |
| 2020 to 2021 | 2024 and 2025 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 2024 and 2025 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 2024 and 2025 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 2024 and 2025 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 2025 |
The academic year runs from 1 September to 31 August. Applications open in September of the year shown.
Eligibility criteria
You must meet the eligibility criteria to be able to claim any additional payments. The published criteria relates to the 2023 to 2024 claims window and will be updated to reflect 2024 to 2025 eligibility.
From September 2024 to March 2025, 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 and payment amount
Levelling up premium payments are offered to teachers 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
- 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
If you were awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) through assessment only or overseas recognition in an eligible academic year, you will also be eligible.
QTS and QTLS
You must have either:
- QTS
- qualified teacher learning and skills (QTLS) status and membership of the Society for Education and Training (SET)
Employment
You must be employed as a teacher in a state-funded secondary school (or middle-deemed secondary school) in England when you apply for the payment. State-funded schools include:
- local authority-maintained secondary schools
- academies, free schools or multi-academy trusts
- local-authority-maintained or non-maintained special schools
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, independent 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
If you are employed by a private supply-teaching agency or teach in an independent 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 amount as a full-time teacher.
You still need to meet all of the eligibility criteria.
Breaks in teaching
You are allowed to have some breaks in your normal employment such as:
- sickness
- maternity, paternity, parental or adoption leave
You should apply for payments as usual during these breaks before the claim window closes each year.
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
The Department for Education (DfE) makes the payment in one lump sum.
If you are eligible for both the levelling up premium and the 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 these as well as a levelling up premium payment or an early-career payment.
Taxable income and National Insurance
DfE will pay Income Tax up to the basic rate and National Insurance for the payment on your behalf. The basic rate of tax is currently based on an annual income of £12,571 to £50,270, taxed at a rate of 20%.
You will need to pay any Income Tax over the higher rate through PAYE if you become or already are a higher rate taxpayer. The higher rate is currently an income of £50,271 to £125,140, taxed at a rate of 40%.
You can 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.
You should consider any other benefits or tax credits that could be affected if you claim this payment, , such as the High Income Child Benefit Charge or Marriage Allowance.
Your payment, along with the Income Tax and National Insurance contributions paid on your behalf, will all count towards your income.
Student loan deductions
If you have a student loan you are currently paying off, a deduction will go towards repaying it. This is taken from your payment automatically.
Contact
For any queries about levelling up premium payments, email levellinguppremiumpayments@digital.education.gov.uk.
Last updated 31 March 2024 + show all updates
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Removed the 'Apply now' section as the claims window for the 2023 to 2024 academic year has now closed. Also updated the 'payment' and 'breaks in teaching' sections.
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Added information about eligible STEM teachers being able to apply for levelling up premium payments in the 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 academic years. We have also amended the wording in the Income and National insurance section for clarity.
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The window to apply to claim a levelling up payment is now open and eligible teachers can apply. The 'List of eligible and non-eligible schools for levelling up premium payment' in the 'School eligibility and payment amount' section and the 'higher education classification of subjects (HECoS) code' file in the 'Qualification' section have also been updated.
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Added the dates on which applications open in 2023 and close in 2024.
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'Register your interest' forms have been added for the academic year 2023 to 2024.
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Updated to show that applications closed on 31 March.
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'List of eligible and non-eligible schools for levelling up premium payment' has been updated.
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Page updated as eligible teachers can now apply for payments until March, rather than January. We have also updated the list of eligible and non-eligible schools, the methodology document which explains our funding approach, and a list of relevant degree codes for those eligible to claim.
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Page updated as eligible teachers can now claim levelling up premium payments.
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First published.