Salary Issue
Salary for primary teachers issues every second Thursday from the Department of Education. The payroll period is listed at the top of your payslip.
Permanent and temporary teachers are paid two weeks in arrears. Substitute teachers are paid more than two weeks in arrears due to the early closure of the OLCS system for substitute claims.
A pay slip stating gross and net pay and giving details of deductions made from salary (tax, PRSI, VHI, INTO, Comhar Linn, etc) will also be sent directly to an address nominated by the teacher. A teacher’s scale point is listed towards the top right-hand corner of the payslip.
The Department of Education have an online contact form for pay related queries at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/efad5-payroll-services/#how-to-contact-payroll-division.
Electronic payslips
Teachers can opt to receive their payslips electronically. Since April 2023, the e-payslip has been delivered through the Digital Postbox.
The Digital Postbox is expected to change to a new service called MessagingIE in early June 2025.
Although documents are expected to transfer, in advance of the changeover members may wish to download the contents of their Digital Postbox to retain a copy of any correspondence
More information about the changeover to MessagingIE available on gov.ie here
In March 2022, INTO held a webinar on Understanding Your Payslip and E-Payslips. Click here to view the webinar.
Overpayments
Government Departments are authorised under existing financial procedures to seek the refund of overpayments. The entitlement to recover overpayments is provided for in the Payment of Wages Act, 1991, as well as Rule 107 (2) of the Rules for National Schools.
When a teacher has been overpaid it is normal practice for the Department of Education Payroll Section to contact the teacher to arrange for the recovery of the overpayment, either through a lump sum or instalments.
A teacher who becomes aware that they are being overpaid should contact the DE at the earliest opportunity.
Circular 84/2015 (PDF) outlines the DE’s procedure for recouping overpayments
Understanding your payslip
The deductions on teachers’ payslip are explained in detail in an article the February/March 2023 InTouch, here.
Page updated 30 May 2025
