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Special Needs Assistant salary in Ireland

Special Needs Assistants are paid on a published incremental scale, and there are two of them depending on when you were appointed. This page has every point, what you actually take home, and how the Long Service Increment works.

The short answer

A newly qualified special needs assistant starts on €31,664 a year. After 17 years of service you reach the top of the scale on €50,161. Allowances for promoted posts and, for some teachers, qualifications are paid on top of these figures.

Starting salary
€31,664
about €2,293 a month take-home
Top of the scale
€50,161
about €3,287 a month take-home

Figures from Circular 0057/2026, effective 1 June 2026. Take-home is for a single person with standard credits, after income tax, USC, PRSI and ASC.

What point of the scale am I on?

This is where most salary pages get it wrong. Your point is not always the same as your years of service, because one of the two scales carries incremental skips. Pick your situation:

You are on point 1
€31,664

The full pay scale, every point

Appointed on or after 1 January 2011 (new entrants)

The new entrant scale is longer, fourteen points, and starts lower, but it finishes at the same maximum as the pre-2011 scale.

Point Gross / year Take-home / year Take-home / month
1€31,664€27,519€2,293
2€33,414€28,793€2,399
3€33,844€29,106€2,425
4€34,719€29,737€2,478
5€35,994€30,631€2,553
6€37,273€31,528€2,627
7€38,555€32,427€2,702
8€39,483€33,078€2,757
9€40,536€33,817€2,818
10€41,756€34,672€2,889
11€42,623€35,280€2,940
12€43,834€36,130€3,011
13€45,051€36,843€3,070
14€47,343€38,008€3,167
LSI€50,161€39,439€3,287

Take-home assumes a single person with the personal and employee tax credits, no other income, and ASC at Single Public Service Pension Scheme rates. Your main superannuation contribution is deducted separately and depends on your scheme.

Appointed on or before 31 December 2010

The pre-2011 scale has twelve points and starts higher, so this group reaches the maximum sooner.

Point Gross / year Take-home / year Take-home / month
1€33,844€29,106€2,425
2€34,719€29,725€2,477
3€35,994€30,551€2,546
4€37,273€31,380€2,615
5€38,555€32,211€2,684
6€39,483€32,812€2,734
7€40,536€33,495€2,791
8€41,756€34,285€2,857
9€42,623€34,847€2,904
10€43,834€35,632€2,969
11€45,051€36,420€3,035
12€47,343€37,494€3,124
LSI€50,161€38,813€3,234

What you earn in each year of your career

On the new entrants scale you move up one point for each year of satisfactory service, with no skipped points. That means 17 years of service to reach the top.

Years of service Your point Gross salary
Year 1Point 1€31,664
Year 2Point 2€33,414
Year 3Point 3€33,844
Year 4Point 4€34,719
Year 5Point 5€35,994
Year 6Point 6€37,273
Year 7Point 7€38,555
Year 8Point 8€39,483
Year 9Point 9€40,536
Year 10Point 10€41,756
Year 11Point 11€42,623
Year 12Point 12€43,834
Year 13Point 13€45,051
Year 14Point 14€47,343
Year 17Long Service Increment€50,161

Progression is automatic on your incremental date as long as your service is satisfactory. Time spent on a career break or otherwise out of service pushes your incremental date back. The Long Service Increment is not an annual increment: it is paid only after 3 years of satisfactory service at the maximum of the scale, which is why it appears 3 years after the last point rather than the year after it.

What comes off your salary

Four deductions apply before your pay reaches your account, and one of them is specific to the public service.

Income tax, USC and PRSI

The same as any employee. Income tax at 20% up to €44,000 for a single person and 40% above, USC in bands from 0.5% to 8%, and PRSI at 4.2%.

ASC, the public service extra

The Additional Superannuation Contribution. Nothing on the first €34,500, then 3.33% to €60,000 and 3.5% above for Single Scheme members. Pre-2013 scheme members pay 10% and 10.5% on the same bands. It reduces your income tax but not your USC or PRSI.

One thing to be aware of: the take-home figures on this page include ASC but not your main superannuation contribution, which is charged separately and depends on which pension scheme you joined. Your actual net pay will be somewhat lower. We show ASC because its rates are published and identical for everyone, while the main contribution varies.

Substitute and casual rates

Casual and substitute staff are paid per day or per hour rather than on the annual scale. The second figure is the value of statutory annual leave accrued for each day or hour worked, paid on top.

CategoryScaleRateLeave accrued
Substitute SNA, hourlyPre-2011 appointees€18.65€1.62
Substitute SNA, hourlyNew entrants€17.45€1.52

Questions people ask most

How much does an SNA earn in Ireland?
A Special Needs Assistant appointed today starts on €31,664 a year and works up to €47,343 at the top of the scale, then €50,161 once the Long Service Increment is paid. SNAs appointed on or before 31 December 2010 are on a shorter scale that starts at €33,844 and reaches the same maximum. Rates come from Circular 0057/2026, effective 1 June 2026.
What is the starting salary for an SNA?
€31,664 a year for anyone appointed on or after 1 January 2011, which is point 1 of the new entrant scale. That is the full-time rate before any deductions.
What is the SNA Long Service Increment?
An extra pay point worth €50,161, paid after 3 years of satisfactory service at the maximum of the scale. It is not an ordinary annual increment, which is why it does not arrive the year after the last point. Both the pre-2011 and new entrant scales lead to the same LSI figure.
How long does it take an SNA to reach the top of the scale?
On the new entrant scale it takes 14 years to reach the maximum point of €47,343, and the Long Service Increment follows 3 years later, so 17 years in total to reach €50,161. On the pre-2011 scale the maximum point arrives after 12 years and the LSI after 15.
Do SNAs get an increment every year?
Yes, one point a year on your incremental date, as long as your service is satisfactory. There is no examination or performance threshold to pass. Time on a career break or otherwise out of service is taken into account and pushes your incremental date back.
What is the hourly rate for a substitute SNA?
A substitute SNA appointed on or after 1 January 2011 is paid €17.45 an hour, plus €1.52 for each hour worked as the value of statutory annual leave. For those appointed on or before 31 December 2010 the rate is €18.65 an hour plus €1.62.
Do SNAs get paid during the school holidays?
SNAs in permanent and contract posts are paid an annual salary spread across the year. Substitute SNAs are paid per hour worked instead, which is why their rate carries a separate figure for the value of statutory annual leave accrued for each hour.
What is ASC and does it apply to SNAs?
Yes. The Additional Superannuation Contribution applies to all public servants on their pensionable pay. Nothing is charged on the first €34,500, so an SNA on the lower points of the scale pays no ASC at all. Above that, Single Public Service Pension Scheme members pay 3.33% up to €60,000, and members of pre-2013 schemes pay 10%.
Can previous SNA experience count towards my point on the scale?
Previous relevant service can be recognised through incremental credit, which places you higher than point 1 on appointment. How much is recognised is decided by the employer under the Department's rules, so check your placement with your school or ETB when you are appointed.
Is SNA pay the same in every school?
Yes. The scale is national and set by circular, so the same point pays the same amount in every primary, post-primary and ETB school in the country. Payroll is handled by the Department for primary and post-primary SNAs, and by the relevant HR department for ETB post-primary SNAs.
When do SNA salaries increase next?
These rates come from the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, which applied a 1% increase on 1 June 2026. That agreement is in its final year, so the next rates depend on the agreement that replaces it. We update this page when a new circular is published.

Where these figures come from

Every euro figure on this page is taken from the official circulars below, not from salary surveys or crowd-sourced averages. Last checked 2026-08-13.

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