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.

The academic year normally runs from 1 September to 31 August. Some ITT courses may start slightly earlier, such as from 1 June, but should be treated as starting in the following academic year. Applications open in October of the year shown.

Applications for the 2024 to 2025 academic year are now open. We have updated the page to reflect this, and updated the list of eligible schools.

If you have a student loan you’re currently paying off, a deduction will go towards repaying it. This is automatically taken from your payment.

Use the table to find out when you can apply for a targeted retention incentive payment. If you are a postgraduate, use the academic year your initial teacher training (ITT) course started. If you’re an undergraduate, use the academic year your ITT course finished.

Your payment, along with the Income Tax and National Insurance contributions paid on your behalf, will all count towards your income. You should consider how this will affect any other benefits or tax credits.

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:

Eligible teachers of the following subjects can claim a targeted retention incentive payment for teaching in eligible state-funded secondary schools:

Targeted retention incentive 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’ll receive a higher payment.

However, if you’re eligible to claim back your student loan repayments, you’ll be able to claim these as well as a targeted retention incentive payment or an early career payment.

From 14 October 2024 to 31 March 2025, you’ll be able to answer some questions to find out what additional payments you’re eligible to claim.

You’ll only be able to claim either an early career payment or targeted retention incentive payment per academic year, even if you’re eligible to claim for both payments.

If you were awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) through assessment only or overseas recognition in an eligible academic year, you’ll be eligible if you completed one of these qualifications.

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If you’re a part-time teacher, you’re eligible for the same targeted retention incentive payment amount as a full-time teacher.

The targeted retention incentive payment ranges from £3,000 to £6,000, from the 2024 to 2025 academic year, depending on the school you teach in.

We’ll pay National Insurance and basic rate Income Tax for the payment on your behalf. If you are or become a higher-rate taxpayer, you’ll need to pay any Income Tax at the higher rate through PAYE.

For any queries about targeted retention incentive payments, email: schools-targeted.retention-incentive@education.gov.uk.

Eligible chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics teachers can apply for targeted retention incentive payments until March 2025.

If you’re eligible for both the targeted retention incentive and early career payments, you can only claim one of these additional payments in the same academic year.

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.

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