Support Staff Collective Agreement: 2024-2026 Pay Details

If you work as a Special Needs Assistant in an Irish school, you’ve probably heard colleagues talking about the 9.25% pay deal — but pinning down what it actually means for your take-home pay can feel like reading through dense circulars on a Friday afternoon. The good news is the numbers are concrete, the timelines are set, and the increases are already rolling out. This guide breaks down exactly how the Public Service Agreement 2024–2026 applies to SNAs, from the €46,374 scale point to the January 2026 adjustment that landed in Circular 0006/2026.

Total Pay Increase 2024-2026: 9.25% · 2024 Adjustment: 4.25% · Union Agreement Date: 26th January 2024 · Duration: Two and a half years · Public Sector Coverage: Includes support staff

What is the SNA scale for 2026?

The Public Service Agreement 2024–2026 governs SNA pay scales through a series of official circulars issued by the Department of Education (Department of Education Ireland). The most recent circular — Circular 0006/2026 — was published on 27 January 2026, with the new rates taking effect from 1 January 2026.

Current SNA incremental scale

As of the July 2025 increase (Circular 0056/2025), the SNA scale runs from an entry-level point up to a maximum of €46,374, with a Long Service Increment of €49,164 available after three years at the top grade (Circular 0056/2025 PDF). The circulars apply uniformly across Primary, Post-Primary, and ETB sectors — there are no regional variations for SNAs working in different parts of the country.

2026 projected adjustments

The February 2026 increase brings a 1% rise or a minimum of €500, whichever is greater, applied to the whole-time annual basic scales (Department of Education). This means someone at the €46,374 point would see their salary rise by roughly €464 — below the €500 threshold — so they would receive the flat €500 increase instead.

How much does an SNA get paid?

SNA pay in Ireland runs on an incremental scale, with annual increases tied to service time rather than performance reviews. The Department of Education issues revised scales after each PSA milestone, and schools are required to apply them from the effective date specified in the circular.

Annual salary ranges

The August 2025 circular sets out the full scale, with entry-level points well below the maximum and incremental jumps of roughly €2,000–€3,000 per year between points. The top of the pre-2026 scale sits at €46,374, with the Long Service Increment adding €2,790 on top for eligible staff. Teachers and ETB staff receive the same percentage increases under the same agreement, confirming the PSA treats these groups consistently (TUI).

Hourly rates breakdown

Circular 0056/2025 includes Appendix 2 with updated hourly casual rates for SNAs, reflecting the increased scales (Appendix 2 Circular 0056/2025). These rates apply to casual or part-time SNAs not on fixed annual contracts. The hourly figure is derived by dividing the relevant annual scale by the standard school-year hours, and the February 2026 circular will carry a corresponding update to those casual rates.

How much does an SNA earn per hour?

Converting an annual SNA scale point to an hourly rate requires knowing the standard working hours for the role. The Department of Education circulars do not specify a single official annual hours figure for all SNAs, since contracted hours vary by school and post type.

Standard hourly calculation

A full-time SNA on the August 2025 maximum of €46,374 working a standard school year of approximately 1,400 hours would earn roughly €33 per hour before tax. For someone at an entry-level scale point of around €28,000, the hourly equivalent sits closer to €20. These are rough approximations — the exact figure depends on your contracted hours per week and the number of school days in the year.

Overtime and increments

SNAs on casual or substitute contracts receive hourly rates that include a loading for unsocial hours in some cases. Increments — the annual step increases on the scale — apply regardless of hours worked, so a 0.5 FTE SNA still progresses through the scale points on the same schedule as a full-time colleague. The €500 minimum increase from February 2026 applies pro-rata to part-time posts.

Are SNAs getting a pay rise in 2026?

Yes. The February 2026 increase is the final scheduled adjustment under the PSA 2024–2026. Union negotiators from Fórsa and SIPTU backed the agreement reached on 26 January 2024, which set out the phased increases totaling 9.25% over the two-and-a-half-year period (Fórsa).

2026 specific increase

The 1% or €500 increase effective from 1 February 2026 applies to all whole-time annual basic salary scales for SNAs. Circular 0006/2026 was published on 27 January 2026, giving schools just days to process the change before the effective date (Department of Education). For a full-time SNA at mid-scale, this translates to roughly €440–€500 more per year before tax.

Local bargaining potential

Beyond the national PSA, local bargaining allows for additional adjustments of up to 3% in pay and conditions, negotiated at school or ETB level (INMO PSA). Whether any individual school has activated this clause and what outcomes resulted from those negotiations is not centrally tracked — making it one of the less transparent parts of the agreement for SNAs seeking to compare their pay packets.

What is a 0.83 SNA post?

In Irish schools, SNA posts are often allocated as fractional — meaning the post holder works less than a full working week. A 0.83 post represents 83% of a full-time equivalent, translating directly into a pro-rata reduction in salary and contracted hours.

Fractional post meaning

A full-time SNA contract typically runs to around 32–35 hours per week depending on the school. An 0.83 post scales that down to approximately 27–29 hours per week. The allocation arises from the DES (Department of Education) resource allocation process, where schools apply for SNA hours based on the assessed needs of students they support.

Pro-rata pay effects

Salary for an 0.83 post is calculated as 83% of the relevant SNA scale point. Someone on the €46,374 maximum in a 0.83 post would earn approximately €38,490 per year before tax — their school should apply the scale point and then calculate pro-rata. Increment progression remains the same; the fractional FTE does not slow down the scale advancement. The February 2026 €500 minimum applies at 83% value, meaning roughly €415 for an 0.83 SNA who would otherwise receive less than €500 from the 1% calculation.

Timeline of the PSA 2024–2026 for SNAs

Five milestones mark the pay journey from the 2024 agreement through to the February 2026 final increase.

The implementation unfolded across several key dates:

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

The research confidence for this article is rated low overall — the verified facts are solid for the national PSA figures and the circulars, but several practical questions remain without published answers.

“On Friday 26th January, union negotiators agreed to the new offer of 9.25% over two and a half years.”

— Fórsa union (Plain English Guide to Pay Agreement)

“This circular sets out the increases to pay due to Special Needs Assistants from 01 February 2026 as provided for under The Public Service Agreement 2024–2026.”

— Department of Education Ireland (Circular 0006/2026)

“Over the next 30 months (January 2024 – January 2026), basic pay will increase by 9.25%.”

— INMO (Union campaign resource)

The final PSA increase lands in February 2026, but for many SNAs the real question is what comes after June 2026. With no successor agreement publicly announced, the €500 floor from the national deal may be the last structured pay increase for support staff for some time. Local bargaining remains the avenue most likely to deliver additional gains — but it requires active engagement at school level, something not all SNAs have the leverage or union representation to pursue.

Related reading: Power and Internet Deals Ireland · Spanish Language Dublin Classes

This support staff deal mirrors wider public sector adjustments, including the HSE salary scales 2025 that stagger similar rises through October 2026.

Frequently asked questions