Teach For America Salary and Benefits
What Salary Do TFA Corps Members Receive?
Corps members are full-time employees of, and paid by, our partner school districts and charter networks. First-year TFA teachers make between $32,000 and $72,000 per school year from their paycheck. In addition, Teach For America provides transitional financial support to help them start strong.
Financial Support From TFA
In addition to the salary earned from your placement school, TFA offers additional financial support for corps members, based on region and eligibility. Together, these supports help reduce the out-of-pocket costs of joining the corps. The financial incentives offered by TFA include:
Teach For America provides all incoming corps members with a baseline stipend of $3,000-$6,500 (amount varies by region). This helps corps members with living expenses during summer training, which is unpaid. During the transition to the classroom, it can help bridge the gap before corps members receive their first paycheck. This stipend is automatically disbursed before summer training begins—no application required.
Incoming corps members with additional financial need may receive need-based financial support to supplement their baseline stipend, further reducing the cost of transitioning into the corps. This includes:
- Need-based grants and interest-free loans are available by application to all corps members.
- An automatic $3,000 grant is available for Pell Grant recipients and for individuals from low-income backgrounds who are not receiving federal student aid. Eligible applicants must have graduated on or after July 1, 2023.
Still have questions? Get an overview of need-based support.
A Look at TFA Salaries by Region
Corps members' salaries are determined by the school district or charter network they teach in.
You can find information on specific regions' salaries and compare salary ranges for TFA teachers, average rent, and any available signing bonus and stipends using the Compare Regions tool.
What Benefits Do TFA Corps Members Receive?
Corps members receive the same standard benefits package as other teachers in their school district or charter network, plus many additional benefits that are unique to Teach For America.
As a corps member, you’re eligible for full health benefits offered by your school district or public charter network.
TFA corps members receive the same vacation and paid holidays as other beginning teachers working for the same employer. Yes, that includes summers off!
Retirement benefits for corps members are offered by the school district or public charter network for which you work.
Corps members may be eligible for help managing student loan debt with a variety of loan forgiveness programs specifically designed for teachers. While joining Teach For America does not mean your student loans are automatically forgiven, help may be available through a variety of federal loan forgiveness programs.
Teach For America is currently an AmeriCorps partner. If AmeriCorps benefits are available, corps members may qualify for support such as federal student loan forbearance, interest accrual payments, or an education award that can be applied toward eligible loans or future education costs. AmeriCorps benefits are not guaranteed, as they depend on federal funding and program approval. We will keep corps members updated as more information becomes available. Read more about our partnership with AmeriCorps.
Individual Teach For America regions and employers we partner with may also have additional financial benefits and support such as affordable housing or per-district signing bonuses.