DPSA Salary Scale 2026: How Notches, Levels and Increases Actually Work

A level is a bracket, not a single number

When a job advert says "Salary Level 7," it is tempting to treat that as one fixed salary. It is not. Each of the 16 salary levels in the public service has a minimum notch, several mid-range notches, and a maximum notch. A new appointee usually starts at the minimum notch of the advertised level, unless the department motivates for a higher starting notch based on the candidate's experience — which does happen, but is the exception rather than the rule.

This means two people on "Level 7" in different departments, or even the same department, can legitimately earn different amounts. The level tells you the band. The notch tells you the actual number on your payslip.

Notch progression versus a salary increase

These are two separate mechanisms and public servants frequently confuse them. A notch progression is an internal move up within your current level, awarded annually based on a satisfactory performance assessment. It happens on your service anniversary date, not on a fixed calendar date for the whole department. If your performance rating that cycle is below the required standard, the notch progression can be withheld — this is one of the few ways an underperforming employee's pay is directly affected year over year.

A salary increase, by contrast, is the annual across-the-board adjustment negotiated through the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) and applied to every notch on the scale simultaneously. This is the percentage figure you see reported in the news each year. It happens regardless of individual performance and lands on the same date for everyone — typically 1 April, though the effective date and the date it is actually paid can differ if negotiations run late, which has happened in several recent cycles.

In a given year, your payslip can reflect both: the annual increase shifts the entire scale upward, and your personal notch progression moves you further up within that newly shifted scale. This is why take-home pay can jump more in some years than the headline increase percentage suggests.

Why OSD posts do not follow the standard scale

Nurses, doctors, teachers, engineers, social workers, and several other occupational categories fall under Occupational Specific Dispensations (OSDs) rather than the standard 1–16 level scale. OSDs were introduced because the standard scale under-priced these skills relative to the private sector and drove attrition. An OSD post has its own grading structure — for nursing, for example, progression runs through categories like staff nurse, professional nurse, and specialist tiers, each with their own notch ranges that do not map directly onto Levels 1–16.

If you are applying for or currently in an OSD post, comparing your pay to a generic "Level X" figure you saw quoted elsewhere will give you a misleading picture. Always check the OSD-specific circular for your occupational category rather than the general salary level table.

What actually determines your starting notch

For most entry-level appointments, you start at the minimum notch of the advertised level. Departments have discretion to appoint above the minimum notch in specific circumstances — most commonly when the candidate is moving from another public service post at a comparable or higher notch, or when there is a documented skills shortage for that specific post that the department is trying to address competitively. This discretion is used sparingly and is not something a candidate can simply request; it requires a formal motivation submitted by the hiring department, usually before the offer is finalised.

If you are moving between departments at the same level, ask HR directly whether your existing notch will be preserved or whether you reset to the minimum. This varies by circumstance and is worth confirming in writing before you resign from your current post.

Reading your payslip against the scale

Your payslip will usually show a notch code rather than the salary level in plain text. If you are unsure where you sit within your level's range, HR or your department's Corporate Services unit can confirm your exact notch position. It is worth doing this once a year, ideally shortly after the annual increase and progression cycle, so you can verify both adjustments were applied correctly. Payroll errors in notch application are not rare, and they are far easier to correct within the same financial year than retroactively.