All public teachers are paid for overtime teaching
The above content is stipulated in Circular 21/2025/TT-BGDDT issued by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) on September 23, 2025, regulating the regime of paying overtime wages for teachers in public educational institutions.
Accordingly, all teachers can receive overtime pay without being bound by any conditions. While according to the old regulations in Joint Circular No. 07/2013/TTLT-BGDDT-BNV-BTC in 2013, teachers are only allowed to receive this allowance when the school or department lacks staff, has teachers on sick leave, maternity leave or on business trip.
Circular 21 also stipulates that the total number of extra teaching periods paid for each school year shall not exceed00. If the teacher teaches more than this number due to shortage of people, the principal must report to the competent authority.
This is a new point compared to the draft in May. At that time, the Ministry does not calculate the number of periods but calculates by hour (150-225 hours per year).
Formula for calculating extra teaching salary
Salary for one regular lesson of preschool and general education teachers = (Tous salary of 12 months in the school year/Norm for one year's teaching hours) x (22.5 weeks/52 weeks).
Salary for teaching a particular period of university or college lecturers = (Tous salary of 12 months/one-year teaching hours) x (one-year teaching hours are calculated according to office hours/1760 hours) x (44 weeks/52 weeks).
Salary for one extra lesson = Salary for one regular lesson x 150%.
Supplementing regulations on the time of payment of overtime salary for teachers
The new Circular stipulates that the payment of overtime wages for teachers will be made after the end of the school year. However, in the case of teachers retiring, quitting jobs, being transferred, or transferred, the payment of overtime teaching wages will be made at the time of the decision to retire, quit jobs, be transferred, or transferred by the competent authority.
If teachers have less than 1 year of teaching time, they will receive overtime salary corresponding to actual working time. Circular No. 21 also specifically guides the formula for calculating the salary for 1 teaching period and the total number of teaching periods paid for overtime pay for teachers who have worked for less than 1 school year as a basis for calculating overtime pay for 1 school year to ensure teachers' rights.
According to the provisions of Circular No. 21, educational institutions regulate the working regime of teachers, relevant legal provisions and actual conditions to regulate the payment of overtime teaching salaries for teachers under their management authority to ensure autonomy for educational institutions.
Circular No. 21 takes effect from the date of promulgation. Educational institutions shall base on the regulations to develop separate regulations of the unit to ensure that the new Circular is implemented from the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.
In particular, determining the total maximum number of extra teaching periods in a school year for which educational institutions are paid overtime pay, making an estimate of overtime pay and sending it to competent authorities for approval and funding allocation. At the same time, it will be the basis for assigning and arranging the tasks of teachers appropriately, ensuring the rights of teachers, in accordance with the funding source for paying overtime teaching salaries.
