Acting up and honoraria

Acting up means temporarily doing the job of a more senior colleague, usually because the post is vacant or the post holder is off long-term. If you take on the full duties of a higher-graded post, most public sector employers pay you at that grade for the time you cover it. If you only take on some of the duties, they usually pay an honorarium: an extra sum that recognises the extra work without moving you up the scale. The rules come from your employer’s policy and the national terms for your sector.

Acting up versus an honorarium

The difference is how much of the higher job you are doing.

Acting up (sometimes called higher duties or temporary promotion) is when you are formally asked to cover the whole of a higher-graded role. You are paid as if you had been appointed to it, normally at a point on the higher band or grade, for as long as the arrangement lasts.

An honorarium is a payment for taking on part of a higher role, or for extra responsibilities outside your normal job that do not justify regrading. It may be a percentage of the difference between your pay and the higher grade, a flat monthly sum, or a one-off payment. Policies usually set minimum periods, often a few weeks, before an honorarium or acting-up pay applies.

In the NHS

Agenda for Change lets employers pay staff who are asked to cover a higher-banded role at the rate for that band. Most trusts’ policies say you move to a pay point in the higher band, often the entry point, or to the point that gives you a pay increase if your current pay is already above it. For partial duties, trusts often pay a percentage of the difference.

The gap between bands can be large. In England from 1 April 2026, band 5 tops out at £39,043 and band 6 starts at £39,959; band 6 tops out at £48,117 and band 7 starts at £49,387. Acting up from the top of one band to the entry point of the next may add less than you expect. Check how your trust’s policy handles that before agreeing. The NHS pay progression guide explains how pay points work within bands.

In councils and school support roles

Councils on the NJC Green Book have local policies on honoraria and acting up. A common pattern is: full duties of a higher post paid at the higher grade; partial duties paid an honorarium worked out as a share of the difference between the two grades. The council’s scheme decides the minimum period and how the payment is worked out.

Because NJC grades are built from spine points, the difference between your grade and the higher grade can be worked out precisely. From 1 April 2026, for example, SCP 20 is £33,673 and SCP 25 is £37,563. The NJC pay spine guide has every point.

In schools: teachers

Teachers in maintained schools in England are paid under the STPCD, which does not have a general acting-up rule. Schools use a few tools instead:

• A TLR3 for clearly time-limited school improvement projects or one-off responsibilities. From September 2026 the recommended TLR3 range is £727 to £3,600 a year.
• An acting allowance for a teacher covering the duties of a headteacher, deputy or assistant head, paid within the leadership pay range for the duration.
• A temporary TLR1 or TLR2 when a teacher covers for someone on long-term absence, if the school’s pay policy allows it.

Each school’s pay policy sets out how these are used. The TLR payments guide explains the three levels. Academies set their own pay policies, which often mirror these rules.

In the Civil Service

Civil Service departments call it temporary promotion or a temporary responsibility allowance (TRA). Temporary promotion is when you are moved to a higher grade for a period, usually on the pay for that grade, often the minimum or the minimum plus a set percentage. A TRA is a payment for extra responsibility without moving grade. Each department sets its own rules within the overall pay remit guidance, so pay for the same grade can differ between departments.

Before you agree

Get the arrangement in writing. It should say:

1. What duties you are covering, and whether that is the full role or part.
2. How much you will be paid, and from when.
3. How long it is expected to last and how it will be reviewed.
4. What happens at the end, including any pay protection.

Your employer must tell you in writing if your terms change. If you have been acting up for a long time with no review, or you are doing a higher job without extra pay, raise it with your manager and HR. Unions deal with these issues often and can help. Long-term acting up can also be a sign that the post should be advertised or your role regraded. Experience from acting up is also good evidence for a promotion application; secondments work in a similar way across organisations.