SCHADS Award Guide for NDIS Providers

What the SCHADS Award Covers in Disability Support

The Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (award code MA000100), maintained by the Fair Work Commission and summarised in Fair Work Ombudsman pay guides, sets the statutory minimum wages and working conditions for employees in the Australian disability and community care sector.

For NDIS providers, two classification schedules come up most often: Schedule B (Social and Community Services employees, covering disability support workers in community participation, group programs, and Supported Independent Living) and Schedule E (Home Care employees, covering personal care and domestic assistance in a private home). Paying the right rate starts with recording each worker’s employment type (full-time, part-time, or casual), stream, classification level, and pay point.

Under the Fair Work Ombudsman Pay Guide for MA000100 effective 1 September 2026, a full-time or part-time Social and community services employee at Level 2, Pay Point 1 has a minimum ordinary hourly rate of $36.22 per hour. A casual employee at the same classification receives the one-quarter casual loading under Clause 10.4, bringing their ordinary weekday daytime rate to $45.28 per hour.

Ordinary Hours, Span of Hours and Minimum Engagement

Under Clause 25.1 of the SCHADS Award, ordinary hours of work are 38 hours per week (or an average of 38 hours per week over a roster cycle) and may not exceed 10 ordinary hours on any single day or shift. Under Clause 25.2(a), day workers’ ordinary hours are worked between 6:00 am and 8:00 pm Monday to Sunday (with the weekend penalty rates in Clause 26 applying to ordinary hours worked on a Saturday or Sunday).

When rostering short supports, coordinators must also check the minimum payment per shift in Clause 10.5, which applies to both part-time and casual employees. Social and community services employees (except when undertaking disability services work) have a 3-hour minimum engagement, while all other employees — including disability services and home care employees — have a 2-hour minimum engagement.

Shift Loadings, Weekend Penalties and Public Holidays

When work falls outside ordinary weekday daytime hours or on a weekend or public holiday, the SCHADS Award applies penalty multipliers to the worker’s ordinary base rate. For casual employees, the one-quarter casual loading (0.25x of the ordinary base rate) is added to the shift or weekend penalty under Clauses 10.4, 26.4, and 34.2(d).

Weekday Afternoon and Night Shifts (Clause 29.3)

An afternoon shift finishes after 8:00 pm and at or before midnight on a weekday. A night shift finishes after midnight or commences before 6:00 am on a weekday.

Weekday daytime (6:00 am to 8:00 pm): 1.00x base rate for permanent staff ($36.22/hr at SACS Level 2.1); 1.25x base rate for casuals ($45.28/hr).
Weekday afternoon shift (Clause 29.3(a)): 1.125x base rate for permanent staff ($40.75/hr at SACS Level 2.1); 1.375x base rate for casuals ($49.80/hr).
Weekday night shift (Clause 29.3(b)): 1.15x base rate for permanent staff ($41.65/hr at SACS Level 2.1); 1.40x base rate for casuals ($50.71/hr).

Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday Rates (Clauses 26 and 34)

Weekend and public holiday penalties replace weekday shift loadings (Clause 29.3(c) and Clause 34.2(b)). Under the 1 September 2026 Pay Guide for SACS Level 2, Pay Point 1:

Saturday work (Clauses 26.1 and 26.4): 1.50x (time and a half) for permanent staff ($54.33/hr); 1.75x base rate for casuals ($63.39/hr).
Sunday work (Clauses 26.1 and 26.4): 2.00x (double time) for permanent staff ($72.44/hr); 2.25x base rate for casuals ($81.50/hr).
Public holiday work (Clause 34.2): 2.50x (double time and a half) for permanent staff ($90.55/hr); 2.75x base rate for casuals ($99.61/hr).

Overtime Triggers and Sunday Overtime Rules

Under Clause 28.1, overtime applies when a full-time, part-time, or casual disability services employee works beyond 10 ordinary hours in a single day or shift (Clause 28.1(b)(ii)), or beyond 38 ordinary hours per week.

Under Clause 28.1(b), disability services and home care overtime from Monday to Saturday is paid at time and a half for the first 2 hours and double time thereafter, and Sunday overtime is paid at double time from the first overtime hour under Clause 28.1(a)(iii). Clause 28.1(b) states those overtime rates directly without adding the casual loading; always check the Fair Work Ombudsman Pay Guide or the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) calculator for exact casual overtime dollar rates at each classification level.

Broken Shifts, Sleepovers and 2026–27 Allowances

Broken shifts and overnight sleepovers carry specific allowance and span rules in the award.

Broken Shifts (Clause 25.6 and Clause 20.12)

A broken shift is worked in two or three periods on the same day separated by one or two unpaid breaks (other than a meal break) within a 12-hour span; work beyond a 12-hour span is paid at double time. From 1 September 2026, the Fair Work Ombudsman Pay Guide (page 25) sets the broken shift allowance at $21.81 for one unpaid break and $28.87 for two unpaid breaks.

Sleepovers and Allowances (Clause 25.7 and Clause 20)

A sleepover is a continuous 8-hour overnight period where the employee sleeps on the premises and is available to assist participants. From 1 September 2026, the sleepover allowance (Clause 25.7(d)) is $62.87 per night. Active disturbances during a sleepover are paid at overtime rates with a 1-hour minimum (Clause 25.7(e)).

First aid allowance (Clause 20.4): $21.43 per week for full-time workers, or $0.56 per hour up to $21.43 per week for part-time and casual workers.
Motor vehicle allowance (Clause 20.7): $1.05 per kilometre from 1 September 2026.
Uniform and laundry allowances (Clauses 20.2 and 20.3): $1.26 per shift (up to $6.41/week) for uniform and $0.33 per shift (up to $1.53/week) for laundry.

Why SCHADS Worker Pay Differs from NDIS Claiming Rules

Under the NDIA Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, support items depend on when support is delivered to the participant — for example, an NDIS Night-Time Sleepover item includes up to 2 hours of active overnight support inside the per-night price limit. Under the SCHADS Award, however, the employer must pay the sleepover allowance plus overtime for active disturbances. In Alevora, the rostering and payroll engines calculate both sides side by side so you can check participant charges and SCHADS pay estimates before publishing a roster or exporting a Xero pay run.

Official Sources & Regulatory References

Every award clause, pay rate, claiming rule, and quality indicator cited in this guide comes from the official Australian regulatory publications below: