SCHADS Award pay guide 2026/2027

Casual rates for ordinary weekday hours in the social and community services (SACS) stream, generated from the current Fair Work pay guide (pay point 1 of each level shown):

If you only skim one section, make it this one:

• The SCHADS Award [MA000100] covers disability, community, home-care and social services across four streams — social and community services, crisis accommodation, home care and family day care — each with Levels 1–8 and multiple pay points.
• Minimums are reviewed each July. The FY2026/27 pay guide took effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, lifting all rates by 4.75%.
• Example 2026/27 adult minimum pay (SACS stream):
  • Level 1 pay point 1: full-time/part-time $27.55/hr, casual $34.44/hr.
  • Level 4 pay point 1: full-time/part-time $46.70/hr, casual $58.38/hr.
• Weekend penalties are 150% (Saturday) and 200% (Sunday); public holidays 250%.
• Sleepovers, broken shifts, 24-hour care and on-call are distinctive to this award — see below.
• Get stream, level, pay point, employment type and shift type right for every employee.

The SCHADS Award covers employers and employees across four streams:

• Social and community services (SACS): disability support workers, community-services workers, case managers and coordinators.
• Crisis accommodation: staff in crisis and supported accommodation services.
• Home care: home-care and in-home support workers (including 24-hour care).
• Family day care: family day care coordinators and educators.

Important — who’s covered by other awards: nurses → Nurses Award; aged-care personal-care workers → Aged Care Award; allied-health and health-support staff → Health Professionals & Support Services Award. Many disability and community-services providers employ staff under more than one award — confirm coverage with Fair Work’s PACT tool before applying rates.

A snapshot of the current FY2026/27 SACS-stream rates, generated from the same data that powers the calculator above. Pay point 1 of each level is shown — check the pay guide for higher pay points and the other streams.

Ordinary weekday rates for the SACS stream (pay point 1 of each level):

Casuals receive the same base rate plus a 25% loading. Ordinary weekday casual rates:

SCHADS is changing again after the annual 1 July increase. On 1 June 2026 the Fair Work Commission handed down its decision in the gender-based undervaluation review of the SCHADS Award, and two changes take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 October 2026:

• Schedule E (home care disability) employees receive an interim increase of about 15% (two classifications receive 14.96% and 13.31%), on gender-undervaluation grounds.
• A new single, integrated classification structure replaces the old Schedules B, C, E and F. It commences from 1 October 2026 for employees currently under Schedule E, and from 1 October 2027 for everyone else covered by the award.

If you employ home-care disability staff, budget for the October 2026 uplift now and plan to re-map every employee onto the new classification structure.

Classification follows the stream, duties, qualifications and responsibility — not job title.

• Choose the stream first: SACS, crisis accommodation, home care or family day care.
• Levels 1–8 progress from entry-level support (Level 1) through Certificate III/IV and diploma-qualified workers to coordinators, managers and senior practitioners (Levels 6–8). Each level has several pay points that step up with experience.
• A disability support worker with a Certificate III typically sits at Level 2; a team leader/coordinator at Level 4.

Write each employee’s stream, level, pay point and employment type into your payroll/rostering system, and review pay points each year. If unsure, confirm the right level.

SCHADS has weekend/public-holiday penalties plus a set of rules that are unique to the sector:

• Saturday: 150% (full-time/part-time), 175% (casual)
• Sunday: 200% (full-time/part-time), 225% (casual)
• Public holiday: 250% (full-time/part-time), 275% (casual) — plus a substitute day off for permanents
• Afternoon/night shift loadings: afternoon shift is about +12.5% and night shift about +15% on the ordinary rate (separate from the calculator above).
• Sleepover: about $62.87 per sleepover, plus pay for any work performed during the sleepover.
• Broken shift: about $21.81 (one unpaid break) or $28.87 (two unpaid breaks) per broken shift.
• 24-hour care (home care stream) and remote/recall work have their own rates.
• On-call: about $25.66 (overnight Mon–Fri) and $50.81 (other periods/public holidays) per 24-hour period.
• Overtime: time-and-a-half for the first hours then double time.

The calculator above covers ordinary, weekend and public-holiday rates for the SACS stream. For shift loadings, sleepovers, broken shifts and 24-hour care, use Fair Work’s PACT tool or award-interpreting software.

• Full-time is around 38 hours per week, ongoing; part-time has a regular agreed pattern.
• SCHADS part-time employees must have guaranteed minimum hours agreed in writing, and changes to the agreed pattern must follow the award’s rules.
• Both receive paid annual and personal/carer’s leave (pro-rata for part-time) and other NES entitlements.

• Paid a 25% casual loading instead of paid leave, with a minimum engagement per shift (generally 2 hours under SCHADS).
• Casual weekend and public-holiday rates are higher than the permanent rates because the loading is added to the penalty (for example, casual Saturday is 175% of the base rate).

SCHADS has a wide range of allowances — these are some of the most common:

• Sleepover – about $62.87 per sleepover.
• Broken shift – about $21.81 (one unpaid break) or $28.87 (two unpaid breaks).
• On-call – about $25.66 (overnight Mon–Fri) and $50.81 (other periods/public holidays) per 24-hour period.
• Vehicle – about $1.01 per km when an employee uses their own car.
• First aid – about $21.43/week (full-time).
• Uniform – about $1.26 per shift (max $6.41/week); laundry – about $0.33 per shift.
• Meal (overtime), telephone and travel/accommodation reimbursements may also apply.

Exact amounts update each pay guide — see the Fair Work pay guide.

• Confirm the award and stream (SACS, crisis accommodation, home care or family day care; not Nurses, Aged Care or Health Professionals).
• Download the latest pay guide (FY2026/27).
• Classify each employee by stream, level and pay point; agree part-time hours in writing.
• Set base rates and apply weekend/public-holiday penalties, shift loadings, sleepovers, broken shifts, 24-hour care and on-call.
• Use award-interpreting software so sleepovers, broken shifts and travel are calculated automatically, and keep records for 7 years.

• Four streams: social & community services, crisis accommodation, home care and family day care — confirm which applies.
• Levels 1–8 with pay points — review them annually to avoid underpayment.
• Sleepovers, broken shifts, 24-hour care and travel make SCHADS one of the hardest awards to pay manually.
• Part-time hours must be guaranteed in writing, and casuals have a 2-hour minimum engagement.
• Update every July and keep good records.

For official guidance, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.