From the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026, a SCHADS social and community services employee at level 2 pay point 1, a common starting level for disability support workers, earns $36.22 an hour ($1,376.36 for a 38 hour week). Casuals get 25% on top, Saturdays are 150%, Sundays 200% and public holidays 250% of the ordinary rate, and the calculator below works out any shift.
SCHADS pay calculator
Choose the classification, how the worker is employed and the kind of shift. Rates are the 2026-27 award minimums for the social and community services stream. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
$45.28 an hour: 125% of the Level 2, pay point 1 ordinary rate of $36.22.
SCHADS Award cl 10.4| Shift | % of ordinary | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday day shift | 125% | $45.28 |
| Afternoon shift | 137.5% | $49.80 |
| Night shift | 140% | $50.71 |
| Saturday | 175% | $63.39 |
| Sunday | 225% | $81.50 |
| Public holiday | 275% | $99.61 |
Ordinary hours, with the part-time and casual minimum payment. Overtime, broken shift and sleepover allowances, and the 1 December 2026 increase for home care disability employees, are covered below. This is the award minimum, not advice for one person's pay.
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SCHADS pay rates 2026-27 by level
Social and community services stream, hourly, from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. Full-time and part-time rates first, casual rates (25% loading included) underneath.
| Level | Ordinary | Week (38 h) | Casual | Sat | Sun | Public holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1, pay point 1 | $27.55 | $1,046.90 | $34.44 | $41.33 $48.21 casual | $55.10 $61.99 casual | $68.88 $75.76 casual |
| Level 1, pay point 2 | $28.44 | $1,080.72 | $35.55 | $42.66 $49.77 casual | $56.88 $63.99 casual | $71.10 $78.21 casual |
| Level 1, pay point 3 | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $36.81 | $44.18 $51.54 casual | $58.90 $66.26 casual | $73.63 $80.99 casual |
| Level 2, pay point 1 | $36.22 | $1,376.36 | $45.28 | $54.33 $63.39 casual | $72.44 $81.50 casual | $90.55 $99.61 casual |
| Level 2, pay point 2 | $37.36 | $1,419.68 | $46.70 | $56.04 $65.38 casual | $74.72 $84.06 casual | $93.40 $102.74 casual |
| Level 2, pay point 3 | $38.50 | $1,463.00 | $48.13 | $57.75 $67.38 casual | $77.00 $86.63 casual | $96.25 $105.88 casual |
| Level 2, pay point 4 | $39.53 | $1,502.14 | $49.41 | $59.30 $69.18 casual | $79.06 $88.94 casual | $98.83 $108.71 casual |
| Level 3, pay point 1 | $40.49 | $1,538.62 | $50.61 | $60.74 $70.86 casual | $80.98 $91.10 casual | $101.23 $111.35 casual |
| Level 3, pay point 2 | $41.66 | $1,583.08 | $52.08 | $62.49 $72.91 casual | $83.32 $93.74 casual | $104.15 $114.57 casual |
| Level 3, pay point 3 | $42.55 | $1,616.90 | $53.19 | $63.83 $74.46 casual | $85.10 $95.74 casual | $106.38 $117.01 casual |
| Level 3, pay point 4 | $43.42 | $1,649.96 | $54.28 | $65.13 $75.99 casual | $86.84 $97.70 casual | $108.55 $119.41 casual |
| Level 4, pay point 1 | $46.70 | $1,774.60 | $58.38 | $70.05 $81.73 casual | $93.40 $105.08 casual | $116.75 $128.43 casual |
| Level 4, pay point 2 | $47.92 | $1,820.96 | $59.90 | $71.88 $83.86 casual | $95.84 $107.82 casual | $119.80 $131.78 casual |
| Level 4, pay point 3 | $49.16 | $1,868.08 | $61.45 | $73.74 $86.03 casual | $98.32 $110.61 casual | $122.90 $135.19 casual |
| Level 4, pay point 4 | $50.25 | $1,909.50 | $62.81 | $75.38 $87.94 casual | $100.50 $113.06 casual | $125.63 $138.19 casual |
| Level 5, pay point 1 | $53.43 | $2,030.34 | $66.79 | $80.15 $93.50 casual | $106.86 $120.22 casual | $133.58 $146.93 casual |
| Level 5, pay point 2 | $54.58 | $2,074.04 | $68.23 | $81.87 $95.52 casual | $109.16 $122.81 casual | $136.45 $150.10 casual |
| Level 5, pay point 3 | $55.85 | $2,122.30 | $69.81 | $83.78 $97.74 casual | $111.70 $125.66 casual | $139.63 $153.59 casual |
| Level 6, pay point 1 | $58.37 | $2,218.06 | $72.96 | $87.56 $102.15 casual | $116.74 $131.33 casual | $145.93 $160.52 casual |
| Level 7, pay point 1 | $63.13 | $2,398.94 | $78.91 | $94.70 $110.48 casual | $126.26 $142.04 casual | $157.83 $173.61 casual |
| Level 8, pay point 1 | $68.49 | $2,602.62 | $85.61 | $102.74 $119.86 casual | $136.98 $154.10 casual | $171.23 $188.35 casual |
How SCHADS penalty rates work
Every penalty is a percentage of the worker's ordinary hourly rate for their level and pay point. A weekday shift that finishes after 8pm and by midnight is an afternoon shift and earns a 12.5% loading for the whole shift. A weekday shift that finishes after midnight or starts before 6am is a night shift and earns 15% for the whole shift.
Weekend rates replace the shift loadings rather than adding to them: ordinary hours on Saturday are paid at 150% and on Sunday at 200%. Public holidays are paid at double time and a half, instead of any shift or weekend rate.
“An employee who works an afternoon shift will be paid a loading of 12.5% of their ordinary rate of pay for the whole of such shift.”
SCHADS Award cl 29.3(a)
- Afternoon shift: 112.5% (cl 29.3(a))
- Night shift: 115% (cl 29.3(b))
- Saturday: 150%, Sunday: 200% (cl 26.1)
- Public holiday: 250% (cl 34.2(a))
Casual rates
A casual is paid the hourly rate for their classification plus a 25% loading, instead of the leave and other entitlements casuals do not get. The loading is added on top of the shift, weekend and public holiday percentages, so a casual afternoon shift is 137.5%, a night shift 140%, Saturday 175%, Sunday 225% and a public holiday 275% of the ordinary rate.
“A casual employee will be paid 275% of the ordinary rate of pay for hours worked on public holidays (inclusive of the casual loading).”
SCHADS Award cl 34.2(d)
Overtime for part-time and casual workers
Part-time and casual employees are paid overtime for hours over 38 a week or 76 a fortnight, and for hours over 10 in a day or shift: time and a half for the first 2 hours and double time after that, double time on Sundays and double time and a half on public holidays. Where a shift runs either side of a sleepover by agreement, the daily trigger is 12 hours. The calculator covers ordinary hours only.
Part-time and casual shifts also carry a minimum payment: at least 2 hours for disability services work, and 3 hours for other social and community services work (clause 10.5). The calculator applies it.
“All time worked by part-time or casual employees which exceeds 10 hours either per day or per shift, will be paid at the rate of time and a half for the first 2 hours and double time thereafter”
SCHADS Award cl 28.1(b)(ii)
Sleepovers and broken shifts
The sleepover allowance is 4.9% of the standard rate for each night (clause 25.7(d)). The Fair Work Commission's pay database carries $62.87 a night from 1 July 2026. That is not 4.9% of the level 3 pay point 3 ordinary weekly rate in the table ($1,616.90). Broken shifts carry their own allowance per shift.
- Sleepover allowance: $62.87 a night (cl 25.7(d))
- Broken shift, one unpaid break: $21.81; two unpaid breaks: $28.87 (cl 20.12)
Which stream these rates are for
The rates on this page are the social and community services stream (Schedule B), which covers most disability support workers in group homes, SIL houses and day programs. Home care employees who provide disability care are paid from clause 17.1 instead, and get an initial increase of up to 15% from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026. Check each worker's classification against the award.
SCHADS award pay rates 2026: straight answers
What is the SCHADS level 2 pay rate in 2026?
$36.22 an hour at pay point 1, rising to $39.53 at pay point 4, from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. A casual gets 25% on top of these.
What is the SCHADS casual loading?
25% of the ordinary hourly rate (clause 10.4), added on top of the shift, weekend and public holiday percentages.
What are SCHADS weekend rates?
Saturday 150% and Sunday 200% of the ordinary rate for full-time and part-time employees (clause 26.1). Casuals add the 25% loading: 175% on Saturday and 225% on Sunday.
What is the SCHADS public holiday rate?
Double time and a half, 250% of the ordinary rate, for all time worked on the public holiday. Casuals get 275% (clause 34.2).
What is the SCHADS sleepover allowance in 2026-27?
$62.87 a night, the figure the Fair Work Commission's pay database carries for clause 25.7(d) from 1 July 2026. It is 4.9% of the award's standard rate, not 4.9% of the current level 3 pay point 3 ordinary weekly rate.
Are these rates advice for my pay?
No. They are the award minimums for each classification. A worker's actual pay depends on their classification, their agreement and any over-award terms, so check the Fair Work pay guide or ask the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Sources
Read from these editions on 1 November 2026. This guide explains the rules; it is not advice on one person's pay or one incident.
- Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (MA000100), Fair Work Ombudsman consolidation to 1 September 2026 (PR813674)
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Changes to the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award (published 21 September 2026)