SCHADS pay calculator.
Work out the minimum hourly rate for a disability support worker under the SCHADS Award — by classification level, employment type and shift type. Pick the details and the rate updates as you go.
Rates effective 1 July 2026. Figures are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide for the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award [MA000100], published 24 June 2026 and applying from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
Minimum pay
Guide only — not payroll or legal advice. This tool shows award minimum ordinary-hours rates with day-type penalties and casual loading. It does not cover overtime, broken shift or sleepover allowances, junior rates, or enterprise agreements that replace the award. For authoritative figures for your exact circumstances, use the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool.
SCHADS minimum hourly rates from 1 July 2026
These are the ordinary-hours minimum rates the calculator draws from — the classification levels most NDIS disability providers employ at, in both streams of the award. Casual rates include the 25% loading.
Social and community services employee
| Classification | Permanent | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 — pay point 1 | $36.22 / hr | $45.28 / hr |
| Level 2 — pay point 2 | $37.36 / hr | $46.70 / hr |
| Level 2 — pay point 3 | $38.50 / hr | $48.13 / hr |
| Level 2 — pay point 4 | $39.53 / hr | $49.41 / hr |
| Level 3 — pay point 1 | $40.49 / hr | $50.61 / hr |
| Level 3 — pay point 2 | $41.66 / hr | $52.08 / hr |
| Level 3 — pay point 3 | $42.55 / hr | $53.19 / hr |
| Level 3 — pay point 4 | $43.42 / hr | $54.28 / hr |
| Level 4 — pay point 1 | $46.70 / hr | $58.38 / hr |
| Level 4 — pay point 2 | $47.92 / hr | $59.90 / hr |
| Level 4 — pay point 3 | $49.16 / hr | $61.45 / hr |
| Level 4 — pay point 4 | $50.25 / hr | $62.81 / hr |
Home care employee — disability care
| Classification | Permanent | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 — pay point 1 | $28.86 / hr | $36.08 / hr |
| Level 2 — pay point 2 | $29.06 / hr | $36.33 / hr |
| Level 3 — pay point 1 | $29.45 / hr | $36.81 / hr |
| Level 3 — pay point 2 | $30.36 / hr | $37.95 / hr |
| Level 4 — pay point 1 | $32.13 / hr | $40.16 / hr |
| Level 4 — pay point 2 | $32.77 / hr | $40.96 / hr |
| Level 5 — pay point 1 | $34.45 / hr | $43.06 / hr |
| Level 5 — pay point 2 | $35.81 / hr | $44.76 / hr |
The pay guide splits home care employees into a disability care stream and an aged care stream with different rates — the table above is the disability care stream, which is the one relevant to NDIS providers.
Penalty rates as a share of the base rate
Penalties and casual loading are both expressed as percentages of the permanent base rate, and they add as percentage points — they don't multiply. A casual on a Sunday is paid 225% of the base rate (200% + 25%), not 1.25 × 200%.
| Shift type | Permanent | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday daytime | 100% | 125% |
| Afternoon shift (shiftworker, finishing after 8pm) | 112.5% | 137.5% |
| Night shift (shiftworker) | 115% | 140% |
| Saturday | 150% | 175% |
| Sunday | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
Why the shift type decides the pay
Under SCHADS, the same worker doing the same job is owed a different minimum depending on when the shift falls. A Saturday hour is worth 150% of a weekday hour, a Sunday hour 200%, and a public holiday hour 250% — and for casuals the 25% loading rides on top of each. Disability rosters lean heavily on evenings, weekends and public holidays, so a roster that looks ordinary on paper can carry three or four different pay rates in a single week.
That is exactly where manual payroll slips: a weekend shift keyed as a weekday, an evening finish that never picks up its loading, a casual paid the permanent penalty. For the rules behind these numbers — classifications, broken shifts, sleepovers and what changes every 1 July — read our plain-English SCHADS Award guide. And because pay is only half the shift, our NDIS rate calculator shows the other half — what the same hours can be billed at under the NDIS price limits.
Frequently asked questions
What SCHADS level is a disability support worker?
Most disability support workers are classified in the Social and Community Services (SACS) stream at Level 2, or Level 3 once they hold a relevant Certificate III/IV or equivalent experience. Workers delivering support in a participant’s home may instead sit in the home care employee stream (disability care), typically at Level 2 or 3. The level depends on duties and qualifications, not just tenure — classifying someone below the level their duties warrant is an underpayment.
How much is casual loading under the SCHADS Award?
Casual employees receive a 25% loading on the minimum hourly rate, in place of paid leave entitlements. Penalty rates are added as percentage points on top of the base rate, not multiplied together — a casual working Saturday is paid 175% of the permanent base rate (150% Saturday penalty + 25% casual loading), not 1.25 × 150%.
What are the SCHADS weekend and public holiday penalty rates?
For permanent employees, Saturday is 150% of the base rate, Sunday is 200%, and public holidays are 250%. For casuals the loading is added on top: 175% Saturday, 225% Sunday and 275% on public holidays. Shiftworkers also receive an afternoon shift loading of 12.5% and a night shift loading of 15%.
When did the current SCHADS pay rates take effect?
The rates in this calculator apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026, following the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review. They are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman’s SCHADS pay guide (MA000100) published 24 June 2026. SCHADS minimums change every 1 July, so always confirm against the current pay guide before processing payroll.
How does the SCHADS Award interact with NDIS price limits?
They are two sides of the same shift: the NDIS Pricing Arrangements cap what a provider can bill for a support, while SCHADS sets the minimum the worker must be paid for delivering it. Your margin lives in the gap between the two — which is why a Sunday or public holiday shift billed at a weekday NDIS rate, or paid at the wrong SCHADS penalty, hurts twice.
Does this calculator cover overtime, allowances and sleepovers?
No — it covers ordinary-hours minimum rates with day-type penalties and casual loading only. Overtime, broken shift allowances, sleepover allowances and other award entitlements are out of scope. For an authoritative calculation covering every entitlement, use the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Pay and Conditions Tool.
Payroll that applies the award for you
Rostrel takes each shift's actual day and times and applies the right SCHADS treatment — weekday, evening, weekend or public holiday — before exporting clean pay lines to Xero. See how it works in NDIS payroll software.
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