SCHADS Award Pay Rates: What Disability and Aged Care Support Workers Are Paid
By FindMyHelp Editorial Team · Reviewed against official sources on
The SCHADS Award is the modern award that sets minimum pay for most people who work in disability support, home care and community services in Australia. Under the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guide published on 18 September 2026, a Social and Community Services Level 2 employee on pay point 1 earns a minimum of $36.22 an hour on weekdays, and $72.44 an hour on a Sunday, from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026.
Award pay is a large part of the hourly price a provider charges, so changes to it tend to flow into NDIS price limits and into the quotes families receive. This guide explains what the award is, shows the official rates in tables, works through a Sunday shift, and lists what we could not confirm.
What the SCHADS Award is
SCHADS is short for the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (code MA000100). It sets the minimum pay, penalty rates, allowances and shift rules for employees covered by it. Many NDIS providers, home care organisations and community services employers pay their staff under it.
Some points that often cause confusion:
- It is an employment award. It sets what a worker must be paid at a minimum. It does not set what a participant is charged.
- It covers employees. Independent contractors and sole traders who bill you directly are not paid under it, although they often look at it when setting their own rates.
- It has separate sets of classifications. The Fair Work pay guide lists Social and Community Services (Levels 1 to 6), Disability care (Levels 1 to 5), Aged care in home care (Levels 1 to 6), Crisis Accommodation and Family Day Care.
Two dates to know: 1 July and 1 December 2026
Two separate pay dates appear in the official material for 2026, and it helps to keep them apart.
The first is the regular annual wage review. The Fair Work Commission increased modern award minimum wages by 4.75% from 1 July 2026, and set the national minimum wage at $26.44 an hour ($1,004.90 a week) from the same date. The Commission's draft determination page says the wage changes for the SCHADS Award take effect from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026.
The second is a pay guide for the SCHADS Award that carries a later date. The Fair Work Ombudsman published it on 18 September 2026, and its rates apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026. The Ombudsman and the NDIS both have pages titled for the gender-based undervaluation priority awards review, and the NDIS page is headed "NDIS price increase from 1 December 2026". We could not open the full text of either page when we wrote this guide, so we have not stated the size of the increase or which classifications it affects. The pay tables below come directly from the pay guide itself.
Why some websites say 1 October 2026
Some payroll and HR sites published a 1 October 2026 start for the disability pay increase, and you may still see that date in search results. As far as we can tell from secondary reports, 1 October was a provisional date in the Fair Work Commission's June 2026 decision. A later decision, reported as dated 11 September 2026, moved the start to the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026, because the Commonwealth had not committed funding for disability support. We could not open the Commission's decision text, so treat that explanation as unconfirmed. The date in the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guide, which we did read, is 1 December 2026, and the tables below use it. Confirm the date with the pay guide before you rely on it for payroll.
Social and Community Services hourly rates from 1 December 2026
These are full-time and part-time rates, taken from the pay guide. Casual employees receive a 25% loading on the ordinary rate, which is why the casual column is higher.
| Level and pay point | Weekday hourly | Casual hourly | Saturday | Sunday | Public holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1, pay point 1 | $27.55 | $34.44 | $41.33 | $55.10 | $68.88 |
| Level 2, pay point 1 | $36.22 | $45.28 | $54.33 | $72.44 | $90.55 |
| Level 2, pay point 4 | $39.53 | $49.41 | $59.30 | $79.06 | $98.83 |
| Level 3, pay point 1 | $40.49 | $50.61 | $60.74 | $80.98 | $101.23 |
| Level 3, pay point 4 | $43.42 | $54.28 | $65.13 | $86.84 | $108.55 |
| Level 4, pay point 1 | $46.70 | $58.38 | $70.05 | $93.40 | $116.75 |
| Level 5, pay point 1 | $53.43 | $66.79 | $80.15 | $106.86 | $133.58 |
| Level 6, pay point 1 | $58.37 | $72.96 | $87.56 | $116.74 | $145.93 |
The Saturday, Sunday and public holiday columns are full-time and part-time rates. The pay guide lists many more pay points. Check the full guide for the pay point that applies to a specific worker.
Disability care and aged care (home care) rates
The pay guide also lists separate tables for people employed in disability care and in aged care home care. These are the full-time and part-time weekday rates.
| Group | Level | Weekday hourly | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disability care | Level 1, pay point 1 | $31.38 | $39.23 |
| Disability care | Level 2, pay point 1 | $33.19 | $41.49 |
| Disability care | Level 3, pay point 1 | $33.87 | $42.34 |
| Disability care | Level 4, pay point 1 | $36.95 | $46.19 |
| Disability care | Level 5, pay point 1 | $39.62 | $49.53 |
| Aged care (home care) | Level 1, introductory | $32.61 | $40.76 |
| Aged care (home care) | Level 2, home carer | $34.42 | $43.03 |
| Aged care (home care) | Level 3, qualified | $36.23 | $45.29 |
| Aged care (home care) | Level 4, senior | $37.68 | $47.10 |
| Aged care (home care) | Level 5, specialist | $39.13 | $48.91 |
| Aged care (home care) | Level 6, team leader | $40.58 | $50.73 |
In the disability care table, a Level 1 employee is paid $62.76 on a Sunday and $78.45 on a public holiday. A Level 2 employee on pay point 1 is paid $66.38 on a Sunday and $82.98 on a public holiday.
Allowances and shift rules worth knowing
The pay guide also sets allowances that can add to the cost of a shift. The figures below are from the same guide.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sleepover | $62.87 per sleepover |
| Broken shift, one unpaid break | $21.81 per shift |
| Broken shift, two unpaid breaks | $28.87 per shift |
| On call, Monday to Friday period | $25.66 per 24 hours |
| On call, other 24 hours or public holiday | $50.81 per 24 hours |
| Vehicle, 1 September 2026 to 28 February 2027 | $1.05 per kilometre |
| Vehicle, from 1 March 2027 | $1.01 per kilometre |
The guide also lists 24-hour shift payments for disability care. For a full-time or part-time Level 2, pay point 1 employee that payment is $411.52.
A worked example: a four-hour Sunday shift
Take a Social and Community Services Level 2, pay point 1 employee who works a four-hour Sunday shift.
- A full-time or part-time employee earns 4 x $72.44 = $289.76 in award pay.
- A casual employee earns 4 x $81.50 = $326.00, using the casual Sunday rate in the pay guide.
Employers also carry superannuation, insurance, supervision, training and travel costs on top of award pay, which is why a provider's price for an hour of support is higher than the worker's award rate.
How award pay relates to NDIS prices
The NDIS sets maximum prices for each support, and providers set their actual prices at or below those limits. The limits for 2026-27 took effect on 24 September 2026, with support worker rates up about 4.8%, as covered in our guide to the 2026-27 NDIS price changes. The NDIS has since published a page about a further price increase from 1 December 2026. We could not read its details, so check the NDIS website, or the NDIS price guide on this site, for the figure that applies on the day you are booking.
Two things follow for families:
- A provider that charges the maximum is not necessarily overcharging. The limit covers more than wages.
- A provider that charges well below the limit may have lower overheads or a different staffing model, for example contractors. It is fair to ask how they cover staff pay and what happens when a worker cancels.
What participants and carers should ask providers
You do not need to audit a provider's payroll, but a few questions help.
- Do you employ workers directly, or do they work as contractors?
- Do your prices change on 1 December 2026, and will you tell me in writing before they do?
- How do you charge for weekends, evenings and public holidays?
- Are travel time and sleepovers charged separately?
- Can I see the price in the service agreement before I sign?
Our service agreement checklist covers what a fair agreement should include, and how to choose an NDIS provider covers the wider decision.
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What we could not confirm
- The reason for the move from 1 October to 1 December comes from secondary sources, not the Commission's own decision text, which we could not open.
- The tables above are the rates that apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026. The rates paid between 1 July 2026 and that date are not shown here, because we could not read an official table for them.
- We have not stated the percentage change between the July and December rates. The official pages that explain the change could not be opened when this guide was written.
- Pay points depend on a worker's qualifications and experience, and on how the employer classifies the role. The tables show the first pay point of most levels, not every pay point.
- Enterprise agreements and state arrangements can differ from the award for some employers. This guide is general information, not payroll advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SCHADS Award?
It is the modern award that sets minimum pay and conditions for most employees in disability support, home care, community services and some other social services. Its code is MA000100.
What is the SCHADS Level 2 rate from 1 December 2026?
For Social and Community Services, Level 2 pay point 1 is $36.22 an hour for full-time and part-time employees and $45.28 for casuals. These are the rates in the Fair Work pay guide published on 18 September 2026.
What is the SCHADS sleepover rate?
The pay guide lists a sleepover allowance of $62.87 per sleepover.
Does the SCHADS Award decide what a provider charges me?
No. It sets the minimum a worker is paid. The NDIS sets maximum prices, and the provider chooses a price at or below that limit.
Do sole traders have to pay themselves the SCHADS rate?
The award covers employees, not independent contractors, so a sole trader is not bound by it. Many use it as a reference point for their own rates.
Related guides
Sources
- Fair Work Ombudsman - Pay guide, Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (MA000100), published 18 September 2026
- Fair Work Commission - Annual Wage Review 2026 decision announcement
- Fair Work Commission - Annual Wage Review 2026 draft determinations
- Fair Work Ombudsman - Changes to the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award
- NDIS - NDIS price increase from 1 December 2026: Gender-based undervaluation priority awards review