Pay and allowances in the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award

Learn about minimum pay rates and allowances under the award.

On this page:

Calculating pay

An employee’s minimum pay rates are set out in the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (SCHADS Award).

To calculate minimum pay rates, penalties, overtime and allowances use our Pay and Conditions Tool. You can also download the SCHADS Award pay guide.

Tip: Check for pay increases

The Fair Work Commission (a different organisation) reviews minimum award rates each year. This process is called the Annual Wage Review.

Increases to award rates usually start from the first full pay period on or after 1 July.

Make sure the right rates are being paid by checking the award each year.

Subscribe to email updates to get notified of upcoming changes to your award or industry.

Higher duties

Sometimes an employee is required by their employer to perform work that is above their normal classification. When this occurs, the employee receives a higher pay rate depending on the work performed and how long they do the work.

This can be on an emergency basis or as part of a longer-term arrangement, such as when another employee takes leave.

Home care employees

Home care employees that perform higher duties for 2 hours or less are paid the higher pay rate for the time they actually work at that level. Where they work for more than 2 hours, they’re paid the higher rate for their entire shift.

Example: Home care employee receiving higher duties pay

Rina is a home care employee covered by Schedule E of the SCHADS Award.

Rina usually works as a home care employee level 3 and assists with administering a care plan with a supervisor who is a home care employee level 4.

The care provided usually takes 4 hours to complete in the client’s home.

On one shift, Rina’s usual supervisor is away from work so they need do the work their supervisor would do and will be assisted by another level 3 employee.

As Rina is working at a higher level for longer than 2 hours, Rina is paid at the home care employee level 4 rate for their entire shift of 4 hours.

All other employees

For all other employees, higher duties pay only applies when they are working in the higher position for more than 5 consecutive working days.

Understanding allowances

Allowances are additional payments made to an employee as a separate amount. They can be paid on an hourly basis on top of their minimum rate or by another method, such as a weekly payment.

Employees may be entitled to an allowance for:

  • meals
  • first aid
  • transportation
  • on call
  • broken shifts.

For more information on allowances and how they are paid, go to Allowances.

Tip: Registered agreements

This page covers allowances and pay under the SCHADS Award.

Sometimes an enterprise agreement (or registered agreement) covers an employee, not an award. This means that the allowance entitlements will come from the agreement instead of the award.

You can find an enterprise agreement by searching the business name on the Fair Work Commission’s website at Find an agreement.

First aid allowance

Full-time employees who are required to hold a first aid certificate get a weekly first aid allowance if they are required to perform first aid:

  • at the workplace for employees other than home care employees
  • on other employees employed by the same employer for home care employees.

Part-time and casual employees get a proportion of the allowance based on their hours worked.

Example: First aid allowance

Lola is a home care employee covered by the award. She is required to hold a first aid certificate as part of her job.

Lola travels to clients’ homes to assist them with their daily personal activities. She usually works alone but depending on the client’s requirements, she is sometimes accompanied by another employee. On some occasions, workers from a different business may also be at the client’s home providing other forms of support.

Some weeks, Lola’s employer appoints her as the first aid officer. This means that she will be responsible for administering first aid to other employees of the same employer who work with her.

Lola gets the first aid allowance for the weeks that she is the first aid officer.

For more information, go to First aid allowance for home care employees in the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award.

Uniform and laundry allowances

Employees required to wear a uniform should be provided with an appropriate number of uniforms by their employer. Employers and employees can also agree to be paid an allowance instead of being provided with a uniform.

Damaged clothing

Employers are required to cover reasonable costs associated with repairing or replacing an employee’s personal clothing. This applies to personal clothing that is soiled or damaged beyond repair while the employee is performing their duties. It doesn’t include normal wear and tear of the employee’s clothing.

Check SCHADS Award entitlements from our Uniforms, vehicle and travel entitlements page. Select the 'Social, community, disability and home care services' option for tailored information.

Travel and vehicle allowance

An employee gets paid a vehicle allowance if they’re required and authorised to use their own vehicle for work. This includes travel:

  • that involves duties like transporting laundry, food or medication for a client
  • between work locations while on active duty, such as travel from client to client.

The vehicle allowance is paid for each kilometre travelled.

Example: Vehicle allowance

Joseph is a home care employee providing care to an older person who still lives in their own home.

As part of their care plan, Joseph takes the client to remedial massage appointments.

The employer requests Joseph to use their own vehicle to transport the client to and from their appointment.

Joseph is entitled to a vehicle allowance for the use of their personal vehicle.

The vehicle allowance generally isn’t paid for:

  • travel to the workplace and home from the workplace
  • in the middle of a broken shift when the employee is free from work duties, including travel to the next part of the broken shift.

Travelling between clients

When an employee is required to travel between clients they are entitled to be paid for this time. Time spent travelling does not break a shift.

Example: Travelling between clients and minimum payment periods

Huy is a casual disability support worker covered by the SCHADS Award.

They are rostered to work 3 hours and will work with 2 different clients in the same shift.

Huy is required to support their first client with their morning routine for 1.5 hours. It then takes approximately 30 minutes to travel to their second client’s home where they will provide 1 hour of care.

The travel time between the first and second client is paid work time and doesn’t break Huy’s shift.

Check the SCHADS Award entitlements from our Uniforms, vehicle and travel entitlements page. Select the 'Social, community, disability and home care services' option for tailored information.

To calculate the vehicle allowance for the award, use our Pay and Conditions Tool.

On-call allowance

An employee gets paid an on-call allowance if they are required to be available to be recalled to work. This includes:

  • returning to the workplace or client’s premises, or 
  • to perform remote work.

The allowance amount depends on whether the employee is on-call on:

  • Monday to Friday
  • weekends or public holidays.

For the current on-call rates download the SCHADS Award pay guide.

Tools and resources

Related information