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Who it’s for
NDIS providers, home care and disability services, and community organisations that employ staff under the SCHADS Award.
NDIS and community sector · Quoted
SCHADS Award changes: get your pay, rosters and roles ready
For NDIS providers and community-sector employers under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award. We check who is on which schedule and level, fix rosters and sleepover agreements, cost the 1 December rise for the board, and map every role to the 2027 classifications.
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What’s changing
New sleepover and shift rules, a 15% rise for Schedule E from 1 December 2026, and a new classification structure from 1 October 2027.
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What we do
Check schedules and levels, rosters and agreements, then write the position descriptions, contracts and procedures the changes need.
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What you get
A role-by-role list, updated documents in your organisation’s name, and a short costed report for the board.
The changes we work on
01 · Since 1 June 2026
New rules for shifts around a sleepover: up to 10 hours by agreement, or 12 split either side of a sleepover, a sleepover is not a break, and new overtime triggers for part-time and casual staff.
02 · 1 Sep 2026 to 28 Feb 2027
A temporary vehicle allowance of $1.05 a kilometre, up from $1.01, for staff who use their own car for work.
03 · From 1 December 2026
An interim 15% rise for home care disability workers paid under Schedule E. Levels E.4.2 and E.5.2 get 14.96% and 13.31%.
04 · From 1 October 2027
One new classification structure replaces Schedules B, C, E and F, with work streams, new definitions and progression based on demonstrated competency.
What’s in the work
- Schedules and levels. A role-by-role check of who is paid under Schedule B and who under Schedule E, and at what level and pay point, so you know who gets the 1 December 2026 rise.
- Rosters and sleepovers. Rosters checked against the 10- and 12-hour shift rules, rest breaks and overtime triggers, with written shift agreements and a record of consultation under clause 8A.
- Board cost modelling. What the 1 December rise costs across your rosters, how it sits against your NDIS pricing and service agreements, and the decisions the board needs to make.
- Position descriptions. New or updated descriptions that match the work people actually do, written for the 2027 work streams.
- Contracts and letters. Employment contracts and classification letters updated for the new structure.
- Progression procedure. A plain procedure for how staff move between pay points, based on demonstrated competency and satisfactory performance.
- 2027 mapping. Every role mapped to its new work stream and level, with the dates it changes.
- The rules people still get wrong. Minimum payments for part-time and casual shifts, broken shifts, client cancellations, remote work and the vehicle allowance, checked against your policies and contracts.
What you walk away with
- A role-by-role list of schedule, level, pay point and 2027 classification
- Word files in your organisation’s name: position descriptions, contracts, shift agreements and a progression procedure
- A short board report with the cost and the dates
Read the full guide
Our guide, SCHADS Award changes 2026–2027: what NDIS providers need to do, sets out the timeline, what each change means and a checklist for each date.
What sets the price
This work is quoted once we know how many roles, schedules and sites you have, and the written quote is the fee. Related work: HR & role clarity from $595, policies & procedures from $490, reporting from $495 and governance from $950.
From our notes
Further reading
SCHADS Award changes 2026–2027: what NDIS providers need to do
The timeline, what each change means for pay, rosters and roles, and a checklist for each date.
Position descriptions that committees use
One clear page per role. What a useful position description covers, how to write it in plain words, and a template you can copy.
Prefer to do it yourself?
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Common questions
Does the 1 December 2026 increase apply to every disability support worker?
No. It applies to employees paid under Schedule E of the award (home care employees doing disability care), from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026. Most other changes, including the new classification structure, start from the first full pay period on or after 1 October 2027.
How big is the 1 December 2026 increase?
An interim 15% on the Schedule E minimum rates, except Levels E.4.2 and E.5.2, which get 14.96% and 13.31%. Check the exact rates in the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Pay and Conditions Tool or the 1 December 2026 pay guide.
Why was it moved from 1 October to 1 December 2026?
The Fair Work Commission deferred it because the Commonwealth had made no funding commitment, and providers needed time to change arrangements, including with clients.
Do we have to consult staff about roster changes?
The award has a consultation term about changes to rosters or hours of work (clause 8A). Employer groups told the Commission the 1 June 2026 sleepover changes would need roster and payroll changes and consultation, and the Commission accepted that some lead time was warranted. We help you plan and record that consultation.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is practical HR support and general information, not legal advice. If a pay dispute or claim is live, talk to an employment lawyer.
Sources: Fair Work Commission, sleepover rostering case and gender-based undervaluation review; Fair Work Ombudsman, changes to the SCHADS Award.
General information, not legal advice. Check current Fair Work Ombudsman information and the award before you act.
Tell us what’s going on.
Send us a note through our contact form. If a call is the better next step, we’ll say so.