The rates below apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026. Until then the current SCHADS pay rates (1 July 2026) remain the legal minimum, and that is what Fitz HR’s SCHADS pages and answers show. Paying the December rates early is allowed; paying the July rates late is an underpayment.
On 1 December 2026 the SCHADS Award’s home care (disability care) rates under Schedule E rise by about 15%, with Level 5 pay point 2 rising 13.3%. Full-time Level 1 pay point 1 moves from $27.28 to $31.38 an hour ($1,036.80 to $1,192.30 a week); the casual equivalent from $34.10 to $39.23. The percentages for weekend and public holiday penalties do not change, so their dollar values rise with the base. Social and community services, crisis accommodation, family day care and home care (aged care) rates are unchanged. The Fair Work Ombudsman published the pay guide on 18 September 2026.
Who the 1 December Increase Covers
The increase applies to employees classified under Schedule E of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award MA000100 as home care employees providing disability care: Levels 1 to 5, every pay point, full-time, part-time and casual. It is an interim increase ordered by a Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission on 11 September 2026 ([2026] FWCFB 232), which also moved the operative date from 1 October to 1 December 2026.
It does not apply to:
- Social and community services employees (the SACS stream, which is where most NDIS support coordination and community work sits). Level 1 pay point 1 stays at $27.55 an hour.
- Home care employees providing aged care, whose rates were adjusted in earlier work value decisions and are unchanged in the December guide, from $32.61 at Level 1 Introductory to $40.58 at Level 6 Team leader.
- Crisis accommodation and family day care employees, whose December rates match their July rates.
The classification question therefore matters more than usual this December. A support worker delivering in-home disability support who has been classified in the SACS stream rather than Schedule E is on the wrong rate today and will miss the increase. See the SCHADS classification guide, or describe the role to Fitz.
New Home Care (Disability) Rates From 1 December 2026
Current figures are the 1 July 2026 minimums. December figures are from the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide effective 1 December 2026. Casual rates include the 25% casual loading.
| Schedule E classification | Hourly now | Hourly from 1 Dec | Weekly now | Weekly from 1 Dec | Casual now | Casual from 1 Dec | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 – pay point 1 | $27.28 | $31.38 | $1,036.80 | $1,192.30 | $34.10 | $39.23 | +15.0% |
| Level 2 – pay point 1 | $28.86 | $33.19 | $1,096.60 | $1,261.10 | $36.08 | $41.49 | +15.0% |
| Level 2 – pay point 2 | $29.06 | $33.41 | $1,104.10 | $1,269.70 | $36.33 | $41.76 | +15.0% |
| Level 3 – pay point 1 | $29.45 | $33.87 | $1,119.10 | $1,287.00 | $36.81 | $42.34 | +15.0% |
| Level 3 – pay point 2 | $30.36 | $34.92 | $1,153.70 | $1,326.80 | $37.95 | $43.65 | +15.0% |
| Level 4 – pay point 1 | $32.13 | $36.95 | $1,221.00 | $1,404.20 | $40.16 | $46.19 | +15.0% |
| Level 4 – pay point 2 | $32.77 | $37.68 | $1,245.40 | $1,431.70 | $40.96 | $47.10 | +15.0% |
| Level 5 – pay point 1 | $34.45 | $39.62 | $1,309.20 | $1,505.60 | $43.06 | $49.53 | +15.0% |
| Level 5 – pay point 2 | $35.81 | $40.58 | $1,360.80 | $1,541.90 | $44.76 | $50.73 | +13.3% |
Every level and pay point except Level 5 pay point 2 rises by 15.0%. Level 5 pay point 2 rises 13.3%, which brings it level with the aged care Level 6 Team leader rate of $40.58.
Weekend and Public Holiday Rates After the Change
The SCHADS penalty percentages are unchanged: Saturday 150%, Sunday 200% and public holiday 250% of the ordinary rate for full-time and part-time employees, with casual rates inclusive of the loading. Because they are percentages, every dollar figure rises with the base. The new figures for disability home care from 1 December:
| Schedule E classification | Saturday | Sunday | Public holiday | Casual Saturday | Casual Sunday | Casual public holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 – pay point 1 | $47.07 | $62.76 | $78.45 | $54.92 | $70.61 | $86.30 |
| Level 2 – pay point 1 | $49.79 | $66.38 | $82.98 | $58.08 | $74.68 | $91.27 |
| Level 2 – pay point 2 | $50.12 | $66.82 | $83.53 | $58.47 | $75.17 | $91.88 |
| Level 3 – pay point 1 | $50.81 | $67.74 | $84.68 | $59.27 | $76.21 | $93.14 |
| Level 3 – pay point 2 | $52.38 | $69.84 | $87.30 | $61.11 | $78.57 | $96.03 |
| Level 4 – pay point 1 | $55.43 | $73.90 | $92.38 | $64.66 | $83.14 | $101.61 |
| Level 4 – pay point 2 | $56.52 | $75.36 | $94.20 | $65.94 | $84.78 | $103.62 |
| Level 5 – pay point 1 | $59.43 | $79.24 | $99.05 | $69.34 | $89.15 | $108.96 |
| Level 5 – pay point 2 | $60.87 | $81.16 | $101.45 | $71.02 | $91.31 | $111.60 |
Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day all fall inside the first month of the new rates. A Level 1 pay point 1 casual working Christmas Day is paid $86.30 an hour, up from $75.02 under the July rates. The 24-hour care, sleepover, broken shift and remote work figures in the pay guide also move for Schedule E employees; ask Fitz for the exact amount for the shift in front of you.
What Does Not Change on 1 December
- Base rates in every other stream. SACS Level 1 pay point 1 remains $27.55; crisis accommodation, family day care and aged care home care rates are identical to July.
- Penalty and loading percentages. Saturday 150%, Sunday 200%, public holiday 250%, afternoon shift 12.5%, night shift 15%, casual loading 25%.
- Allowances. The December pay guide lists the same figures as the current ones: broken shift $21.81 (one unpaid break) and $28.87 (two), sleepover $62.87, first aid $21.43 a week, meal allowance on overtime $17.30, on-call $25.66 Monday to Friday and $50.81 for any other 24-hour period or public holiday, uniform $1.26 a shift. The vehicle allowance in the guide is $1.05 per km to 28 February 2027 and $1.01 per km from 1 March 2027.
- The next Annual Wage Review, which is expected in June 2027 and takes effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2027 for every stream.
What to Do Before the First December Pay Run
- Identify every Schedule E employee. Pull the list of staff classified as home care (disability care) at each level and pay point. If any disability support worker is classified in the SACS stream, review the classification now, because that error costs money in both directions.
- Work out the start date for your pay cycle. The new rates apply from the first full pay period on or after 1 December. A fortnight that starts on 30 November is paid at the July rates all the way through; the following fortnight is paid at the new rates.
- Load the new base rates into payroll with an effective date, not by overwriting the current ones, so November hours processed in December are still paid correctly.
- Check that penalties, loadings and overtime recalculate from the new base. A system that stores penalty rates as dollar figures rather than percentages will keep paying July penalties on December hours.
- Re-issue pay rate letters to affected employees stating the new classification rate and the date it applies. Fitz HR generates these from the classification.
- Review client pricing and funding. A 15% wage movement changes the cost of every service hour. Check your NDIS and other funding arrangements against the new cost base before December invoices go out.
- Audit the first new-rate pay run. Pick three employees across levels and check the hourly, the Saturday and the public holiday figure against the table above.
Get one email when the SCHADS Award (MA000100) rates change on Fitz HR, including the 1 December switch-over. No newsletter, no spam.
Sent by Fitzgerald HR Pty Ltd, trading as Fitz HR · unsubscribe anytime · Privacy Policy
Frequently Asked Questions
What changes in the SCHADS Award on 1 December 2026?
Who gets the SCHADS 1 December 2026 increase?
How much is the SCHADS home care increase?
When exactly does the new rate apply?
Do SCHADS aged care home care rates change on 1 December 2026?
Do SCHADS penalty rates change on 1 December 2026?
Will Fitz HR show the new rates?
Related: SCHADS Award pay rates (current), SCHADS Award guide, SCHADS classifications and pay points, sleepover allowance, broken shift rules, and the one-page SCHADS cheat sheet.
Which of Your Staff Get the December Increase?
Describe the role to Fitz and it returns the SCHADS stream, level and pay point, the rate that applies today, and the rate that applies from 1 December. Pay rate letters and classification records included.
Start Free — No Card Required →