SCHADS Award Penalty Rates Explained
Under the SCHADS Award, Saturday shifts pay 150% of the ordinary rate for full-time and part-time employees, Sundays pay 200%, and public holidays pay 250%. Overtime pays 150% for the first two hours, then 200%. Casual employees receive the 25% casual loading on top of each penalty rate, raising the all-up hourly cost on penalty days.
Penalty rate errors occur on every weekend shift, public holiday, and late-evening callout. Each one requires a specific calculation: employment type, base rate, applicable percentage, and whether a shift loading also applies. A mistake on any step creates an underpayment that accumulates until an audit or complaint surfaces it.
The sections below cover the SCHADS penalty rate schedule for weekends and public holidays, afternoon and night shift loadings, overtime rates, and three worked examples showing how the calculations run for full-time, part-time, and casual employees. All figures are from the SCHADS Award (MA000100) and the SCHADS Award Pay Guide effective 1 July 2026. For base hourly rates by classification level and pay point, see SCHADS Award Pay Levels and Rates Explained.
This page is part of our complete guide to the SCHADS Award.
What Are the SCHADS Award Penalty Rates for Weekend and Public Holiday Shifts?
The SCHADS Award sets minimum penalty rates for all Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday shifts. Rates apply as a percentage of the employee’s ordinary hourly rate for their classification level and pay point, as published in the SCHADS Award Pay Guide at fairwork.gov.au, effective from 1 July 2026.
SCHADS Weekend and Public Holiday Penalty Rates, from 1 July 2026
| Shift type | Full-time/Part-time | Casual |
| Saturday | 150% | 175% |
| Sunday | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
Why do casual employees pay at a higher rate on penalty days?
Casual employees receive a 25% loading that replaces annual leave, personal leave, and notice entitlements. On penalty days, the loading and the penalty rate both apply against the base ordinary rate. A casual worker on a Sunday earns at an effective rate of 225% of the base rate. The loading applies on every shift, including penalty days.
For a step-by-step casual Saturday calculation using a Level 4 Pay Point 2 support worker, see the SCHADS Award compliance webinar Q&A.
What Are the SCHADS Award Shift Loadings for Afternoon and Night Shifts?
Shift loadings are separate from weekend and public holiday rates. They apply when ordinary hours fall outside standard daytime windows, regardless of which day of the week the shift falls on.
SCHADS Shift Loadings, from 1 July 2026
| Shift type | When it applies | Loading |
| Afternoon shift | Shift finishes after 8.00 pm and at or before midnight, Monday to Friday | 12.5% of ordinary rate |
| Night shift | Shift finishes after midnight or commences before 6.00 am, Monday to Friday | 15% of ordinary rate |
Do afternoon or night shift loadings stack with weekend penalty rates?
Shift loadings and weekend penalty rates do not combine under SCHADS. Two things prevent this. First, the definitions in Clause 29.2 limit afternoon and night shifts to Monday to Friday — a Saturday or Sunday evening shift does not qualify as an afternoon or night shift under the Award. Second, Clause 26.2 explicitly states that Saturday and Sunday penalty rates are in substitution for, not cumulative upon, the shift loadings in Clause 29. On any weekend shift, only the Saturday or Sunday penalty rate applies. Automated award interpretation enforces that substitution at the rostering stage, so the two never stack in error.
How Is SCHADS Award Overtime Calculated?
Once a worker exceeds their ordinary hours, or when the Award deems certain rostering structures to constitute overtime, two rates apply depending on how far past ordinary hours the shift runs.
SCHADS Award Overtime Rates
| Overtime period | Disability services, home care, day care | SACS, crisis accommodation |
| First tier beyond ordinary hours (Mon–Sat) | 150% for first 2 hours | 150% for first 3 hours |
| Beyond first tier (Mon–Sat) | 200% | 200% |
| All overtime on Sunday | 200% | 200% |
| All overtime on a public holiday | 250% | 250% |
For the conditions that trigger overtime, including broken shift span limits, minimum break requirements, and sleepover provisions, see balancing flexibility and compliance in NDIS rostering.
Does overtime stack with weekend penalty rates?
Overtime rates and weekend penalty rates do not combine. Clause 28.1 states that overtime rates are in substitution for, not cumulative upon, the Saturday and Sunday work premiums in Clause 26. On a Sunday where overtime is triggered, the overtime rate is double time (200%) — the same as the ordinary Sunday penalty rate. On a public holiday, overtime pays double time and a half (250%), matching the ordinary public holiday penalty rate. In both cases, the applicable rate is already equivalent to or higher than the base penalty rate for that day.
SCHADS Penalty Rate Calculation: 3 Worked Examples
The examples below show the calculation structure for three common scenarios. Base rates are from the SCHADS Award Pay Guide effective 1 July 2026.
Example 1: Full-time Level 2 Pay Point 1, 4-hour Sunday shift
| Step | Calculation |
| Base hourly rate (1 July 2026) | $36.22/hr |
| Sunday penalty rate | 200% |
| Sunday hourly rate | $36.22 × 2.0 = $72.44/hr |
| Hours worked | 4 |
| Shift total | $72.44 × 4 = $289.76 |
Example 2: Part-time Level 3 Pay Point 1, 6-hour public holiday shift
| Step | Calculation |
| Base hourly rate (1 July 2026) | $40.49/hr |
| Public holiday rate | 250% |
| Public holiday hourly rate | $40.49 × 2.5 = $101.23/hr |
| Hours worked | 6 |
| Shift total | $101.23 × 6 = $607.38 |
Example 3: Casual Level 2 Pay Point 1, 4-hour afternoon weekday shift
The afternoon shift runs from, say, 4.00 pm to 8.30 pm — finishing after 8.00 pm on a weekday, so the 12.5% shift loading applies.
| Step | Calculation |
| Base hourly rate (1 July 2026) | $36.22/hr |
| Casual loading (25% of base) | $36.22 × 0.25 = $9.06/hr |
| Afternoon shift loading (12.5% of base) | $36.22 × 0.125 = $4.53/hr |
| All-up hourly rate | $36.22 + $9.06 + $4.53 = $49.81/hr |
| Hours worked | 4 |
| Shift total | $49.81 × 4 = $199.24 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Saturday penalty rate under the SCHADS Award?
Full-time and part-time employees earn 150% of their ordinary hourly rate for all hours worked on a Saturday. Casual employees earn at an effective rate of 175%: the 50% Saturday penalty and the 25% casual loading, both applied against the base rate. Confirm exact figures from the SCHADS Pay Guide at fairwork.gov.au using the employee’s classification level and pay point.
Do casual employees get penalty rates on top of the casual loading?
Yes. Casual loading and penalty rates both apply to the base ordinary rate. On a Sunday, a casual worker earns the base rate plus the 25% loading plus the 200% Sunday penalty, reaching an effective rate of 225%. On a public holiday, the same structure produces 275%. The loading applies on every shift, including penalty days.
What counts as overtime under the SCHADS Award?
Overtime applies when a worker exceeds their ordinary daily or weekly hours, or when specific shift structures trigger overtime status under the Award regardless of total hours worked. Common triggers include working beyond 10 consecutive hours in a shift, broken shifts spanning more than 12 hours, and insufficient break periods between shifts. Full detail on overtime triggers is in the SCHADS Award rostering compliance guide.
Does the afternoon shift loading apply on Saturday and Sunday shifts?
Shift loadings and weekend penalty rates do not automatically combine. The SCHADS Award specifies which rate applies when a shift qualifies for both. Generally, the higher rate takes precedence. Confirm from the MA000100 Award text before processing pay for late-evening weekend shifts, as the interaction is one of the more common calculation errors in home care payroll.
How do I calculate the correct rate for a public holiday shift?
Take the worker’s ordinary base rate for their SCHADS classification level and pay point from the 1 July 2026 Pay Guide. Multiply by the applicable public holiday percentage: 250% for full-time and part-time employees, 275% for casual employees (base rate plus 25% casual loading, with the 250% penalty applied to the base). Multiply the resulting hourly rate by hours worked to get the shift total. Confirm all figures from the FWO Pay Guide before payroll.
Get Penalty Rates Right Before Payroll Runs
Manual penalty rate calculations create errors on every affected shift. Wrong employment type, incorrect percentage, missed shift loading: each error accumulates until it surfaces in an underpayment claim or a Fair Work audit.
Penalty rates are also the part of the award providers most often expect to hurt, and they move the margin less than roster shape does. We have set out what penalty rates actually cost a provider against the 2026-27 NDIS price limits.
ShiftCare’s SCHADS Award Interpretation applies the correct penalty rate to every shift at the rostering stage, flagging calculation issues before they reach payroll. Start your free trial today.
For how ShiftCare reads SCHADS rules as each shift is placed, not when it’s paid, see Workforce Intelligence.
Book a 15 minute walkthrough and we’ll run it against your own rosters.
