Home care employees who provide disability care under the SCHADS Award get a pay rise of up to 15% from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026. Level 1 goes from $1,036.80 to $1,192.30 a week.
The Fair Work Commission set the new rates in determination PR814259, the first step of its gender undervaluation review of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010. Everyone else on the award waits until 1 October 2027.
Key takeaways
- Up to 15% for home care employees doing disability care. Eight of the nine pay points rise by 15% or very close to it; level 5 pay point 2 rises 13.3%.
- Starts with your first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026, not on 1 December itself.
- Leave taken after the change is paid at the new rate, because annual leave is paid at your base rate when you take it.
- The rest of the award moves on 1 October 2027, with a new classification structure.
Who gets the rise
The December increase is limited to the home care stream of the SCHADS Award, and within it to employees who provide disability care. The determination replaces the disability care rate tables for home care employees, levels 1 to 5.
Social and community services employees, crisis accommodation employees and family day care employees are not part of this step. For them, the Fair Work Ombudsman says most changes start from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October 2027.
New weekly and hourly rates
Minimum rates for a full-time home care employee, disability care. The hourly rate is the weekly rate divided by 38 ordinary hours, rounded to the cent. Casuals add the 25% casual loading to the hourly rate.
| Classification | Until 30 Nov 2026 | From 1 Dec 2026 | Rise | New hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1, pay point 1 | $1,036.80 | $1,192.30 | 15% | $31.38 |
| Level 2, pay point 1 | $1,096.60 | $1,261.10 | 15% | $33.19 |
| Level 2, pay point 2 | $1,104.10 | $1,269.70 | 15% | $33.41 |
| Level 3, pay point 1 (certificate 3) | $1,119.10 | $1,287.00 | 15% | $33.87 |
| Level 3, pay point 2 | $1,153.70 | $1,326.80 | 15% | $34.92 |
| Level 4, pay point 1 | $1,221.00 | $1,404.20 | 15% | $36.95 |
| Level 4, pay point 2 | $1,245.40 | $1,431.70 | 15% | $37.68 |
| Level 5, pay point 1 (degree or diploma) | $1,309.20 | $1,505.60 | 15% | $39.62 |
| Level 5, pay point 2 | $1,360.80 | $1,541.90 | 13.3% | $40.58 |
Fair Work Commission, determination PR814259 ([2026] FWCFB 232, 11 September 2026, read 15 October 2026), which replaces the clause 17.1 home care disability care tables. Fair Work Ombudsman, Changes to the SCHADS Award (published 21 September 2026, read 15 October 2026): "Home care employees who provide disability care will receive an initial increase of up to 15% to their minimum award rate. This increase starts from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026."
When your pay changes
The determination comes into operation on 1 December 2026, but under s 166(5) of the Fair Work Act it does not apply to you until the start of your first full pay period that starts on or after that date.
Example: you are paid fortnightly and a pay period runs from Thursday 26 November to Wednesday 9 December 2026. That period started before 1 December, so it is paid at the old rates. The new rates apply from the period starting Thursday 10 December. If your pay week starts on Monday, the first full period is the week of Monday 7 December.
What it does to your leave pay
Paid leave follows your current rate. Under s 90(1) of the Fair Work Act, annual leave is paid at your base rate of pay for the ordinary hours you would have worked, so a week of leave taken after your first full pay period on or after 1 December is paid at the new rate, including leave you accrued before it. The 17.5% annual leave loading is worked out on the new rate too, and so is paid personal leave.
If you leave the job after the change, untaken annual leave is paid out at the rate in force on your last day. The annual leave payout calculator works out the gross amount and tax. Our SCHADS pay table switches to the new rates on 1 December 2026, so until then enter your new weekly rate by hand if you want to see the December figures.
What comes next: October 2027
This is an interim step. The Fair Work Ombudsman says the rest of the increase, and a new classification structure for the whole award, start from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October 2027, and that those rates will include any changes from the 2027 Annual Wage Review.
The union's separate 35% claim
You may have seen rallies this week about a 35% pay rise. That is a different case. The Australian Services Union lodged a work value case with the Fair Work Commission on 10 June 2026, asking for increases of up to 35% under the SCHADS Award for community and disability workers. The rallies held from 19 to 23 October were a union week of action for that claim, not a new filing or a decision.
Nothing changes in your pay because of the claim. The Commission has not decided it, and no rates have been set. The December increase above comes from the Commission's own gender undervaluation review and goes ahead whatever happens to the union's case.
ASU Victorian and Tasmanian Authorities and Services Branch, SACS Mass Member Meeting (31 July 2026, read 22 October 2026): "The union provided an update on the Work Value Case, which was lodged with the Fair Work Commission on 10 June." "The claim seeks wage increases of up to 35% across the sector to properly reflect that reality." ASU NSW and ACT Branch, SCHADS campaign page (read 22 October 2026): "The ASU has lodged a Work Value Case seeking significant SCHADS Award pay increases and the funding needed to deliver them."
Author & reviewer
Sarah has spent over a decade advising Australian SMBs on Fair Work, NES compliance, and payroll. Based in Sydney, she has worked across hospitality, retail and professional services.