SCHADS and NDIS rate changes from 1 July 2026
From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, SCHADS Award pay rates rise 4.75% and the NDIS updates its price limits. Here's what changes, the part most providers get wrong about when it applies, the new allowance amounts, and what to do before your first July pay run.
The two changes
SCHADS Award — up 4.75%. The Fair Work Commission's 2026 Annual Wage Review ([2026] FWCFB 3500, handed down 2 June 2026) lifts modern award minimum wages by 4.75%. For the SCHADS Award (MA000100) that means every classification's hourly rate and every wage-related allowance increases by 4.75%.
NDIS price limits — updated. The NDIA published its 2026–27 pricing on 22 June 2026, effective 1 July, with updated price limits reflecting the wage decision and the super guarantee rising from 11.5% to 12%.
When it actually applies (the bit people get wrong)
The SCHADS increase does not simply switch on at midnight on 1 July. It applies from the first full pay period that starts on or after 1 July 2026.
NDIS price limits work on the date of service delivery — supports delivered on or after 1 July use the new limits. Get either boundary wrong and you either underpay your team or mis-claim — both are avoidable, and both are easy to get wrong when you're re-keying rates by hand.
The new allowances
The wage-related SCHADS allowances move with the 4.75% increase. The ones most disability and home-care providers touch:
| Allowance | 2025–26 | From 1 Jul 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Sleepover (per night) | $60.02 | $62.87 |
| Broken shift — 1 break | $20.82 | $21.81 |
| Broken shift — 2 breaks | $27.56 | $28.87 |
| First aid (per week) | $20.46 | $21.43 |
| On-call — Mon–Fri (per 24h) | $24.50 | $25.66 |
| On-call — weekend / public holiday (per 24h) | $48.51 | $50.81 |
A worked example
Take a Schedule D (home care), Level 2, pay point 1 support worker — a common rate. Every hour and penalty moves up 4.75%:
| 2025–26 | From 1 Jul 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hour | $27.55 | $28.86 |
| Saturday (150%) | $41.33 | $43.29 |
| Sunday (200%) | $55.10 | $57.72 |
| An 8-hour Saturday shift | $330.60 | $346.32 |
Your classifications and pay points will differ — the full rate tables are on the Fair Work Pay Guide (linked below). The point is the shape: every hour and every allowance is about 4.75% higher from your first July pay period.
What you need to do
- Update your SCHADS pay rates and allowance amounts before you run the first pay period that starts on or after 1 July.
- Apply the new NDIS price limits to supports delivered from 1 July, and watch for the NDIA's updated Support Catalogue file.
- Confirm your award schedule, levels and pay points are current for each worker.
- Mind the pay-period boundary — a fortnight that started in June stays on the old rates to its end.
If you do payroll in a spreadsheet or by hand, this is exactly where errors creep in: re-keying dozens of base rates, penalties and allowances, and getting the changeover date right for each worker.
If you're on CareClaim
The SCHADS 2026–27 rates and allowances are already loaded and apply automatically by pay-period date — there's nothing to upload or re-key, and a pay period that straddles 1 July is priced correctly on each side of the boundary. When the NDIA releases the updated Support Catalogue, it's loaded centrally for every provider too. You do nothing; the right rates are just there.
Put a real fortnight through it
Book a 25-minute demo and we'll run one of your fortnights through CareClaim together — old rates and new. 14-day free trial after, then flat pricing from $49/mo, never per participant.
Book a demo →Sources
- Fair Work Commission — Annual Wage Review 2026 decision ([2026] FWCFB 3500)
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Pay and allowances in the SCHADS Award (full rate tables)
- NDIS — Pricing arrangements and price limits
This guide is general information, current as at 30 June 2026 — not industrial-relations, payroll or financial advice. Always confirm the rates for your specific award classifications against the Fair Work Pay Guide before processing payroll.