SCHADS Leave Accrual Calculator
- National Employment Standards
- SCHADS cl 31 and 32
- Shiftworker check
Shiftworker? (cl 31.2)
Not a shiftworker: 4 weeksUnder the award, a shiftworker works more than 4 ordinary hours on 10 or more weekends in the year their leave accrues, or at least eight 24-hour care shifts in that year.
Weekends count where more than 4 ordinary hours are worked. Does not apply to nursing assistants under cl 31.3.
Annual leave accrued
4 weeks of ordinary hours · 4 weeks a year
Personal/carer’s
76 h
76 h a year
Leave loading
$963.45
17.5% of annual leave pay
Assumes no leave has been taken and no unpaid leave was taken in the period. Leave accrues progressively from the first day of work.
Rates from 1 July 2026
Minimum rates apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. Disability home care rates are due to change: the 2026 Annual Wage Review decision ([2026] FWCFB 3500) sets a work value increase and a new classification structure for disability home care workers, to be implemented by 1 October 2027. The amounts and dates are not in the award yet. We will update this tool when the award is varied.
How SCHADS leave accrues
Leave under the SCHADS Award comes from the National Employment Standards, with the award adding an extra week of annual leave for shiftworkers and a 17.5% leave loading. Both annual and personal/carer’s leave accrue gradually from the first day of work, in proportion to the employee’s ordinary hours. Overtime does not count towards it.
How this calculator works it out
- Annual leave is 4 weeks (or 5) of the ordinary weekly hours for each year worked. A year is taken as 52 weeks, so 12 months at 38 hours gives 152 hours.
- Personal/carer’s leave is 1/26 of the ordinary hours worked, the Fair Work Ombudsman’s method, which is 76 hours for a full-time year.
- Leave loading is 17.5% of the annual leave pay at the base rate you enter.
The shiftworker test
The extra week depends on the year as a whole: more than 4 ordinary hours on 10 or more weekends, or eight or more 24-hour care shifts. Count them for the leave year, not just the period entered. For pay rates, use the SCHADS Pay Rate Calculator. Rostery tracks each employee’s leave balance from their timesheets, so accruals stay current without a spreadsheet.
What this tool follows
- Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide: SCHADS Award [MA000100], from 1 July 2026: published 24 June 2026; minimum hourly, penalty, overtime and allowance rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026
- Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 [MA000100]: award text consolidated to 1 September 2026; cl 10.4 (casual loading), 31.1 to 31.4 (annual leave, shiftworker definition, loading), 31.7 (excessive leave) and 32 (personal/carer’s leave)
- Fair Work Commission: Annual Wage Review decision [2026] FWCFB 3500 (2 June 2026): 4.75% increase to modern award rates from 1 July 2026; disability home care work value change to be implemented by 1 October 2027 (para [72](7))
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Annual leave: 4 weeks a year under the NES, pro rata for part-time on ordinary hours, none for casuals; accrues from the first day
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Paid sick and carer’s leave: 10 days a year for full-time, pro rata for part-time at 1/26 of ordinary hours, none for casuals
- Fair Work Ombudsman: National Employment Standards
General information only, not financial, legal or claiming advice. Always check a claim against the current official documents.
Questions people ask
How much annual leave does a SCHADS employee get?
4 weeks a year of their ordinary hours under the National Employment Standards, or 5 weeks for a shiftworker as the award defines one. Part-time employees get the same number of weeks at their own ordinary hours: the Fair Work Ombudsman’s example is 20 hours a week accruing 80 hours a year.
Who counts as a shiftworker for the extra week?
Under clause 31.2, an employee who works more than 4 ordinary hours on 10 or more weekends during the year their annual leave accrues, or who works at least eight 24-hour care shifts in that year. It does not apply to the nursing assistants covered by clause 31.3.
What is annual leave loading under SCHADS?
An extra 17.5% on top of annual leave pay (cl 31.4). Shiftworkers get the higher of the 17.5% loading or the weekend and shift penalties they would have earned had they worked during the leave.
How much personal/carer’s leave accrues?
10 days a year for a full-time employee, and pro rata for part-time. The Fair Work Ombudsman works it out as 1/26 of the employee’s ordinary hours of work in a year, so 38 hours a week gives 76 hours a year.
Do casual SCHADS employees get leave?
Not paid annual leave or paid personal/carer’s leave. They get a 25% casual loading instead. Casuals can still take unpaid carer’s leave and unpaid compassionate leave under the National Employment Standards.
When does leave start to accrue?
From the first day of employment, including during probation. It builds up gradually through the year based on ordinary hours, and any unused annual leave rolls over to the next year.
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