Split Shift Allowance Under the SCHADS Award
If you are searching for a "split shift allowance" under the SCHADS Award, here is the compliance risk in one sentence: SCHADS does not have a separately-named split shift allowance, so payroll teams who go looking for one either pay nothing or copy a rate from the wrong award. The provision you actually need is the broken shift allowance under clause 25.6, and underpaying it is one of the most common SCHADS errors Fair Work picks up in disability and aged-care payroll.
Quick Facts
- Split shift allowance in SCHADS?
- No - the equivalent is the broken shift allowance (cl 25.6)
- One unpaid break
- 1.7% of the standard rate per shift (~$20.82, 2025-26 estimate - confirm via Fair Work)
- Two unpaid breaks (by agreement)
- 2.25% of the standard rate per shift (~$27.56, 2025-26 estimate - confirm via Fair Work)
- Maximum span
- 12 hours start-to-finish; double time beyond the span
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Is there a split shift allowance in the SCHADS Award?
Short answer: no. The Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (MA000100, "SCHADS") does not contain a clause titled or defining a "split shift allowance." The award-published text uses the term "broken shift" instead, and the entitlement lives at clause 25.6.
This matters because "split shift" is a real, named allowance - just in other awards. The Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119) and the Hospitality Industry (General) Award both have a genuine split shift allowance with their own definitions and rates. If your payroll officer or an off-the-shelf template imports a "split shift allowance" rule, it almost certainly came from one of those awards and does not apply to your SCHADS workforce. For SCHADS providers, the correct lever is the broken shift allowance covered below and in our broken shift allowance guide.
This matters because "split shift" is a real, named allowance - just in other awards. The Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119) and the Hospitality Industry (General) Award both have a genuine split shift allowance with their own definitions and rates. If your payroll officer or an off-the-shelf template imports a "split shift allowance" rule, it almost certainly came from one of those awards and does not apply to your SCHADS workforce. For SCHADS providers, the correct lever is the broken shift allowance covered below and in our broken shift allowance guide.
Split shift vs broken shift: same idea, different name
The everyday meaning of a "split shift" - a working day broken into two or more separate periods with an unpaid gap in the middle - is exactly what SCHADS calls a broken shift. Think of a support worker who does a morning personal-care visit, has an unpaid gap through the middle of the day, then returns for an evening shift.
Under clause 25.6, a broken shift is a shift worked in two or more separate periods within one day, with one or more unpaid breaks (other than a meal break) in between. The unpaid gap is the trigger. A few clarifications that catch people out:
Under clause 25.6, a broken shift is a shift worked in two or more separate periods within one day, with one or more unpaid breaks (other than a meal break) in between. The unpaid gap is the trigger. A few clarifications that catch people out:
- A normal meal break does not make a shift "broken" - the break has to be an unpaid period the worker is not being paid to wait through.
- It is one allowance per shift (per day), not per break.
- The terminology gap is the real risk: workers and managers say "split shift," timesheets may be labelled "split," but the award entitlement only triggers under the broken shift rules.
How much is the (broken shift) allowance? cl 25.6
SCHADS sets the broken-shift rules and pays the allowance in clause 25.6, as a percentage of the standard rate. The percentages are the stable, award-defined values:
- One unpaid break (cl 25.6(a)): 1.7% of the standard rate per broken shift - approximately $20.82 per shift (2025-26 estimate - confirm the current figure via Fair Work).
- Two unpaid breaks, by written agreement (cl 25.6(b)): 2.25% of the standard rate per broken shift - approximately $27.56 per shift (2025-26 estimate - confirm the current figure via Fair Work).
The 12-hour span rule (and double time)
A broken shift cannot run indefinitely just because there is an unpaid gap in the middle. Under clause 25.6, the total span of a broken shift - measured from the start of the first work period to the end of the last - must not exceed 12 hours.
If the span does run past 12 hours, time worked beyond the span is paid at double time. This is a frequently missed interaction: a morning visit at 7am and a final period ending at 8pm is a 13-hour span, so the last hour attracts double time on top of the allowance. The unpaid gap does not pause the span clock - it is the elapsed time from first start to last finish that counts. For how broken-shift spans interact with daily and weekly overtime, see the SCHADS overtime rules.
If the span does run past 12 hours, time worked beyond the span is paid at double time. This is a frequently missed interaction: a morning visit at 7am and a final period ending at 8pm is a 13-hour span, so the last hour attracts double time on top of the allowance. The unpaid gap does not pause the span clock - it is the elapsed time from first start to last finish that counts. For how broken-shift spans interact with daily and weekly overtime, see the SCHADS overtime rules.
Does the split (broken) shift allowance apply to casuals?
Yes. The broken shift allowance is an allowance for working a broken shift, not a feature of any one employment type, so it applies to casual employees who work a broken shift just as it does to permanent part-time and full-time staff. Casuals working broken shifts in SCHADS are common - a casual support worker doing a split morning/evening roster is entitled to the cl 25.6 allowance for that day.
Two things to keep straight for casuals:
Two things to keep straight for casuals:
- The broken shift allowance is separate from casual loading - the worker gets both. Casual loading is paid on their hours; the broken shift allowance is a flat per-shift amount on top.
- The allowance is a flat figure per shift, so it is not multiplied by the casual loading - it is paid once for the qualifying broken shift regardless of employment type.
Worked example: a "split shift" in practice
A casual disability support worker is rostered for a 7:00am-10:00am morning personal-care block, has an unpaid gap, then returns for a 4:00pm-7:00pm evening block. The day is labelled "split shift" on the roster.
Under SCHADS this is a broken shift with one unpaid break, so the worker is paid:
Under SCHADS this is a broken shift with one unpaid break, so the worker is paid:
- 6 hours of work across the two periods at the applicable hourly rate, plus casual loading;
- the broken shift allowance of 1.7% of the standard rate for the day - about $20.82 (2025-26 estimate - confirm via Fair Work) - paid once;
- span check: 7am to 7pm is a 12-hour span, which is at - not over - the 12-hour limit, so no double time is triggered here. Push the final block to 8pm and the last hour would attract double time.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is there a split shift allowance in the SCHADS Award?
- No. SCHADS (MA000100) has no separately-named split shift allowance. The equivalent provision is the broken shift allowance under clause 25.6. The named "split shift allowance" belongs to other awards, such as the Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119) and the Hospitality Industry (General) Award - not SCHADS.
- What is the difference between a split shift and a broken shift?
- In a SCHADS workplace they describe the same thing: a working day split into two or more separate periods with an unpaid gap (not a meal break) in between. "Split shift" is the everyday term; "broken shift" is the official award term used in clause 25.6. The entitlement only triggers under the broken shift rules.
- How much is the SCHADS broken (split) shift allowance?
- It is 1.7% of the standard rate per shift for a broken shift with one unpaid break (approximately $20.82, a 2025-26 estimate - confirm via Fair Work), or 2.25% per shift for an agreed shift with two unpaid breaks (approximately $27.56, 2025-26 estimate - confirm via Fair Work). The percentages are stable award values; the dollar figures move with the standard rate each year.
- Does the broken shift allowance apply to casual employees?
- Yes. The allowance is paid for working a broken shift regardless of employment type, so casuals who work a broken shift receive it. It is a flat per-shift amount paid in addition to casual loading - the two are separate entitlements.
- Is there a maximum length for a split (broken) shift under SCHADS?
- Yes. The total span of a broken shift - from the start of the first period to the end of the last - must not exceed 12 hours under clause 25.6. Time worked beyond the 12-hour span is paid at double time. The unpaid gap in the middle still counts towards the span.
- What is a "spread shift" - is it the same thing?
- "Spread shift" is not a defined SCHADS term; people usually use it to mean the same concept as a split shift - a day with a long span and an unpaid gap in the middle. Under SCHADS, treat it as a broken shift and apply clause 25.6, including the 12-hour span limit.
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