Broken Shift Allowance Calculator
Under SCHADS, a day split into portions by unpaid breaks is a broken shift, and it carries a daily allowance: $21.81 with one unpaid break (a 2-portion day) or $28.87 with two unpaid breaks (3 portions, by agreement) at the 1 July 2026 rates. It's one allowance per day — not per break — and a meal break doesn't count. Community-care rosters full of morning and evening visits accumulate these fast; this calculator shows how fast. The qualifying rules are in the broken shift guide.
Quick Facts
- 1 unpaid break (2 portions)
- $21.81 per day
- 2 unpaid breaks (3 portions)
- $28.87 per day
- Per day, not per break
- One allowance per qualifying day
- Meal breaks
- Don't make a shift "broken"
- Rates
- FWO Pay Guide, 1 Jul 2026
Tools & Resources
-
SCHADS AI Assistant
Get instant answers to award questions.
-
Timesheet Validator
Check timesheets for compliance.
-
Free Payslip Check
For workers: compare your payslip to the award minimums.
Price Your Broken Shifts
3-portion days need employee agreement
| 1-break days ( × $21.81) | |
| 2-break days ( × $28.87) |
Rates from the FWO Pay Guide for MA000100 effective 1 July 2026 (clause 25.6 / 20.12(a)). The allowance is per qualifying day regardless of portion lengths; travel time and minimum engagements per portion can add more. General information only, not legal or financial advice.
How to Calculate the Broken Shift Allowance
- Count qualifying days, not breaks. One allowance per day: $21.81 if the day had one unpaid break, $28.87 if it had two. Three portions in a day (two breaks) requires the employee's agreement.
- A meal break is not a break for this purpose — a morning visit, lunch break and afternoon visit is one continuous shift, not a broken one. The unpaid gap has to be a genuine break between work portions.
- The allowance is only the start. Each portion still carries its own minimum engagement, the whole broken shift must fit inside the daily span, and travel between portions may be payable — the allowance doesn't absorb any of those.
From Estimate to Evidence
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I calculate the broken shift allowance?
- Count the qualifying days: each day split by one unpaid break (that isn't a meal break) attracts $21.81, and each day split by two unpaid breaks — which requires the employee's agreement — attracts $28.87, at the 1 July 2026 rates. It's one allowance per day, never per break.
- Does a lunch break make my shift a broken shift?
- No. A meal break doesn't split a shift into portions for broken-shift purposes. The break has to be a genuine unpaid gap between separate work portions — the classic community-care pattern of a morning run and an evening run.
- Can I be rostered on a 3-portion broken shift without agreeing?
- No — a broken shift with two unpaid breaks (three portions) can only be worked by agreement between the employer and employee. Without that agreement the roster is limited to one unpaid break per day.
- Is the broken shift allowance paid on top of penalty rates?
- Yes. The allowance compensates for the broken pattern of the day; the hours in each portion are still paid at whatever ordinary, penalty or overtime rate applies to them.
Automate SCHADS Compliance
Don't risk underpayments. CrossVault's AI engine validates every timesheet against the specific rules of the SCHADS Award.