SCHADS Level 2 Pay Rate 2026–27

Level 2 is the standard support worker classification in the Social and Community Services (SACS) stream — the level most NDIS and disability support workers are paid at. Under Schedule B of the award, a Level 2 employee works under general guidance within clearly defined guidelines, performing work defined by established routines, methods and procedures, with limited scope to exercise initiative. Employees at this level manage their own time and may guide a small number of lower-classified employees or volunteers.

Schedule B also sets qualification-based entry points: an employee who has completed an appropriate certificate and is required to use it in their work is appointed to Level 2 — and where that qualification is a Certificate IV, the minimum is pay point 2. Diploma holders also commence at pay point 2 and advance to the next pay point after 12 months of satisfactory service.

Typical Level 2 roles: disability support workers, NDIS community support workers, personal care and community access workers.

Minimum rates for full-time and part-time SACS Level 2 employees. Penalty rates shown are for ordinary hours worked on those days; afternoon shift (finishes after 8pm Mon–Fri) adds 12.5% and night shift adds 15%, applied to the whole shift. See also Level 3 rates.

Casual employees receive a 25% loading on the minimum hourly rate. The rates below already include it. For how the loading interacts with weekend penalties, see our casual loading guide.

Annualised, a full-time Level 2 employee earns between approximately $71,577 (pay point 1) and $78,101 (pay point 4) — calculated as the weekly rate × 52 for a 38-hour week, before any weekend penalties, shift loadings, overtime or allowances. In practice, rostered weekend and shift work can lift actual earnings well above the base salary.

Schedule B of the award sets out the skills, experience and qualifications for Level 2. Typical entry routes:

• An appropriate certificate relevant to the work performed (e.g. Certificate III in Individual Support) — Certificate IV holders start at a minimum of pay point 2
• Previous experience in a relevant industry or service, or an equivalent level of expertise, in lieu of a formal qualification
• Appropriate on-the-job training and relevant experience
• Diploma without experience — entry at pay point 2, advancing after 12 months

Within the level, employees generally progress one pay point after each 12 months of service at that point, subject to demonstrated competency — see our pay point progression guide.

The jump from Level 2 to Level 3 is worth over $4 an hour, and it turns on duties, not titles. Level 2 work follows established routines under general guidance. If you routinely solve problems using independent judgment, exercise initiative beyond established procedures, or supervise lower-classified staff day-to-day, the Level 3 descriptors are likely a better match — and classification follows the work actually performed, not the contract label.

Because every penalty, overtime hour and allowance is calculated off the base rate, a worker misclassified at Level 2 while doing Level 3 work is underpaid on every single hour. CrossVault's Timesheet Validator checks each worker's pay against the rate for their classification, so misclassification surfaces before it compounds into a back-pay bill.