SCHADS Penalty Rates Calculator
Weekend and shift penalties are where most SCHADS pay goes wrong — the percentages are simple, but they get applied to the wrong hours or skipped entirely. Enter your ordinary rate and a typical week, and this calculator prices every penalty at the 1 July 2026 percentages: Saturday 150%, Sunday 200%, public holiday 250%, afternoon shift +12.5%, night +15% — with casuals adding their 25% loading on top of each. Exact per-level dollar figures live in the rate tables.
Quick Facts
- Saturday
- 150% (casual 175%)
- Sunday
- 200% (casual 225%)
- Public holiday
- 250% (casual 275%)
- Afternoon shift
- +12.5% (whole shift)
- Night shift
- +15% (whole shift)
- Rates
- FWO Pay Guide, 1 Jul 2026
Tools & Resources
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SCHADS AI Assistant
Get instant answers to award questions.
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Timesheet Validator
Check timesheets for compliance.
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Free Payslip Check
For workers: compare your payslip to the award minimums.
Price a Typical Week
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| Saturday () | |
| Sunday () | |
| Public holiday () | |
| Afternoon shift () | |
| Night shift () |
Percentages from the FWO Pay Guide for MA000100 effective 1 July 2026. Afternoon and night premiums apply to the whole shift (clause 29). Ordinary weekend hours take these penalties; hours beyond ordinary limits take overtime rates instead. General information only, not legal or financial advice.
How SCHADS Penalties Stack
- Saturday 150% · Sunday 200% · public holiday 250% — for ordinary rostered hours on those days.
- Afternoon shift +12.5% and night shift +15% — clause 29 premiums that apply to the whole shift, not just the hours after 8pm. A shift that finishes after 8:00pm attracts the afternoon premium on every hour of it — one of the most commonly under-paid rules we see.
- Casuals add 25 percentage points to each — a casual Saturday is 175% of the permanent ordinary rate, a casual Sunday 225%, a casual public holiday 275%.
- Penalties don't stack with overtime — hours beyond the ordinary-hours limits move to overtime rates, which substitute for shift premiums (clause 28.1(b)(vii)).
From Estimate to Evidence
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the SCHADS casual Saturday and Sunday rates?
- Casuals get the penalty plus their 25% loading, both applied to the ordinary rate: Saturday 175%, Sunday 225%, public holiday 275%. At the SACS Level 2.1 rate of $36.22 (1 July 2026) that's $63.39 on Saturday and $81.50 on Sunday — exact per-level figures are in our rate tables.
- Does the afternoon shift penalty only apply to hours after 8pm?
- No — that's the common mistake. Clause 29 applies the +12.5% afternoon premium to the whole shift when the shift finishes after 8:00pm, and the +15% night premium to the whole shift for night work. Paying the premium only on the post-8pm hours underpays every such shift.
- Do penalty rates and overtime stack under SCHADS?
- No. Overtime rates are a substitute for shift premiums (clause 28.1(b)(vii)). Ordinary weekend hours take the weekend penalty; hours beyond the ordinary-hours limits take overtime rates instead — whichever regime applies to the hour, not both.
- Are these percentages current?
- They reflect the FWO Pay Guide for MA000100 effective 1 July 2026, which incorporated the 4.75% Annual Wage Review increase to base rates. The percentages themselves are set by the award; the dollar outcomes change each 1 July.
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