Will I Get the Schedule E 15% Pay Rise? Calculator
By CrossVault · Updated
Minimum rates for Schedule E (home care employees, disability care) under the SCHADS Award rise by 15% from each worker's first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026, or 14.96% at E.4.2 and 13.31% at E.5.2. That is $155.50 to $196.40 a week for a full-time worker. Pick your classification to see your new hourly, weekly and fortnightly rate, or check first whether you are on Schedule E at all. Source: the Fair Work Commission's [2026] FWCFB 232 and determination PR814259.
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Quick Facts
- Who
- Schedule E: home care, disability care
- Increase
- 15% (E.4.2 14.96%, E.5.2 13.31%)
- Starts
- First full pay period on or after 1 Dec 2026
- Full-time weekly rise
- $155.50 to $196.40
- Not changing on 1 Dec
- Schedules B, C, D and F
- Next step
- New classification structure, 1 Oct 2027
- Source
- [2026] FWCFB 232; PR814259 (cl 17.1)
Tools & Resources
-
SCHADS AI Assistant
Get instant answers to award questions.
-
Timesheet Validator
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Free Payslip Check
For workers: compare your payslip to the award minimums.
Your Schedule E pay rise
Not sure you are on Schedule E? Use the helper below first.
| Now | From 1 Dec 2026 | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per hour | |||
| Per week | |||
| Per fortnight |
Minimum award rates for ordinary hours only. Weekend, public holiday, shift and overtime rates are worked out from the base rate, so they rise too. Hourly and casual figures are worked out from the official weekly rates (weekly ÷ 38, casual plus 25%). If you are paid above the award or under an enterprise agreement, whether your own rate goes up depends on your contract or agreement, but it can never be below the new minimum. This is general information, not advice.
Is your role Schedule E?
The rise only applies to workers classified under Schedule E. Your payslip or employment contract should name your classification. If it does not, answer the second question for a likely answer, then confirm it with your employer.
Why it can be unclear: the award puts personal care, domestic assistance and home maintenance for a person with disability in a private residence in the home care sector (Schedule E), and disability services in community and residential settings, including respite and day services, in the social and community services sector (Schedule B). The Commission has said the split of residential disability work between Schedules B and E “is not readily explicable”, and that some employers pay disability support workers under Schedule B while others use Schedule E ([2026] FWCFB 232 at [24], quoting its April 2025 decision). Schedule E has five classifications and no more than two pay points in each. If your payslip shows a pay point 3 or 4, you are not on Schedule E.
All Schedule E rates: now and from 1 December 2026
| Classification | Weekly now | Weekly from 1 Dec | Hourly | Casual hourly | Rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E.1.1 Level 1, pay point 1 | $1,036.80 | $1,192.30 | $27.28 → $31.38 | $34.10 → $39.23 | +15.00% |
| E.2.1 Level 2, pay point 1 | $1,096.60 | $1,261.10 | $28.86 → $33.19 | $36.08 → $41.49 | +15.00% |
| E.2.2 Level 2, pay point 2 | $1,104.10 | $1,269.70 | $29.06 → $33.41 | $36.33 → $41.76 | +15.00% |
| E.3.1 Level 3, pay point 1 (certificate 3) | $1,119.10 | $1,287.00 | $29.45 → $33.87 | $36.81 → $42.34 | +15.00% |
| E.3.2 Level 3, pay point 2 | $1,153.70 | $1,326.80 | $30.36 → $34.92 | $37.95 → $43.65 | +15.00% |
| E.4.1 Level 4, pay point 1 | $1,221.00 | $1,404.20 | $32.13 → $36.95 | $40.16 → $46.19 | +15.00% |
| E.4.2 Level 4, pay point 2 | $1,245.40 | $1,431.70 | $32.77 → $37.68 | $40.96 → $47.10 | +14.96% |
| E.5.1 Level 5, pay point 1 (degree or diploma) | $1,309.20 | $1,505.60 | $34.45 → $39.62 | $43.06 → $49.53 | +15.00% |
| E.5.2 Level 5, pay point 2 | $1,360.80 | $1,541.90 | $35.81 → $40.58 | $44.76 → $50.73 | +13.31% |
Weekly rates now: clause 17.1 of the award from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 (PR799380). Weekly rates from 1 December 2026: PR814259, which replaces the tables in clause 17.1(a) to (e). Hourly rates are the weekly rate divided by 38. Casual rates add the 25% casual loading (clause 10.4). The December hourly and casual figures are worked out by us the same way the Fair Work Ombudsman's July 2026 pay guide does; the Commission's determination sets weekly rates only.
For providers: what the rise costs per worker
Every Schedule E hour costs more from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026. Enter a classification, average hours and headcount to see the extra wage cost. Run it once for each classification you employ.
| Per worker, per week | |
| Per worker, per fortnight | |
| Per worker, per year (52 weeks) | |
| All workers, per week | |
| Super on the increase (12%), per year |
This is a floor, not the full cost. Weekend, public holiday, shift and overtime pay, and leave loading, are all worked out from the base rate and rise with it.
On the funding side, the NDIA has announced that the maximum prices for four NDIS support items rise for supports delivered on or after 1 December 2026, linked to this decision: House or Yard Maintenance, House Cleaning and Other Household Activities, Assistance with Personal Domestic Activities, and Specialised Home-Based Assistance for a Child (NDIA notice, 19 October 2026). The notice also says changes to existing service agreements need the participant's agreement. Wages rise on every Schedule E hour, whichever support item it is billed to.
The Commission deferred the start from 1 October to 1 December 2026 because there was no Commonwealth funding commitment, and to give providers time to change arrangements with clients ([2026] FWCFB 232 at [9]).
When exactly does it start?
Not on 1 December itself. The determination comes into operation on 1 December 2026, but under section 166(5) of the Fair Work Act it does not apply to a worker until the start of their first full pay period that starts on or after 1 December 2026.
1 December 2026 is a Tuesday. If your pay week runs Monday to Sunday, the week starting Monday 30 November is still paid at the old rate, and the new rate starts with the week beginning Monday 7 December. Payroll teams should check each pay cycle separately, because weekly and fortnightly staff can start on different days.
What is not changing on 1 December
Determination PR814259 changes clause 17.1 only, the Schedule E rates. Minimum rates under Schedule B (social and community services), Schedule C (crisis accommodation), Schedule D (family day care) and Schedule F (home care, aged care) do not change on 1 December 2026. Use the SCHADS pay rates calculator for those.
From 1 October 2027, Schedules B, C, E and F are replaced by one new classification structure. Schedule E workers get the rest of their increase then: the Commission put the remaining increases at between 1.97% and 6.97% (median 3.7%) ([2026] FWCFB 232 at [3] and [9]). The Commission will publish the final 2027 determination closer to that date, updated for any changes from the 2027 Annual Wage Review (at [70]).
Sources
- Fair Work Commission, Decision [2026] FWCFB 232, 11 September 2026, paragraphs [1], [3], [9], [24] and [70].
- Fair Work Commission, Determination PR814259 (MA000100), varying clause 17.1(a) to (e) from 1 December 2026.
- Fair Work Commission, Gender-based undervaluation priority awards review case page.
- NDIA, NDIS price increase from 1 December 2026, 19 October 2026.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who gets the Schedule E pay rise on 1 December 2026?
- Employees classified under Schedule E of the SCHADS Award, home care employees providing disability care. It applies from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026. Workers on Schedules B, C, D and F do not get this rise.
- Is it exactly 15%?
- For seven of the nine Schedule E pay points, yes. E.4.2 rises 14.96% and E.5.2 rises 13.31%, because the total increase the Commission set for those two pay points is less than 15%.
- How much more is it per hour?
- Between $4.10 and $5.17 an hour for full-time and part-time workers on the minimum rate, and between $5.13 and $6.47 for casuals, depending on classification.
- I work in a SIL house. Do I get it?
- Only if you are classified under Schedule E. Under the award definitions, disability support in group homes and SIL houses generally falls in the social and community services sector (Schedule B), which does not change on 1 December 2026. The Commission has found that some employers use Schedule E for this work, so check the classification on your payslip.
- My first December payslip still shows the old rate. Is that wrong?
- Not necessarily. The new rate starts with your first full pay period that begins on or after 1 December 2026, so a pay period that started in late November is paid at the old rate. If a pay period that started on or after 1 December shows the old rate, raise it with your employer.
- I am paid above the award. Do I still get 15% more?
- The award sets minimum rates. Whether an above-award rate goes up depends on your contract or enterprise agreement, but you must never be paid less than the new minimum for your classification.
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