SCHADS Weekend Penalty Rates: Saturday & Sunday Pay
Weekend work is where SCHADS payroll most often goes wrong, because the plain-English answer ("is Saturday time and a half?") hides a few traps around casual loading and stacking. Under clause 26 of the SCHADS Award (MA000100), Saturday ordinary hours are paid at 150% (time and a half) and Sunday at 200% (double time) — get the multiplier or the casual arithmetic wrong and you are underpaying every weekend shift across the roster. (Multipliers current as at the 2025-26 award year; confirm the base hourly figures via Fair Work.)
Quick Facts
- Saturday (permanent)
- 150% of the ordinary rate — time and a half (cl.26)
- Sunday (permanent)
- 200% of the ordinary rate — double time (cl.26)
- Saturday (casual)
- 175% (150% + 25% casual loading)
- Sunday (casual)
- 225% (200% + 25% casual loading)
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Is Saturday time and a half under SCHADS?
Yes. For full-time and part-time permanent employees, ordinary hours worked on a Saturday are paid at 150% of the ordinary (minimum) hourly rate — that is "time and a half". This weekend penalty is set by clause 26 ("Saturday and Sunday work") of the SCHADS Award (MA000100).
So if a support worker's ordinary rate is $30.00 per hour, their Saturday rate is $45.00 per hour (illustrative $30 base; 2025-26 — confirm the current base figure via Fair Work). The 150% multiplier applies to the whole Saturday shift, not just part of it. There is no difference between full-time and part-time permanent staff on this point — both get the same 150%.
The one group that differs is casuals, who get the penalty plus their casual loading (covered below). For the general picture of how SCHADS penalties fit together, see our penalty rates explained guide.
So if a support worker's ordinary rate is $30.00 per hour, their Saturday rate is $45.00 per hour (illustrative $30 base; 2025-26 — confirm the current base figure via Fair Work). The 150% multiplier applies to the whole Saturday shift, not just part of it. There is no difference between full-time and part-time permanent staff on this point — both get the same 150%.
The one group that differs is casuals, who get the penalty plus their casual loading (covered below). For the general picture of how SCHADS penalties fit together, see our penalty rates explained guide.
Are Sunday rates double time under SCHADS?
Yes. For full-time and part-time permanent employees, ordinary hours worked on a Sunday are paid at 200% of the ordinary hourly rate — double time — again under clause 26.
On a $30.00 ordinary rate, that is $60.00 per hour for Sunday work (illustrative $30 base; 2025-26 — confirm the current base figure via Fair Work). Be careful with online calculators here: at least one tool has listed Sunday as 1.75x, which contradicts the Fair Work Ombudsman and the strong industry consensus. For SCHADS, Sunday is 200% (double time), not 175%.
The 1.75x / 175% figure that does belong to SCHADS is the casual Saturday rate — a different thing entirely, which is exactly the kind of mix-up that causes weekend underpayments.
On a $30.00 ordinary rate, that is $60.00 per hour for Sunday work (illustrative $30 base; 2025-26 — confirm the current base figure via Fair Work). Be careful with online calculators here: at least one tool has listed Sunday as 1.75x, which contradicts the Fair Work Ombudsman and the strong industry consensus. For SCHADS, Sunday is 200% (double time), not 175%.
The 1.75x / 175% figure that does belong to SCHADS is the casual Saturday rate — a different thing entirely, which is exactly the kind of mix-up that causes weekend underpayments.
Weekend rates at a glance
Here is the full weekend penalty picture under clause 26, with public holidays shown for context only (they sit under a separate public-holiday provision, not the weekend clause):
Permanent (full-time and part-time):
Permanent (full-time and part-time):
- Saturday — 150% (time and a half)
- Sunday — 200% (double time)
- Saturday — 175% (150% + 25%)
- Sunday — 225% (200% + 25%)
How casual loading interacts with the weekend penalty
This is the single most common weekend payroll error. The 25% casual loading does not compound on top of the penalty multiplier — it is added to the penalty as a flat percentage of the ordinary rate.
So the casual weekend rate is penalty% + 25%, not penalty% × 1.25:
So the casual weekend rate is penalty% + 25%, not penalty% × 1.25:
- Casual Saturday = 150% + 25% = 175% (not 150% × 1.25 = 187.5%)
- Casual Sunday = 200% + 25% = 225% (not 200% × 1.25 = 250%)
Penalties are not cumulative — the highest single rate applies
Weekend penalties do not stack on top of evening, afternoon or night shift loadings. Where more than one penalty could apply to the same hours, the highest single applicable rate applies — the weekend penalty replaces the shift loading rather than adding to it.
Example: a support worker on a Saturday afternoon shift does not receive the afternoon-shift loading plus the 150% Saturday rate. They receive the Saturday 150% rate, because it is the higher of the two and they are not cumulative. The same logic applies to a Sunday evening shift — the 200% Sunday rate stands alone.
The one thing that is additive is the casual loading, as covered above. For how the related shift loadings and thresholds work, see our overtime rules and penalty rates explained pages.
Example: a support worker on a Saturday afternoon shift does not receive the afternoon-shift loading plus the 150% Saturday rate. They receive the Saturday 150% rate, because it is the higher of the two and they are not cumulative. The same logic applies to a Sunday evening shift — the 200% Sunday rate stands alone.
The one thing that is additive is the casual loading, as covered above. For how the related shift loadings and thresholds work, see our overtime rules and penalty rates explained pages.
Why weekend rates are easy to get wrong in payroll
In timesheet audits, the recurring weekend errors are: paying Sunday at time-and-a-half or 175% instead of double time (200%); compounding the casual loading through the penalty (187.5% / 250%) instead of adding it (175% / 225%); stacking a weekend penalty on top of an afternoon or night loading when only the highest single rate should apply; and treating part-time staff as if they get a lower weekend multiplier than full-timers — they do not, both get 150% Saturday and 200% Sunday.
The multipliers themselves are stable: Saturday 150%, Sunday 200% and public holiday 250% are set by the award and held through the 2025-26 year (confirm against the current Fair Work pay guide before relying on any figure for back-pay). Only the underlying base hourly dollar rate moves, with the annual Fair Work wage review on 1 July each year. CrossVault's timesheet validator checks every weekend shift against clause 26 automatically, so an underpaid Sunday or a mis-stacked casual loading is flagged before it reaches the pay run.
The multipliers themselves are stable: Saturday 150%, Sunday 200% and public holiday 250% are set by the award and held through the 2025-26 year (confirm against the current Fair Work pay guide before relying on any figure for back-pay). Only the underlying base hourly dollar rate moves, with the annual Fair Work wage review on 1 July each year. CrossVault's timesheet validator checks every weekend shift against clause 26 automatically, so an underpaid Sunday or a mis-stacked casual loading is flagged before it reaches the pay run.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do you get time and a half on Saturdays under SCHADS?
- Yes. Permanent full-time and part-time employees are paid 150% of the ordinary hourly rate — time and a half — for ordinary hours worked on a Saturday, under clause 26 of the SCHADS Award. Casuals get 175% (150% plus the 25% casual loading). (2025-26 multipliers; confirm base rates via Fair Work.)
- Are Sunday rates double time under SCHADS?
- Yes. Permanent employees are paid 200% — double time — for Sunday ordinary hours under clause 26. Ignore any calculator that lists Sunday as 1.75x; that conflicts with the Fair Work Ombudsman. Casuals receive 225% (200% plus the 25% casual loading). (2025-26 multipliers; confirm base rates via Fair Work.)
- Do part-time staff get the same weekend penalty rates as full-time?
- Yes. There is no difference between full-time and part-time permanent employees on weekend penalties — both receive Saturday 150% and Sunday 200%. Only casual employees differ, because the 25% casual loading is added on top.
- How is the casual weekend rate calculated?
- The 25% casual loading is added to the penalty as a flat percentage of the ordinary rate, not multiplied through it. So casual Saturday is 150% + 25% = 175%, and casual Sunday is 200% + 25% = 225% (medium-confidence on the exact stacking — confirm against the current award).
- Are weekend penalty rates different in Queensland?
- No. The SCHADS Award (MA000100) is a national modern award, so the weekend penalty multipliers — Saturday 150%, Sunday 200% — are the same in Queensland as everywhere else in Australia. There is no separate "QLD weekend penalty rate" for SCHADS-covered work.
- Do weekend penalties stack with evening or night shift loadings?
- No. Penalties are not cumulative — where more than one could apply, the highest single applicable rate applies. A weekend penalty replaces an afternoon, evening or night shift loading rather than adding to it. The casual loading is the only additive component.
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