Public holidays under the SCHADS Award can be a compliance minefield—especially when you’re juggling casuals, part-timers, and irregular rosters. If you’re managing staff in the disability or community services sector, it’s vital to understand how Schads Award public holiday pay works to avoid underpayments, overpayments, or compliance headaches.
This guide breaks it down with simple tips and real-world examples to help you stay on top of your obligations as an NDIS provider or support service employer.
🏷️ What Counts as a Public Holiday Under the SCHADS Award?
Public holidays recognised under the SCHADS Award include national holidays like New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, ANZAC Day, and Christmas, along with state or territory-specific public holidays.
The key thing to know is: if an employee is normally rostered to work on a day that falls on a public holiday, special pay rules kick in. Under the SCHADS Award:
- Full-time and part-time employees must be paid 250% (double time and a half) for hours worked on a public holiday.
- Casual employees must be paid 275% (which includes the casual loading).
- If the employee doesn’t work, but would normally be rostered that day, they are entitled to be paid their base rate for the ordinary hours.
💡 3 Tips to Get Payroll Right on a. SCHADS Award Public Holiday
1. ✅ Check the “Ordinary Roster” for the Week
The public holiday entitlement depends on whether the employee usually works that day. For example, if Tuesday is normally part of Jane’s roster, and a public holiday falls on Tuesday, she is entitled to be paid for that day—even if she doesn’t work it.
👉 Tip: Keep clear records of ordinary rosters to determine who should be paid when public holidays roll around.
2. 🧠 Use Timesheets That Capture Public Holiday Rates Automatically
Manually calculating public holiday rates is error-prone. A smart timesheet system (like Fairtime 😉) can automatically apply the correct public holiday rate based on your employee’s classification and shift.
👉 Tip: Make sure your payroll software or timesheet app is SCHADS Award compliant and updated for all public holidays in your state.
3. 🔄 Consider Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) Agreements
Under the SCHADS Award, an employer and employee can agree to TOIL instead of public holiday penalty pay. This must be a genuine agreement—you can’t require staff to take time off instead of penalty rates unless it’s agreed in writing.
👉 Tip: Use a simple TOIL agreement template and make sure it’s signed before the shift.
🔍 Sample Shifts: What do I pay on a Schads Award Public Holiday?
Let’s look at a couple of public holiday shift examples using the Schads Award public holiday pay rules.
✅ Sample Shift 1: Full-Time Employee Works a Public Holiday
Jess is a Level 2, full-time support worker. She normally works Mondays. Australia Day falls on a Monday, and she works an 8-hour shift.
- Base hourly rate: $30.00
- Public holiday rate: 250% × $30.00 = $75.00/hour
- Total pay for the day: 8 hours × $75.00 = $600.00
Jess also accumulates normal leave and super on this pay.
✅ Sample Shift 2: Casual Employee Works a Public Holiday
Scenario: Casual Employee Working on Good Friday
Employee: Tom, a casual disability support worker
Shift Details:
- Date: Good Friday (a public holiday)
- Shift Duration: 6 hours
- Base Hourly Rate: $30.00
Pay Calculation:
- Public Holiday Rate for Casuals: 275% of the base rate
- This includes the 250% public holiday penalty plus the 25% casual loading citeturn0search0
- Hourly Rate on Public Holiday: $30.00 × 275% = $82.50
- Total Pay for the Shift: 6 hours × $82.50 = $495.00
Note: Casual employees receive the 275% rate for hours worked on public holidays, which encompasses both the public holiday penalty and the casual loading.
📌 Final Thoughts: Stay Ahead with Clear Systems
Understanding Schads Award public holiday pay can save you thousands in underpayments or Fair Work disputes. Here’s a quick recap of what to remember:
✅ Double-check who is normally rostered for the public holiday
✅ Apply the correct multiplier—250% for permanent staff, 275% for casuals
✅ Offer TOIL only when there’s written consent
✅ Use smart payroll tools to automate the process
🎁 Want help managing public holiday compliance for your support team?
Download our Free Public Holiday Pay Checklist for NDIS Providers—we’ll send it straight to your inbox as a PDF.
