SCHADS (Social & Community Services) award
Home care employee level 1—aged care pay rate
Home care employee level 1—aged care is a classification under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (MA000100). AwardGuard shows the adult base minimum from the Fair Work Commission Modern Awards Pay Database when the live source is available. The applicable modern award always prevails.
Award: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (MA000100) · Clause 17.2 · Content reviewed 2026-07-15
The live adult base minimum for this classification can't load right now, or the source returned a percentage-based (junior or apprentice) rate that AwardGuard does not cover. Use the checker below when the source is available, and confirm against the Fair Work pay guides.
What does this rate include?
Includes
- The adult base minimum hourly rate published for this classification in the Fair Work Commission Modern Awards Pay Database
- The operative (effective) date when the live rate row provides one
- Recent prior adult base rates for the same classification when history is returned by the source
Does not include
- Casual loading, overtime, penalty rates, and allowances (unless you apply them separately in a Pro check)
- Apprentice rates (not covered by AwardGuard)
- Junior age-band rates as authoritative figures (Pro may show a broad estimate only — always verify against the pay guide)
- A determination of which classification correctly applies to a named employee
Classification context
Home care employee level 1—aged care relates to the SCHADS Award, which covers social, community, home care and disability services work. For NDIS providers, remember that NDIS price limits are not the same thing as an employee’s SCHADS wage floor.
For official classification guidance see the Fair Work Ombudsman — Award classifications and the SCHADS Industry Award 2010 (MA000100).
Worked hypothetical example
- An employer pays an adult employee $X per hour for duties they believe match “Home care employee level 1—aged care”.
- They look up the published adult base minimum for this classification in the Fair Work Commission database and note the operative date.
- If $X is below that minimum for ordinary hours covered by the base rate, the comparison flags a shortfall to investigate — it is not a finding of underpayment by itself.
- They then check loadings, penalties, allowances, and whether a different classification or instrument applies, using Fair Work materials or advice.
Common mistakes
- Treating the page rate as proof of the correct classification for a specific person
- Comparing a casual all-in rate to the adult base minimum without accounting for casual loading
- Ignoring the operative date when rates change on 1 July after an Annual Wage Review
- Assuming AwardGuard replaces the Fair Work Ombudsman Pay and Conditions Tool or pay guides
- Confusing an NDIS support-item price limit with the SCHADS wage the employer must pay staff
Related SCHADS and NDIS guides
Related classifications
Source: Fair Work Commission Modern Awards Pay Database. Adult base rate only. General information only — not legal or workplace-relations advice. The applicable modern award always prevails. AwardGuard is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Fair Work Commission, Fair Work Ombudsman, NDIA or NDIS.