SCHADS Payroll & Bookkeeping

Why SCHADS Compliant Software Matters

A practical guide for navigating award compliance with confidence

Introduction
Operating in the disability sector means wearing many hats. You’re supporting clients, managing employees, and staying across compliance requirements. One of the most important (and complex) areas of compliance is the SCHADS Award.

This guide explains why using payroll software that understands the SCHADS Award isn’t just a good idea, it’s essential for protecting your team, your clients, and your organisation.

What Is the SCHADS Award?

The Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (SCHADS Award MA000100) sets out the minimum legal conditions for staff in disability and community services. It covers:

• Wages and overtime

• Penalty rates

• Travel and on-call allowances

• Minimum and maximum shift lengths

• Breaks and rest periods

It can get pretty complicated when you’re manually working this each out pay.

Why You Need SCHADS Compliant Software

✅ 1. Avoiding Underpayments and Legal Risks

Manual calculations leave room for error. If you’re distracted, or using old rates this can lead to unintentional errors. Unfortunately these errors can result in back pay, Fair Work audits, and penalties. Payroll software can calculate wages and entitlements correctly, every time.

✅ 2. Building Trust with Your Staff

Support workers need to know they’re being paid fairly. Transparent, accurate payroll helps build trust and reduce turnover.

✅ 3. Saving Time on Admin

Payroll software helps automate rostering and payroll each week and reduces the number of hours spent chasing staff up to submit timesheets or confirm details. You can message through the payroll platform.

✅ 4. Being Ready for NDIS Audits

Clear, consistent records make it easy to demonstrate compliance. Good software keeps everything documented and easy to access.

✅ 5. Keeping Up with Changes

Award conditions can change each financial year, however payroll software stays up to date and applies the changes automatically so there’s no need to scramble. Take Sarah, for example:

Sarah runs a NDIS service in regional SA. Before switching to payroll software, she was manually calculating travel time, penalty rates and sleepover allowances each pay run. A review of the calculations at BAS time, revealed multiple underpayments. This caused Sarah stress, and she was required to calculate and backpay staff.

To overcome this, we worked with Sarah and looked at several software providers. We chose software based on ease of use, cost, and support. We implemented software which works with her Xero subscription and that all employees have access to. The onboarding for staff is quick and efficient, and the first pay run using the software took less than 15 minutes from sign up. Now, Sarah’s software handles all that in the background. Sarah now knows her team is paid fairly and her records are ATO compliant.

Doing the right thing by your staff is part of delivering quality care. SCHADS compliant software helps you get the details right so you can focus on what matters most: supporting people with disability to live with dignity, choice, and independence.

Need help finding the right software?
Look for platforms that:

• Clearly state SCHADS Award compliance

• Offer automated rostering and payroll

• Stay updated with Fair Work rulings

• Provide audit-friendly reporting

• Talk to us and book in a meeting here