Helpful Hint
Starting on the first full pay period on or after 1 June 2026, the Fair Work Commission is introducing significant changes to how "sleepovers" are handled under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award. The most critical change is that a sleepover period will no longer be considered a break between shifts; instead, any work performed immediately before and after a sleepover will be treated as part of the same continuous shift.
To provide flexibility, the new rules allow employers and employees to agree to extend ordinary hours to up to 12 hours for shifts spanning a sleepover, provided that neither the pre-sleepover nor post-sleepover work period exceeds 8 hours. Additionally, shift allowances and penalty rates will now be calculated separately for the work periods on either side of the sleepover, meaning a worker might receive an afternoon shift loading for the evening portion but standard rates for the morning portion.
These variations effectively override recent court rulings that had characterized sleepovers as distinct breaks, ensuring that workers' total daily hours are tracked more cohesively while providing employers with a clear framework for rostering and overtime
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the changes to Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award's sleepover handling following the recent FWO update.
If you have any customised rules within the award, it is important to note:
- Customised rules will not automatically update when you apply award updates to your platform.
- Review and understand any changes made to the award rules.
- Verify that your customised rules are not affected by these changes. If the changes do impact your customised rules, you will need to update them manually.
Below is a summary of the additional items we created for this update.
What's new
Below is a summary of the additional items we created for this update. Click here for more information on how to options for installing a new award update.
New Work types
New Work types
Work Types |
Descriptions |
|---|---|
| Pre-Sleepover | Choose this work type when a shift is immediately before a sleepover |
| Post-Sleepover | Choose this work type when a shift is immediately after a sleepover |
| 12 Hrs Shift By Agreement | Choose this work type when by agreement you may work up to 12 ordinary hours in a day or shift when spanning a sleepover. |
New Shift Conditions
New Shift Conditions
Shift Conditions |
Descriptions |
|---|---|
| Pre-Sleepover SC | Select this shift condition when a shift is immediately before a sleepover |
| Post-Sleepover SC | Select this shift condition a shift is immediately after a sleepover |
| 12 Hrs Shift By Agreement SC | Select this shift condition when by agreement you may work up to 12 ordinary hours in a day or shift when spanning a sleepover. |
New Rules Added
New rules have been introduced to ensure correct payments to work performed before and after a sleepover.
New Rules Added - Shiftworker Rulesets
Rules |
Notes / Descriptions |
|---|---|
| Pre Sleepover - Ordinary Hours | Applies to shift that occurs before a sleepover other than afternoon/night; will be paid as ordinary hours |
| Pre Sleepover - Afternoon Hours | Applies to shift that occurs between 8 PM and 12 AM before a sleepover; will be paid as an afternoon shift. |
| Pre Sleepover - Night Shift - Shift Spans Midnight | Applies to shift that occurs between 12 AM and 6 AM before a sleepover; will be paid as a night shift. |
| Post Sleepover - Convert To Ordinary Hours | Applies to shift that occurs after a sleepover other than night; will be paid as ordinary hours |
| Post Sleepover - Convert To Night Shift | Applies to shift that occurs between 12 AM and 6 AM after a sleepover; will be paid as a night shift. |
| Convert Pre-Post Sleepover Pay To Minimum Clearing | Converts pre-sleepover periods identified as broken shifts to minimum pre-clearing, and post-sleepover periods to minimum post-clearing. |
See example below for pre sleepover and post sleepover scenarios:
Scenario 1: With pre and post sleepover and ordinary, afternoon, night, and weekend shift
Expected Result:
Pre sleepover shifts
Ordinary hours will be paid by default, unless:
- The shift occurs between 8 PM and 12 AM, which will be classified as an afternoon shift.
- The shift occurs between 12 AM and 6 AM, which will be classified as a night shift.
Post sleepover shifts
Ordinary hours will be paid, unless the shift occurs between 12 AM and 6 AM, which will be classified as a night shift.
Scenario 2: Shifts with work during sleep over
Expected Result:
Shifts will receive appropriate pay, and work during sleep over will be paid overtime rates.
Scenario 3: Broken Shift and Pre/Post Sleepover
Expected Result:
Shifts will receive appropriate shift loading and broken shift allowance
Scenario 4: Shifts with overtime
Expected Result:
Shifts will receive appropriate pay and overtime rate.
Rules Updated
Existing rules have been updated to ensure pay requirements are applied correctly in accordance with the award.
Rules Updated - SCHCDS Full Time (Shift and Day worker)
Rules |
Notes / Descriptions |
|---|---|
| Maximum Daily Hours - Full Time | Excluded 12-hour shift arrangement from triggering overtime after 8 hours. |
| Maximum Daily Hours (10 hours by agreement) - Full Time | Excluded 12-hour shift arrangement from triggering overtime after 10 hours. |
Rules Updated - SCHCDS Part Time and Casual Shift Worker
Rules |
Notes / Descriptions |
|---|---|
| Maximum Daily Hours | Overtime will apply where total time worked exceeds 10 hours in a shift and excluding 12 hr shift arrangement. |
Rules Updated - SCHCDS Part Time and Casual Day Worker
Rules |
Notes / Descriptions |
|---|---|
| Maximum Daily Hours | Overtime will apply where total time worked exceeds 10 hours in a day and excluding 12 hr shift arrangement. |
Rules Updated - All Shiftworker Rulesets
The following rules were updated to identify broken shifts occurring before and after sleepovers, ensuring the broken shift allowance applies correctly.
- Identify Broken Shift
- 20.12(b) Broken Shift Allowance rules
- 25.6(e)(ii) Broken Shift - Span of Shift
Special Notes
Special Notes
- A post-sleepover shift followed by a subsequent pre- and post-sleepover shift with less than a 10-hour gap, please ensure that the "not a broken shift" shift condition is applied to both the pre- and post-sleepover periods where they are not intended to be paid as a broken shift.
- Note: If you are using a T&A system that does not support shift conditions, you will need to manually remove any broken shift allowances triggered in this instance.
Actions Needed after Award update and Platform Syncs (if you also use the HR platform)
Actions Needed after Award update and Platform Syncs (if you also use the HR platform)
- Review timesheets: Ensure hours before and after sleepovers are recorded correctly