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INSupported Employment Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Supported Employment Services Award actually pays — the right classification grade, weekend and public holiday penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Supported Employment Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per grade — the calculator uses the rates from clause 15.2, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on ordinary hours, and the weekend and public-holiday percentages below already include it.
- Saturday is split by time of day: hours before 12pm are ordinary rate, hours after 12pm jump straight to 200% — there’s no gradual Saturday loading like some awards use.
- Overtime is 150% for the first 2 hours Monday to Saturday, then 200% (casuals: 175% then 225%) — a shorter first tier than the 3-hour window common in other awards.
- Catering functions carry their own Sunday rate of 175% rather than the standard 200% — a distinctive quirk worth checking if your supported employment service runs catering work.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including Grade A/B supported wages and weekend penalties — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Employers throughout Australia operating supported employment services for people with disability
- Services supporting the paid employment of people for whom competitive employment at the award wage is unlikely
- Employees needing substantial ongoing support to obtain or retain paid employment
- On-hire labour supplied into the supported employment services industry
- Both disability-specific supported wage roles (Grades A/B) and mainstream production, trade and supervisory roles (Grades 1–7)
Aged care services, health professional and support services, and social/community/home care and disability services each have their own award — check the coverage clause before you classify a role here.
Which level is your team member?
This award runs two classification tiers side by side: Grades A and B are capacity-based supported wage rates for employees whose disability means they can’t undertake Grade 1–7 duties, while Grades 1–7 are mainstream rates for production, trade and supervisory work performed with or without a disability. Classify by the actual duties and support needs, not the person’s diagnosis.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade A | $8.32 | $316.30 | Supported wage role — simple task(s), direct supervision | Performs a simple task of up to 3 sequential steps under direct supervision and constant monitoring, for an employee whose disability means Grade 1–7 duties aren’t achievable. |
| Grade B | $16.65 | $632.80 | Supported wage role — multi-step task(s), regular monitoring | Performs a task of more than 3 sequential steps, possibly using mechanical or electric equipment, under direct supervision with regular monitoring — same disability-capacity basis as Grade A. |
| Grade 1 | $25.74 | $978.10 | Induction / trainee | On-the-job induction or training for a Grade 2 or above role — capped at 3 months. |
| Grade 2 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Production or support worker (entry) | Performs a basic task under direct supervision following defined procedures, including basic quality checks. |
| Grade 3 | $27.08 | $1029.10 | Production or support worker | Performs a more complex task than Grade 2 under routine supervision, per defined procedures. |
| Grade 4 | $27.97 | $1062.90 | Independent worker / trainer support | AQF II (or equivalent) qualified; works independently from complex instructions, assists with on-the-job training, and is responsible for their own work quality. |
| Grade 5 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Trade-qualified worker | Holds a trade certificate or equivalent and performs work primarily using trade skills. The award’s standard rate. |
| Grade 6 | $32.13 | $1221.10 | Instructor / specialist / section supervisor | AQF IV (or equivalent) qualified; assesses employee capability, designs training, handles specialist functions or supervises a section. |
| Grade 7 | $33.43 | $1270.50 | Senior supervisor / trainer | AQF IV or above with at least a third of competencies in supervision/training; co-ordinates and supervises staff and owns training content and delivery. |
- Grades A and B exist specifically because competitive employment at the full award wage is unlikely for some employees — they’re set by task complexity and supervision level, not a discount applied casually. Get this classification wrong and you risk both under- and over-paying.
- Grade 1 is capped at 3 months by design — it’s induction/training only, not a permanent home for an ongoing role.
- Grades 2–4 track rising task complexity and independence; the jump from Grade 3 to Grade 4 specifically requires an AQF II qualification (or equivalent experience) and working from complex instructions with minimal supervision.
- Grades 5–7 require a trade certificate (Grade 5) or AQF IV (Grades 6–7) and increasing supervisory or training responsibility — Grade 7 specifically requires at least a third of the qualification’s competencies to be in supervision or training.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Supported Employment Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Supported Employment Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Supported Employment Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 14). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Supported Employment Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000103) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
The classification minimums are the adult rates from the award (clause 15.2), current at 1 July 2026, including the Grade A/B supported wage rates. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser — Grade A/B placements in particular should be backed by a formal wage assessment.
What’s the difference between Grade A/B and Grade 1?
Grade A/B are capacity-based rates for employees whose disability means they genuinely cannot perform Grade 1–7 duties, even with training. Grade 1 is a mainstream induction grade — capped at 3 months — for anyone (with or without disability) training toward Grade 2 or above. They’re not different points on the same scale.
Why does Saturday pay jump so sharply at noon?
The award sets Saturday morning as ordinary time and Saturday afternoon (from 12pm) at 200% — there’s no gradual step-up. It catches employers off guard when a shift straddles midday, since the hours before and after noon are paid completely differently.
Does super apply to Grade A and B wages?
Yes — the 12% super guarantee applies to ordinary-time earnings at any grade, including Grade A and B supported wages and weekend penalties on ordinary hours. Overtime is excluded. The calculator applies exactly that split.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
