What is a broken shift?
Under the SCHADS Award, a broken shift is a work pattern where an employee works two or three separate periods in a single day, with one or two unpaid breaks in between. If you roster a carer to do a morning visit and then an afternoon visit with a gap in between, that is almost certainly a broken shift.
Key characteristics:
- It happens within a single day (not across two calendar days)
- The breaks between periods are unpaid
- The total span cannot exceed 12 hours from start of first period to end of last
- There must be at least 10 hours between the end of one day's work and the start of the next
A broken shift is not the same as a meal break within a continuous shift. A meal break is typically 30 minutes and does not trigger the broken shift allowance.
When does the allowance apply?
The broken shift allowance applies whenever an employee works a broken shift. It is payable in addition to their ordinary hourly rate for all hours worked. The allowance does not depend on the length of the break — it applies whether the unpaid gap is 30 minutes or four hours.
Conditions on broken shifts (Clause 31, SCHADS Award)
- Must span no more than 12 hours from the start of the first period to the end of the last
- Can include no more than one unpaid break, unless the worker agrees in writing
- With written consent, up to two unpaid breaks are permitted (creating three working periods)
- Must be followed by at least 10 hours off before the next day's work begins
Important: The requirement for employee agreement on a second break matters. You cannot unilaterally roster a three-period day without written consent.
How much is the allowance?
Rates operative from 1 July 2025:
| Number of unpaid breaks | Allowance |
|---|---|
| One unpaid break (two working periods) | $20.82 per shift |
| Two unpaid breaks (three working periods) | $27.56 per shift |
The allowance is paid per shift, not per break. Source: Clause 20.12(a) and 20.12(b), SCHADS Award MA000100.
Minimum engagement applies to each period
This is the part that catches coordinators most often. Each individual working period in a broken shift must meet the minimum engagement period — which for home care and disability support workers is two hours (Clause 10.5).
This means a broken shift with two 45-minute visits does not work. Each period must be at least two hours, even if the client's actual needs only require 45 minutes. If you roster a period shorter than two hours, you must still pay for two hours.
See the Minimum Engagement page for the full detail on that rule.
Worked example
A Level 2, Pay Point 3 part-time support worker ($36.75/hr) is rostered to do a morning visit and an afternoon visit on a Tuesday.
- Period 1: 8:00am to 10:00am (2 hours)
- Unpaid break: 10:00am to 1:00pm (3 hours, unpaid)
- Period 2: 1:00pm to 3:00pm (2 hours)
- Total span: 7 hours (within the 12-hour limit)
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ordinary hours (4 hours) | $147.00 |
| Broken shift allowance (1 break) | $20.82 |
| Travel allowance (8 km between clients) | $7.92 |
| Total | $175.74 |
The 3-hour gap between visits is unpaid. The worker is free to leave the premises during that time.
What about the vehicle allowance during the break?
The vehicle allowance for travel in a worker's own car applies to travel between clients during work time. Travel during an unpaid break is not reimbursed under the Award. The allowance does apply to the trip from the first client to the second client at the start of the second work period.
How to avoid unintended broken shifts
Cluster visits geographically
A carer who can travel quickly between clients may be able to run back-to-back visits without a long gap. If the travel between clients is work time (not a break), it stays within a single shift.
Check the 12-hour span limit
If your roster has a morning visit at 7am and an evening visit at 8pm, the 13-hour span breaches the Award. You need to assign those to different carers or restructure.
Get written consent before rostering three-period days
If you need a worker to do three visit periods in a day, document their agreement before you publish the roster.
Use shift notes in your rostering tool
Record broken shifts as a formal shift type so the allowance is flagged automatically, not added retrospectively.