Level 5 pay rates
| Pay point | Permanent (per hr) | Casual (per hr) | Annual (perm, 38hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay Point 1 | $51.00 | $63.75 | $100,776 |
| Pay Point 2 | $52.10 | $65.13 | $102,950 |
| Pay Point 3 | $53.31 | $66.64 | $105,341 |
Rates are for the SACS stream, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2025. Source: SCHADS Award MA000100. Level 5 has three pay points under the Award; some enterprise agreements or contracts may have additional increments above PP3.
Annual salary is based on 38 hours per week x 52 weeks. Most support workers do not work this pattern. Level 5 workers are often employed full-time or on salary-packaged arrangements.
These are Award base rates. Many Level 5 workers are covered by enterprise agreements or individual contracts that exceed Award minimums. Use the Fair Work Ombudsman P.A.C.T. tool to verify Award entitlements. See also: full SCHADS rate table.
Rates shown are indicative for the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award MA000100, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2025. Always verify against the Fair Work Ombudsman Pay and Conditions Tool before processing payroll.
Rates and classification information last reviewed: May 2026. Next Fair Work Annual Wage Review: 1 July 2026.
What Level 5 covers
Level 5 is for workers who carry significant professional responsibility, typically in a specialist practice or senior coordination function. The work involves a substantial degree of autonomous professional judgement, responsibility for outcomes beyond individual support shifts, and typically a caseload or specialist function rather than direct shift-by-shift support work.
A degree-level qualification in a relevant human services or allied health discipline is the typical educational pathway to Level 5. Significant demonstrated competency without a degree can also support a Level 5 classification in some contexts, particularly where the role involves a genuinely senior coordination function and the worker has substantial relevant experience.
Level 5 work typically includes:
- –NDIS support coordination: managing participant plans, coordinating funded supports, and advocating for plan reviews
- –Specialist behaviour support practice (registered with the NDIS Commission)
- –Senior key worker roles carrying caseload responsibility for complex participants
- –Specialist practice roles requiring degree-level knowledge (social work, psychology, rehabilitation counselling)
- –Advanced case management roles with responsibility for outcomes across a participant cohort
- –Providing clinical consultation or specialist input to Level 2 and Level 3 support workers
What SCHADS level is an NDIS support coordinator?
This is a question that comes up constantly in disability organisations that employ support coordinators directly. Support Coordinators (NDIS line item 07_002) are commonly classified at Level 4 or Level 5 depending on the autonomy and complexity of their caseload. Specialist Support Coordinators (NDIS line item 07_004), who manage participants with significantly higher complexity and multi-system needs, are typically classified at Level 5 or above. Check your role description and actual duties against SCHADS Schedule B: the job title alone does not determine the classification.
A support coordinator who holds a relevant degree, carries an independent participant caseload, exercises professional judgement about how plans are implemented, and represents participants at review meetings is performing work consistent with Level 5. An experienced coordinator without a degree performing the same functions may also be appropriately classified at Level 5 given the nature and complexity of the work.
A coordinator in a more junior or administered role (following instructions from a senior coordinator, working with straightforward participants under regular supervision) may be at Level 4 depending on the scope of their responsibilities.
Practical note: "Support Coordinator" is an NDIS line item (07_002), not a defined SCHADS classification. The Award classification follows from what the person actually does, not from the NDIS funding category their work is charged to. Always assess actual duties against SCHADS Schedule B when making a classification decision.
Behaviour support practitioners
Registered behaviour support practitioners under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission framework are typically classified at Level 5 under the SCHADS Award. Behaviour support practice requires specialist assessment skills, independent professional judgement, and registration with the Commission -- conditions that are consistent with the Level 5 description.
Practitioners at the practitioner level (as distinct from Senior Practitioner) working under the NDIS restrictive practices framework will generally sit at Level 5 PP1 to PP3. Senior practitioners with significant additional responsibility, a larger practice, or management functions may move toward Level 6. The classification depends on the scope and autonomy of the work, not the title the Commission uses for registration purposes.
Diploma holders in senior roles
A Diploma of Community Services holder in a genuinely senior coordination role may be appropriately classified at Level 4 or Level 5, depending on the actual responsibilities. The Diploma is not an automatic ceiling. If the role carries the degree of professional autonomy, caseload responsibility, and specialist function expected at Level 5, the worker should be classified there regardless of whether they hold a degree.
However, providers should be careful about upward reclassification that is not justified by the actual duties. A Diploma coordinator in an administered role reporting to a senior coordinator, without independent caseload responsibility, is likely a Level 4, and classifying them at Level 5 without corresponding duties change is an overpayment that may become a commitment the organisation cannot sustain.