If your employer has a registered enterprise agreement, its rates apply instead of the award rates below. Many large community sector employers have one.
Which award covers social workers
Social workers employed by community organisations, charities, NDIS providers, family and youth services and other not-for-profits are covered by the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 — the SCHADS Award [MA000100] — in the Social and community services stream (Schedule B). The award defines that sector as including social work.
Schedule B makes Level 3 the graduate entry level: a relevant 3-year degree starts at pay point 3 and a relevant 4-year degree — such as an accredited Bachelor of Social Work — at pay point 4. Level 4 generally requires a 4-year degree plus a year's experience (or a 3-year degree plus two); levels 5 and above are senior practitioner, supervisory and management roles.
Social workers in the health industry — private hospitals and health providers — are covered instead by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 [MA000027], which lists social worker as a health professional. From the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October 2026 a first-year social worker there is paid by the AQF level of their social work qualification: $34.44 an hour ($1,308.80 a week) at AQF Level 7, the bachelor level, and $35.19 or $38.02 at AQF Level 8 or 9 — still well below the SCHADS rate.
The SCHADS rates for levels 2 and up include the Equal Remuneration Order, which the award says forms part of ordinary pay for all purposes. Social workers in state or Commonwealth government are paid under their public service agreement instead.
Read the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 [MA000100] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 September 2026), or see every classification on our MA000100 award rates page.
Social Worker award pay rates 2026–27
These rates apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. Part-time employees are paid the same hourly rates for the hours they work.
Social worker pay rates — SCHADS social and community services, Levels 3 to 6
SCHADS Award Schedule B, weekly and hourly rates as published including the Equal Remuneration Order. Casual is the hourly rate plus the 25% loading (the award publishes no casual column).
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 3 pay point 1 | $40.49 | $1,538.59 | $80,007 | $50.61 |
| Level 3 pay point 2 | $41.66 | $1,582.94 | $82,313 | $52.08 |
| Level 3 pay point 3Graduate entry — relevant 3-year degree | $42.55 | $1,616.71 | $84,069 | $53.19 |
| Level 3 pay point 4Graduate entry — relevant 4-year degree (e.g. BSW) | $43.42 | $1,649.97 | $85,798 | $54.28 |
| Level 4 pay point 1Four-year degree plus 1 year's experience, or 3-year degree plus 2 | $46.70 | $1,774.74 | $92,286 | $58.38 |
| Level 4 pay point 2 | $47.92 | $1,821.07 | $94,696 | $59.90 |
| Level 4 pay point 3 | $49.16 | $1,867.93 | $97,132 | $61.45 |
| Level 4 pay point 4 | $50.25 | $1,909.51 | $99,295 | $62.81 |
| Level 5 pay point 1 | $53.43 | $2,030.20 | $105,570 | $66.79 |
| Level 5 pay point 2 | $54.58 | $2,073.91 | $107,843 | $68.23 |
| Level 5 pay point 3 | $55.85 | $2,122.13 | $110,351 | $69.81 |
| Level 6 pay point 1 | $58.37 | $2,218.02 | $115,337 | $72.96 |
| Level 6 pay point 2 | $59.66 | $2,267.02 | $117,885 | $74.58 |
| Level 6 pay point 3 | $60.95 | $2,316.16 | $120,440 | $76.19 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Social Worker penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 150% | 175% |
| Sunday | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
| Afternoon shift | 112.5% | — |
| Night shift | 115% | — |
Percentages of the minimum hourly rate. Casual weekend and public holiday rates include the 25% loading. Weekend rates replace shift loadings rather than adding to them (cl 26.2).
Overtime
- Social and community services employees: time and a half for the first 3 hours of overtime Monday to Saturday, then double time (cl 28.1(a)(ii)) — one hour longer at time and a half than disability and home care workers get.
- Sunday overtime is double time and public holiday overtime is double time and a half.
- Part-time and casual employees are paid overtime for work beyond 38 hours a week, 76 a fortnight or 10 hours in a day or shift (cl 28.1(b)).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Social Worker pay after tax
On the Level 3 pay point 4 rate of $1,649.97 a week, a full-time social worker earns $85,798 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $85,798 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$16,259 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,716 |
| Take-home per year | $67,823 |
| Take-home per week | $1,304 |
2026–27 resident tax rates with the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy; no HECS-HELP repayment and no Medicare levy surcharge. Superannuation is paid on top by your employer. For the full breakdown see take-home pay on $85,000 (the nearest step to $85,798), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What social workers actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Social Workers (ANZSCO 2725) at $2,172 a week ($57 an hour), against $1,852 a week for all occupations.
Median weekly pay of full-time, non-managerial adult employees before tax and salary sacrifice, from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (May 2025) as published by Jobs and Skills Australia. It reflects what employers actually pay, including people on enterprise agreements or above-award salaries, so it is a market figure, not a legal minimum.
What this page does not show
- SCHADS Levels 1–2 and 7–8, which rarely apply to qualified social workers; see the SCHADS award page for every level.
- State and Commonwealth public service social worker scales, and hospital social worker rates under state health agreements.
- Crisis accommodation and trainee rates.
Social Worker pay questions
Pay rates for other jobs
How this page is sourced▼
Every minimum rate was read from the Fair Work Commission's consolidated text of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010, consolidated to 1 September 2026, on 23 September 2026. Casual rates are the award's own published figures wherever it publishes them. Nothing is estimated.
The median comes from Jobs and Skills Australia’s occupation profile and is a market figure, not an entitlement. Take-home figures use the same tax engine as the rest of this site. Award rates change every 1 July, so re-check after the next Annual Wage Review.
Sources & References
- 1
- 2
- 3Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 4Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 5Social Workers (ANZSCO 2725) occupation profile — ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025— Jobs and Skills Australia
Last verified: 23 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
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AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
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Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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