NDIS Support Worker Pay Rates QLD (2026): Rates Explained

Who NDIS support worker pay rates QLD apply to

Which rate you receive depends on your award stream, your classification level and whether you are an employee at all.

• Home care employee (disability care): the stream for disability home care work, with its own classification levels and rates.
• Social and community services employee: a separate stream with its own rates, which the pay guide says include the final Equal Remuneration Order rate.
• Casual, part-time and full-time employees: each is paid differently, because casuals receive a loading and part-time and casual workers have minimum shift lengths.
• Independent and self-employed workers: the NDIS Commission counts self-employed people, contractors and volunteers as workers, but the award rates on this page are employee rates.

Support worker hourly rate QLD by classification level

These are the full-time and part-time rates for home care employees (disability care), from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026.

These figures come from the Fair Work pay guide. Check your payslip and employment contract for your classification.

We are always looking for reliable, caring support workers in Sydney and Melbourne. Send us your details, qualifications and availability.

Support worker wage QLD for casual, weekend and public holiday shifts

Casual workers receive a 25% loading under clause 10.4 of the SCHADS Award (Fair Work Ombudsman), and weekend and public holiday penalty rates sit on top of that.

All amounts are hourly rates for home care employees (disability care), from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026. Casual ordinary rates for the other levels are $39.23 (level 1), $42.34 (level 3 pay point 1) and $46.19 (level 4 pay point 1). For more on penalty rates, read casual support worker pay rate and support worker sleepover rate.

Support worker salary QLD and Brisbane: what the data shows

The award sets minimum hourly rates, and there is no separate Brisbane scale, so a Brisbane salary depends on your hours and classification.

• National earnings data: Jobs and Skills Australia lists 344,400 people employed as aged and disabled carers, with median full-time earnings of $1,564 per week (ABS, May 2023) (Jobs and Skills Australia).
• What that figure covers: it is a national figure for the whole occupation, not a Queensland or Brisbane figure, and it is based on 2023 data.
• Social and community services employees: the pay guide states these employees receive the final Equal Remuneration Order rate, so the award base clause rates alone understate their minimum pay.
• Social and community services level 2 and 3: from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026, pay point 1 is $36.22 an hour at level 2 and $40.49 an hour at level 3.

NDIS support worker pay rates 2023 QLD and what has changed since

Rates published for 2023 are out of date, because award rates have changed since, including through the Annual Wage Review 2026.

• Annual Wage Review 2026: the Commission increased modern award minimum wage rates by 4.75 per cent, and you should check the pay guide for when each award rate applies (Fair Work Commission).
• Priority Awards Review: for disability home care workers under SCHADS, the outcome is a 23 per cent increase in the minimum award rate for a Certificate III-qualified worker, with various increases for other classifications, to be implemented by 1 October 2027.
• Your payslip: compare your hourly rate to the current Fair Work pay guide rather than relying on an old rate card.

Read more about the timing in disability support worker pay rise 2026.

How NDIS support worker pay rates QLD compare with other states

Because SCHADS is a national award, the award minimum rates are the same in every state.

• New South Wales: same award minimums. See disability support worker pay rates NSW.
• Victoria: same award minimums.
• Independent workers: award employee rates are a different question, and independent support worker pay rates explains what to include.

Checking your NDIS support worker pay rates QLD

Follow these steps to check you are paid correctly.

1. 1Find your award stream and level. Ask your employer which classification appears on your contract.
2. 2Check minimum shift lengths. Part-time and casual disability services workers must be paid for a minimum of 2 hours per shift under clause 10.5, while other social and community services employees have a 3-hour minimum.
3. 3Check sleepovers. The pay guide lists $62.87 for each sleepover from 1 December 2026.
4. 4Keep your shift times. Compare them against each payslip.
5. 5Raise gaps early. Contact the Fair Work Ombudsman if your pay looks lower than the pay guide.

New to the work? Start with what a support worker is and what a support worker does. Our NDIS pay rate calculator can help you estimate pay for a shift.

We are always looking for reliable, caring support workers in Sydney and Melbourne. Send us your details, qualifications and availability.

Your next step

Knowing the award rates helps you judge any offer. TQN Care’s NDIS support workers team is always interested in reliable, caring people, and we are happy to explain how our pay works. Send us your details, qualifications and availability and we will get in touch. If you are still weighing up the work, our guide on how to get a support worker explains the process from the participant’s side.