How much should I pay a support worker I engage directly?

It depends on whether you employ them or engage them as a contractor. If you employ them, the SCHADS Award sets minimum rates you cannot go below. If they are a contractor with an ABN, they set their own rate and invoice you. Either way, the NDIS price limits are a useful reference for a fair market rate.

What is the minimum pay for a disability support worker?

For employees, the minimum is set by the SCHADS Award and updates around 1 July each year. Use the Fair Work Ombudsman Pay and Conditions Tool for the current figure. Casual and part-time employees also get a minimum two-hour payment for each shift.

Do I have to pay superannuation to a support worker?

If you directly employ the worker, generally yes, along with tax and insurance, and your plan funding can be used to meet those costs. If they are a genuine contractor, they usually manage their own super and tax, though super can still apply in some cases. The ATO has tools to help you work out which applies.

Can I pay a support worker more than the NDIS price limit?

If you self-manage, yes. Self-managed participants can agree to pay above or below the standard price limits. You still need the spending to fit within your budget and to be on a genuine NDIS support.

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What to Pay a Support Worker You Engage Directly

How to work out a fair, correct rate for a support worker when you engage them yourself: award minimums, contractor rates, what the NDIS lets you pay, and superannuation.

Kim Matthews, Self-managing parent, and founder of Sparks Flow · 8 min read

Short answer

If you employ the worker, the SCHADS Award sets a minimum you cannot go below, plus superannuation and a two-hour minimum shift. If they are a contractor with an ABN, they set their rate and invoice you. As a self-manager you can agree to pay above or below the NDIS price limits, as long as it fits your budget. When unsure, the award rate and the price guide are your two anchors.

“Am I paying the right amount?” is one of the first worries when you engage your own workers, and it comes from two fears at once: paying too little and being unfair or unlawful, or paying too much and burning through the budget. The good news is that the number is not a guess. Three things set it.

First, are they an employee or a contractor?

This is the fork that decides everything else, so settle it first. If you take someone on as your employee, you become responsible for their minimum pay, superannuation, tax and a safe place to work. If you engage a contractor, they have an ABN and generally manage their own tax, super and insurance, and they invoice you. The two are not interchangeable, and it is not simply your choice: the ATO has tools to work out which a worker actually is for tax and super.

If you employ them: the award sets the floor

Employee pay is not a free choice. The SCHADS Award (the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award) sets the minimum you can legally pay, and it usually rises around 1 July. A few things to know:

Use the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Pay and Conditions Tool for the current rate. Do not rely on a figure someone quoted you last year.
Casual and part-time workers get a minimum two-hour payment for each shift, so very short visits still cost a two-hour minimum.
On top of the base rate come superannuation, and penalty rates for evenings, weekends and public holidays. Your plan funding can be used to meet these employer costs.

If they are a contractor: they set the rate

A contractor with an ABN quotes you a rate, per hour or per job, and gives you an invoice. It will often look higher than an employee’s hourly figure, because it has to cover their own super, tax, insurance and time between jobs. That is not overcharging, it is a different arrangement. Your job is to agree a rate that is fair for the work and sits inside your budget.

What the NDIS lets you pay

The NDIS publishes price limits, and for most people they are a ceiling. For self-managers they are more like a guide: you can agree to pay above or below them. That flexibility is real, but the budget is still the budget. Paying a little above the limit for the right person can be worth it; paying well above it without watching the total is how a plan runs short in month nine.

Keep the agreement, and the record

Whatever you land on, write it down: the rate, the hours, and how you will confirm the work was done. That record protects both of you, and it is exactly what you will want at a plan reassessment. Sparks Flow, the tool we build, keeps each worker’s agreed rate, their shifts and their notes in one place, so the arrangement is recorded rather than remembered. It is not a payroll or tax service, and it does not pay wages for you; for that, Fair Work and the ATO are the authorities.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I pay a support worker I engage directly?: It depends on whether you employ them or engage them as a contractor. If you employ them, the SCHADS Award sets minimum rates you cannot go below. If they are a contractor with an ABN, they set their own rate and invoice you. Either way, the NDIS price limits are a useful reference for a fair market rate.
What is the minimum pay for a disability support worker?: For employees, the minimum is set by the SCHADS Award and updates around 1 July each year. Use the Fair Work Ombudsman Pay and Conditions Tool for the current figure. Casual and part-time employees also get a minimum two-hour payment for each shift.
Do I have to pay superannuation to a support worker?: If you directly employ the worker, generally yes, along with tax and insurance, and your plan funding can be used to meet those costs. If they are a genuine contractor, they usually manage their own super and tax, though super can still apply in some cases. The ATO has tools to help you work out which applies.
Can I pay a support worker more than the NDIS price limit?: If you self-manage, yes. Self-managed participants can agree to pay above or below the standard price limits. You still need the spending to fit within your budget and to be on a genuine NDIS support.

This is general information only, not legal, financial, tax or NDIS advice. Pay rates and employment obligations depend on your circumstances. The Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au) is the authority on award pay, the ATO (ato.gov.au) on tax and superannuation, and the NDIS (ndis.gov.au) on what your plan can fund. Get advice for your own situation.