Supported Employment Services Award
Industry award covering employers throughout Australia who operate **supported employment services** — services to support the paid employment of persons with disabilities for whom competitive employment at or above the relevant award wage is unlikely AND who, because of their disabilities, need substantial ongoing support to obtain or retain paid employment. Includes employees with a disability who qualify for a disability support pension under sections 94 or 95 of the Social Security Act 1991. Standard rate = Grade 5 (trade qualified) = $1,068.40/wk = $28.12/hr. **9 grades** — Grade A, Grade B, Grades 1-7 (Grades A and B for employees with disability who cannot perform Grades 1-7 work; Grades 1-7 for employees with or without disability). Distinctive features: Grade A and B have **date-banded rates with a step-up at 30 June 2026** (Grade A $269.70 → $302.00/wk; Grade B $539.30 → $604.10/wk); catering services Sunday rate is 175% (cl 21.3(a)(iii)) — LOWER than standard 200%; **Supported Wage System floor of $3.12/hr** (cl D.4.1(b) + D.10.3) — applies during 13-26 week trial AND ongoing employment, NO minimum amount per WEEK (cl D.4.2); super for employees with disability $15/wk floor (cl 19.5) — greater of SG amount or $15; **single super fund — AustralianSuper only** (cl 19.4(a)); casual loading 25% is **add-on stacking** (cl 11.2) — OT M-Sat first 2hrs casual = 175% (150 + 25), after 2hrs = 225%; annualised salary alternative (cl 17) with employee-may-be-represented-by-parent/guardian DISTINCTIVE accessibility provision; Mon-Sun ordinary span 6am-6pm (cl 13.3) — most awards Mon-Fri; classification review process (cl 31.5); supported employee rights at work (cl 31); PT hours predictability for employees with disability (cl 10.2); IFA termination notice 13 weeks (cl 5.11(b)); IFA translation requirement (cl 5.4(b)).
Fully built. Rates, allowances, penalties and any required apprentice / junior rates are all wired to the rate resolver and have been verified against the consolidated award text and the latest pay guide.
What's built
- All 9 cl 15.2 + Schedule A.2 grades at PR786642 ppc 01Jul25 figures: Grade A $269.70/wk (employees with disability — date-banded, step-up 30Jun26 → $302.00/wk); Grade B $539.30/wk (employees with disability — date-banded, step-up 30Jun26 → $604.10/wk); Grade 1 $922.70/wk (induction/training, max 3 months per cl A.2.3); Grade 2 → Grade 5 (trade qualified) STANDARD RATE $1,068.40/wk = $28.12/hr → Grade 7. **11 classification rows total** (9 grades + 2 future-band Grade A/B with `effective_from = 2026-06-30`).
- 10 allowances: 3 leading hand all-purpose tiers; first aid; **toilet cleaning DUAL frequency $17.25/week OR $3.52/shift (cl 18.2(d))** — both seeded as separate allowance rows (employee chooses based on engagement pattern); vehicle; meal OT; laundry; protective clothing.
- 14 penalty rows: afternoon 115%; night 130%; Sat ord 150%; **Sun ord 200% standard / 175% catering services (cl 21.3(a)(iii) — DISTINCTIVE LOWER) via `sub_level_code='catering_services'` variant**; PH 250%; OT FT 150% first 2h / 200% after / Sun 200% / PH 250%; **Casual OT add-on stacking (cl 11.2) — 175% first 2h / 225% after / 225% Sun / 275% PH (= FT/PT rates + 25)** per cl 20.1 NOTE.
- 8 leave entitlements: AL 4w + 17.5% loading; excessive accrual standard set; AL in advance + cashout; personal/carer's, compassionate, parental, community service, FDV, LSL.
- 4 pay conditions: Full-Time, Part-Time (**cl 10.2 PT predictability for employees with disability — DISTINCTIVE accessibility provision** — nature of disability AND personal circumstances must be taken into account when determining 'reasonably predictable'), Casual (25% loading; **min 3 hours per engagement per cl 11.6**), **Annualised Salary (cl 17 — DISTINCTIVE)** — composite annual salary by written agreement; daily-record requirement (cl 17.3) countersigned weekly by employee OR parent/guardian; record retention 7 years; employee may be represented in discussions by registered organisation OR parent/guardian (cl 17.1).
- Cl 13A right to disconnect with reserve/stand-by carve-out.
- **Single morning paid tea break (cl 14.2) — DISTINCTIVE** single 15-minute paid morning break (most awards have 1-2 paid 10-min breaks tiered by shift length).
- Roster change notice 7 days (cl 14.3(b)) — emergency immediate change permitted.
- **Supported Wage System Schedule D — DISTINCTIVE** with $3.12/hr floor (cl D.4.1(b) + D.10.3) applying during 13-26 week trial period AND ongoing employment. Higher of (i) % of relevant minimum hourly rate per capacity assessment, OR (ii) $3.12/hr. **NO minimum amount per WEEK (cl D.4.2)** — distinct from typical SWS minimums.
- **Super for employees with disability $15/wk floor (cl 19.5) — DISTINCTIVE** — superannuation contribution is the greater of SG amount OR $15/wk.
- **Single super fund — AustralianSuper only (cl 19.4(a)) — DISTINCTIVE** — most awards list 3-5 funds.
- **Higher duties trigger 2 hours (cl 15.6(a)) — DISTINCTIVE** — paid at higher grade for the time worked at higher rate; not paid for training-only periods (cl 15.6(b)).
- **Classification review process (cl 31.5) — DISTINCTIVE** — supported employee or representative may request review of grade; employer must respond in writing within 21 days; escalation via cl 30 dispute resolution.
- **Supported employee rights at work (cl 31) — DISTINCTIVE** — employer must take reasonable steps to provide info on union membership, FWO assistance, nominee/guardian/advocate involvement; representative can be present in consultation/dispute/disciplinary/wage assessment/performance appraisal.
- **Christmas Day or New Year's Day worked + substitute day (cl 27.4) — DISTINCTIVE** — employee gets either an extra day's wages at ordinary rates OR a substitute holiday at time convenient to employer.
- **No apprentice classifications** — National Training Wage imported via cl 15.3 from Misc Award MA000104 Schedule E.
- **IFA termination notice 13 weeks (cl 5.11(b)) — DISTINCTIVE** longer than typical 4 weeks; reduced to 4 weeks for legacy IFAs entered before 4 Dec 2013.
- **IFA translation requirement (cl 5.4(b)) — DISTINCTIVE accessibility provision** — employer aware (or should be aware) of employee's limited written English must take reasonable steps including providing translation.
- Pay frequency weekly or fortnightly. Termination 7 days. Standard NES termination notice tier.
- ~135 configuration entries including 9-grade structure with date-banded Grade A/B step-up at 2026-06-30, catering services Sunday 175% sub-level flag, SWS $3.12/hr floor + no-weekly-minimum flag, super disability $15/wk floor, single super fund flag, casual OT add-on stacking flag, annualised salary with parent/guardian-representation flag, Mon-Sun 6am-6pm ordinary span flag, classification review 21-day response, supported employee rights detail, Christmas/NY substitute day flag, IFA 13-week termination notice + translation requirement.
Known limitations
- Grade A and B date-banded rates: resolver must select the correct row by date. Both rows are seeded with `is_current=true` but different `effective_from` values; resolver should pick the row where `effective_from <= work_date`. Step-up date: 30 June 2026 (Grade A $269.70 → $302.00/wk; Grade B $539.30 → $604.10/wk).
- Catering services Sunday gating (cl 21.3(a)(iii)): must check classification's sub-activity flag; standard `SUN_ORD` is 200%, catering variant `SUN_ORD_CATERING` (sub_level='catering_services') is 175%. ONLY one applies per shift. Sunday OT for catering still uses standard 200%/225% per cl 20.1 (no catering carve-out for OT — only ordinary).
- SWS $3.12/hr floor (cl D.4.1(b) + D.10.3): applies BOTH during trial AND ongoing employment. Resolver must compute max(SWS%, $3.12/hr). NO minimum amount per WEEK (cl D.4.2) — distinct from typical SWS weekly minimums.
- Super disability minimum (cl 19.5): resolver must apply max(SG_amount, $15/wk) when employee has disability flag.
- Single super fund AustralianSuper only (cl 19.4(a)) — resolver must NOT auto-pick from a fund list.
- Casual OT add-on stacking (cl 11.2 + cl 20.1 NOTE): pre-calculated multipliers (175/225) stored on `AwardPenalty` rows with `engagement_code='casual'`; resolver does NOT re-add casual loading after applying OT multipliers.
- Higher duties (cl 15.6): ≥2hrs in a shift triggers higher-grade pay for the time worked at higher grade; <2hrs OR training-only = no uplift.
- PT disability assessment (cl 10.2): resolver/HR workflow should flag PT employees with disability for the cl 10.2 predictability assessment; not a pay calc but a compliance requirement.
- Annualised salary (cl 17): requires daily start/finish times countersigned weekly by employee or parent/guardian; 7-year retention. Employee may be represented in discussions by registered organisation OR parent/guardian.
- Mon-Sun ordinary span 6am-6pm (cl 13.3): Sat/Sun ordinary attract penalty rates 150%/200% via cl 21.3 (NOT OT rates). Resolver must distinguish ordinary-on-weekend from OT-on-weekend.
- Classification review (cl 31.5): supported employee or representative may request review of grade; employer must respond in writing within 21 days; escalation via cl 30 dispute resolution.
Setup & special instructions
- Standard rate = Grade 5 (trade qualified) = $1,068.40/wk = $28.12/hr (cl 2 def + cl 15.2). Used as basis for all %-of-standard references.
- 9 grades: Grade A and B for employees with disability who cannot perform Grades 1-7 work (cl A.1.1); Grades 1-7 for employees with or without disability (cl A.1.2). Grade 1 max 3 months (induction/training per cl A.2.3).
- Grade A/B date-banded rates step up on 30 June 2026 — resolver picks row by `effective_from <= work_date`.
- Catering services Sunday rate is 175% (cl 21.3(a)(iii)) — distinct from standard 200%. Only applies to ordinary; Sunday OT for catering still uses standard 200%/225%.
- Supported Wage System floor $3.12/hr (cl D.4.1(b) + D.10.3) — max of SWS% or $3.12/hr. NO weekly minimum (cl D.4.2).
- Super for employees with disability: greater of SG amount or $15/wk (cl 19.5).
- Single super fund AustralianSuper only (cl 19.4(a)). Plus stapled fund per ATO process / pre-12-Sep-2008 fund / defined-benefit fund.
- Casual loading 25% adds ON TOP of OT/penalty rates (cl 11.2 + cl 20.1 NOTE). Casual OT M-Sat first 2hrs = 175% (150 + 25); after 2hrs = 225%; Sun = 225%; PH = 275%.
- Annualised salary (cl 17) — daily record + 7-year retention + parent/guardian representation option.
- PT employees with disability — cl 10.2 predictability assessment must consider nature of disability AND personal circumstances.
- Classification review (cl 31.5) — 21-day written response window.
- Supported employee rights at work (cl 31) — info provision + representative presence in consultation/dispute/disciplinary/wage assessment/performance appraisal.
- Christmas Day or New Year's Day worked + substitute day (cl 27.4) — extra day's wages at ord rate OR substitute holiday.
- IFA termination notice 13 weeks (cl 5.11(b)) — distinctive longer than typical 4 weeks. Translation requirement for limited-English employees (cl 5.4(b)).
- • Supported employment services
- • Disability employment
- • Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs)
- • Sheltered workshops
- • Disability supported employment
- • Disability paid employment
- • NDIS supported employment
The consolidated award text is the authoritative source. Always confirm specific obligations against the award itself — Mployr's implementation status reflects what we've seeded; it does not replace legal advice.
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