How CompanionAxis applies SCHADS Award pay rules

Every timesheet line is priced by an award interpreter that reads the SCHADS Award (MA000100) rules held in CompanionAxis. This tutorial explains what the interpreter does, where to see the rules, and how to test a shift before you trust the numbers.

Before you begin

• You need View pay rules to open the pay rules screen; Manage pay rules and Approve pay rules to draft and schedule changes.
• Workers need a classification and employment type (their pay profile) for correct rates.

What happens to each line

The How lines are built card on Time → Approve timesheets summarises the flow. In detail:

1. The worker checks in and out in the app. CompanionAxis compares the actual times with the roster.
2. Payable times are worked out: by default pay starts at the later of the rostered start and the check-in, and finishes at the check-out.
3. The interpreter splits the shift at midnight and around any sleepover window, then applies ordinary, afternoon, night, Saturday, Sunday or public holiday rates to each part.
4. Ordinary hours stop at the daily maximum per shift and at the weekly hours for the employment type (Monday to Sunday); the rest is overtime.
5. Minimum engagement top-ups, sleepover and broken shift allowances, and the vehicle allowance for kilometres are added.
6. The result shows as Pay calculation on the line, each row with its clause reference.

See the rules in force

1. Go to Time → SCHADS pay rules. The header shows Rules in force and the date they started.
2. Open Classifications and rates for the social and community services and home care levels, with hourly, casual and weekly rates and how many workers are on each.
3. Open Penalties and overtime for the permanent and casual multipliers, the pay category each produces and the clause.
4. Open Allowances for the sleepover allowance, broken shift allowances, vehicle allowance per km, minimum engagement, the break between shifts and the super guarantee estimate.
5. Open Public holidays, choose a state and year, and check the list. Workers get the holidays of the state they work in.

Test a shift

1. Select Test a shift in the header.
2. Choose a Worker (their pay profile on the date is used), a Date, a Shift type (Shift, Sleepover, Training or Meeting), Start and Finish.
3. Optionally set State (public holidays), Unpaid break (min), Kilometres, and for a sleepover Active time (minutes).
4. Select Calculate. Pay for this shift lists each pay category, hours, rate and amount. Nothing is saved.

The test looks at one shift on its own, so weekly overtime from other shifts in the week isn’t included.

Recalculate after a change

1. Changing a pay profile recalculates the worker’s open lines from that date automatically.
2. To recalculate one line by hand, open it on Time → Approve timesheets and select Recalculate.
3. Approved and exported lines keep what was approved; correct them as described in Correcting an approved timesheet after payroll.

Tips

• Blue information boxes on a line show calculation warnings, for example No work state, so public holidays were not checked or Less than 10 hours off between shifts.
• When a new rate version is scheduled, a banner tells you the date it takes over; earlier shifts keep the old rates.

If something goes wrong

A line shows “No pay rules are in force on” a date

No pay rules version covers that date. Check Versions on Time → SCHADS pay rules and contact support if the award pack is missing.

Public holiday rates weren’t applied

The line has no work state. Set the house or region state, or the Work state in the worker’s pay profile, then select Recalculate.

A banner says the organisation relies on unverified regulatory data

The SCHADS rates loaded are compiled reference data awaiting verification. Check rates against the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide before running payroll.