Manual SCHADS payroll is time-consuming, risky, and often overwhelming—especially for NDIS providers managing multiple employees and classifications.

Without automation, you’re likely facing:

• Hours spent manually interpreting complex SCHADS Award rules
• High risk of errors leading to overpayments or underpayments
• Increased exposure to audits and non-compliance penalties
• Staff wasting time on manual data entry and timesheet adjustments

And with constant changes to SCHADS Award rates and rules, staying compliant can feel like a full-time job.

That’s where the ShiftCare and Pay Cat integration comes in—automating the entire process so you can focus on delivering quality care, not juggling payroll complexities.

ShiftCare and Pay Cat now work together to automate every step of your SCHADS Award compliance—so you can run payroll with accuracy and ease.

Here’s how the integration simplifies your compliance and payroll process:

✅ Automated SCHADS Award Interpretation

• No need to manually calculate allowances or penalty rates
• ShiftCare timesheets automatically apply SCHADS Award rules in Pay Cat
  
  

✅ Real-Time Compliance Checks

• Built-in rule validation as timesheets sync between systems
• Instantly identify errors or missing data before you process payroll
  
  

✅ Automatic Award Updates

• SCHADS Award changes are updated automatically in Pay Cat
• You stay compliant without needing to track changes manually
  
  

✅ Seamless Timesheet Syncing

• No more exporting/importing CSV files
• Approved timesheets in ShiftCare sync directly to Pay Cat in real-time
  
  

✅ One-Click Integration Setup

• Easy to connect ShiftCare with Pay Cat
• Get up and running in minutes—no technical expertise required
  
  

With ShiftCare managing your rosters and timesheets, and Pay Cat taking care of payroll compliance and payments, you can confidently run payroll knowing SCHADS Award rules are applied correctly every time.

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Managing SCHADS Award requirements like broken shifts, sleepovers, and allowances is time-consuming without automation. ShiftCare and Pay Cat handle it all for you.

Here’s how:

✅ Broken Shifts Are Calculated Automatically

• The system detects when an employee works multiple shifts in a day
• Automatically applies the broken shift allowance under SCHADS rules
• Factors in travel time between shifts to ensure accurate payments

Example:
An employee works 8:00 AM–11:00 AM and 4:00 PM–8:00 PM. The broken shift allowance is automatically applied in Pay Cat without manual adjustments.

🎥 How Pay Cat Manages Complex Shifts

✅ Sleepover Shifts Are Fully Compliant

• Separates active and inactive hours during sleepovers
• Calculates “wake time” hours and applies the correct rates
• Tracks meal breaks and allowances as per SCHADS Award requirements

Example:
A sleepover from 10:00 PM–6:00 AM is split into:

• Inactive hours (standard sleepover rate)
• Wake time if the employee is called upon (paid at the correct penalty rate)

✅ Allowances Are Applied Automatically

• Kilometre reimbursements: Split into taxable and non-taxable portions, calculated automatically
• First aid allowance: Applied if the employee has a current qualification
• Meal allowances: Calculated and added based on SCHADS rules (e.g., if an employee works more than 5 hours without a break)

Example:
An employee travels 100 km during a shift. Pay Cat automatically applies the correct kilometre reimbursement, split between under and over the ATO tax threshold.

✅ Rostering + Payroll = Seamless Workflow

• ShiftCare handles rostering and ensures shifts are assigned correctly
• Pay Cat pulls approved timesheets and applies payroll interpretation, so staff are paid correctly

With these features working together, you reduce admin time and ensure payroll accuracy—no manual adjustments, no guesswork.

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Step 1: Turn on the Integration in ShiftCare

Before you start:
✔️ Make sure you have admin access in both ShiftCare and Pay Cat
✔️ Ensure your staff profiles are up-to-date (email addresses should match in both systems)

How to enable the integration:

1. In ShiftCare, navigate to Accounts & Settings
2. Click on Integrations
3. Find Pay Cat, then click Connect
4. Log in to Pay Cat and select your business from the dropdown menu
   
   

🎥 Setting up the Integration

Step 2: Sync Your Pay Groups and Allowances

Pay groups ensure staff are paid the correct SCHADS rates in Pay Cat.

Set up Pay Groups in ShiftCare:

1. Create a pay group named Employee’s Primary Pay Category
2. Assign this pay group to each staff member based on their primary role

💡 If an employee works different roles (e.g., support worker and cleaner), set up additional pay groups so Pay Cat can apply the correct pay rate for each role.

🎥  Setting Up Pay Groups

Step 3: Import Employee Data from ShiftCare to Pay Cat

This links your staff profiles between the two systems, using their email addresses to match records.

How to import staff:

1. In ShiftCare, go to Integrations > Pay Cat > Import Staff
2. Review the list of employees
3. If there are mismatches (e.g., different email addresses), update the Payroll Email field in ShiftCare settings
4. Complete the import
   
   

🎥 Importing Staff into Pay Cat

Step 4: Build Out Your Roster in ShiftCare

Now you’re ready to roster shifts as usual, including:

• Standard hours
• Broken shifts
• Sleepover shifts
• Weekend and public holiday shifts

💡 ShiftCare handles rostering, while Pay Cat applies SCHADS compliance rules when you run payroll.

🎥 Building Rosters in ShiftCare

Step 5: Export Timesheets from ShiftCare to Pay Cat

After rostering and approving shifts, export your timesheets for payroll processing.

How to export timesheets:

1. In ShiftCare, navigate to Integrations > Pay Cat > Export Timesheets
2. Select the date range for the pay period
3. Review and approve timesheets
4. Enable Client Location Tracking if you want to track labour costs by location
5. Click Export—the timesheets are now available in Pay Cat
   
   

🎥 Exporting Timesheets to Pay Cat 

Step 6: Review Timesheets and Run Payroll in Pay Cat

Now it's time to review and finalise payroll.

How to review timesheets in Pay Cat:

1. Go to Manage Employees > Approved Timesheets
2. Use Show Timesheet Costs to view a detailed breakdown (penalty rates, allowances, kilometre reimbursements)
3. Confirm everything looks correct
   
   

🎥 Viewing Timesheet Costs in Pay Cat

How to run payroll:

1. Go to Pay Runs > New Pay Run
2. Import the approved timesheets
3. Review and approve the pay run
4. Download the ABA file to process payments

Take the hassle out of SCHADS payroll.
Book your free demo and discover how to automate compliance and pay your team accurately—without the manual work.

Here’s how you stay compliant with zero guesswork:

✅ SCHADS Award rules are applied automatically to every timesheet
✅ Real-time compliance checks catch issues before payroll is processed
✅ Built-in verification gives you an audit-ready record of every shift and allowance
✅ Reporting tools help you demonstrate compliance to auditors and funding bodies

With this system in place, you’ll save hours on manual checks—and sleep easier knowing your payroll is compliant.

See how East Coast Support Solutions cut their payroll admin from hours a week, down to just 20 minutes! Hear their story here.

You can watch the Q&A replay on the webinar here.

FAQ:

Is Pay Cat the same as Employment Hero?

Answer:

• Short answer: No.
• Long answer: Both use the same backend system, called Employment Hero Payroll (previously KeyPay), but there are key differences:

1. Pay Cat has built its own SCHADS Award rule set for timesheet interpretation and guarantees compliance (independently reviewed).
2. Pay Cat offers an Australian-based, responsive support team.
3. Pay Cat offers email and phone support. Contact us! (real people, no bots) 
4. Pay Cat specialises in the SCHADS Award, has a deep understanding of this modern award and keeps the rules up to date.

What about when ShiftCare is set to Sydney (with daylight savings), but the clients are in a different time zone?

Answer:

• Currently, ShiftCare doesn’t recommend running shifts across multiple time zones within the same account.
• If your business operates in different time zones, you should have separate ShiftCare entities.
• ShiftCare is working on a solution (in development) to manage different locations with varying time zones and public holidays.
• Pay Cat knows which state the staff and clients are in, and once ShiftCare releases this update, the integration will handle it seamlessly.

Does Pay Cat manage RDOs (Rostered Days Off)?

Answer:

• Yes. Staff can request leave via the Pay Cat app.
• Best practice: Enter unavailability in ShiftCare and request leave in Pay Cat to avoid rostering conflicts and ensure leave balances are updated.

Does Pay Cat manage leave and sync with Xero?

Answer:

• Pay Cat takes over payroll and sends journals to Xero.
• You can cancel Xero Payroll subscriptions to save on costs but continue using Xero for accounting, invoicing, and bill management.
• Pay Cat integrates with Xero for financial journals, not for leave management sync.

Can an allowance be allocated on the sleepover?

Answer:

• Yes. A sleepover allowance must be allocated to indicate the shift isn’t a regular shift.
• Awake hours during sleepovers can have different allowances added as needed.

Can we make changes to a pay rate if a client pays above the award for a sleepover shift?

Answer:

• Yes. Pay Cat allows you to set custom rates per staff member.
• You can create different allowances (e.g., a "special sleepover" rate) and apply them as needed.

Is there something like this to create invoices for participants?

Answer:

• Invoicing is handled by ShiftCare, based on shifts. The system creates invoices from timesheet data.

When creating a shift in ShiftCare, adding the sleepover cancels the hourly charge and only charges the participant the sleepover fee. Why?

Answer:

• ShiftCare treats payroll and invoicing separately.
• For accurate invoicing, you should create three separate shifts in ShiftCare (pre-sleepover, sleepover, post-sleepover) and apply the appropriate price books and allowances to each.

Can allowances be increased?

Answer:

• Yes. You can set rates above the award and override award rates as needed.

If there’s an award update, is it done automatically?

Answer:

• Pay Cat updates the rule set in line with Fair Work announcements and alerts you.
• You apply the update manually when you’re ready, typically between pay runs.
• Custom rules may need additional support—contact Pay Cat for assistance with these.

If Tasha refers to 100% compliance for non-carer employees, does ShiftCare still need to be used for rostering social workers?

Answer:

• ShiftCare isn’t required for rostering. You can enter timesheets directly into Pay Cat.
• Pay Cat allows you to select the appropriate SCHADS stream for employees, whether they’re aged care, home care, disability, etc.

How would you fix something if an allowance was missed in ShiftCare before sending to Pay Cat?

Answer:

• Option 1: Delete the timesheets in Pay Cat, fix them in ShiftCare, and re-import.
• Option 2: Manually edit timesheets in Pay Cat (e.g., add kilometre allowances).
• Best practice: Keep data consistent between systems by fixing in ShiftCare.

Is there any capability for employee clock-in/out in the app?

Answer:

• Yes. ShiftCare has a clock-in/out feature.
• Managers should review clock-in/out times before approving shifts for export to Pay Cat.

Do we need to pay separately for Pay Cat if we’re an existing ShiftCare customer on a basic package?

Answer:

• Yes. Pay Cat is a separate company with its own subscription and fees.
• Pricing is discussed during demos and tailored to your business needs.

Do staff need two apps—one for shifts and one for RDOs?

Answer:

• Yes. ShiftCare is used for rostering and clock-in/out. Pay Cat is used for payslips, leave requests, and RDOs.

What happens if an overnight shift doesn’t have a sleepover allowance allocated before uploading to Pay Cat?

Answer:

• Pay Cat will assume the employee was working actively and pay them accordingly.
• You must apply the sleepover allowance in ShiftCare to flag the correct shift type.

Is the Pay Cat integration available on all ShiftCare subscription levels?

Answer:

• Yes. The integration is available across all ShiftCare subscription tiers.

Can you download an ABA file after processing payroll in Pay Cat?

Answer:

• Yes. After running payroll, you can download an ABA file to process bulk payments through your bank.

What is the pricing for Pay Cat?

Answer:

• Pricing is custom based on business needs (ie. number of staff, if you require outsourced payroll etc.)
• Contact Martin@paycat.com.au for a demo and pricing details.

Do SCHADS Award updates affect custom rule sets?

Answer:

• No, custom rules won’t update automatically.
• Pay Cat recommends contacting them when updates are pushed to ensure custom rules remain intact.

How does Pay Cat interpret broken shifts if there’s a break (e.g., 30-minute meal break and 30-minute travel)?

Answer:

• Default rule: If the break is over an hour, the broken shift allowance is applied.
• Rules can be customised depending on your organisation’s needs (e.g., no broken shift allowance for travel and meal breaks under certain conditions).

If using Xero, do we need to cancel it when using Pay Cat?

Answer:

• No. Xero remains your accounting platform.
• You cancel Xero Payroll but continue using Xero for invoicing, bills, etc.

Do you need to pay overtime if a staff member wakes up during a sleepover?

Answer:

• Yes. The SCHADS Award requires you to pay a minimum of one hour of overtime if a staff member is woken during a sleepover.

Does Pay Cat sync with Employment Hero HR?

Answer:

• Yes. Pay Cat is built on Employment Hero Payroll and integrates with Employment Hero HR.

Will you only see shift cost breakdowns after exporting timesheets to Pay Cat?

Answer:

• Yes. Currently, costing is visible in Pay Cat after exporting from ShiftCare.
• ShiftCare is working on adding costing visibility during rostering.

If you don’t use accounting software with integration (like MYOB), can you export a journal CSV from Pay Cat?

Answer:

• Yes. Pay Cat allows custom CSV exports of journals.

When staff work 3:30 PM to 10:00 PM, is it an afternoon or night shift?

Answer:

• Depends on context:
  • If followed by a sleepover, it’s considered a night shift.
  • If it’s a standalone shift, it’s considered an afternoon shift.
• SCHADS Award applies one pay rate to the entire shift unless it crosses into a different day (e.g., Friday to Saturday).

What reporting capabilities does Pay Cat have?

Answer:

• Pay Cat offers extensive reporting, including pay run reports and employee data reports.
• Custom reports can be built by selecting specific fields and display columns.
• Contact Pay Cat for a demo of available reports.

What rates apply for a shift from 5 PM Sunday to 2 AM Monday (not a sleepover)?

Answer:

• 5 PM to midnight: Sunday rate
• Midnight to 2 AM: Monday night rate
• SCHADS Award splits rates based on days when crossing midnight.

Regarding sleepovers: Can a support worker be woken up twice before overtime is paid?

Answer:

• No. SCHADS Award requires payment of one hour of overtime for any instance of being woken during a sleepover, regardless of duration.

Do shifts need to be approved in ShiftCare before transferring to Pay Cat?

Answer:

• No. You can transfer unapproved shifts, but best practice is to only transfer approved shifts to ensure accuracy.

Ready to automate your SCHADS Award compliance?

Book a free demo to see ShiftCare and Pay Cat in action. Our team will walk you through the integration and answer any questions specific to your organisation.

Not using ShiftCare yet?

Start a free trial today and get 30% off your first 3 months. Use code 30PAYCAT3 to claim your discount.

✅ Book a Pay Cat Demo Now
✅ Start Your Free ShiftCare Trial

Leave manual payroll behind and save hours every pay cycle with automated SCHADS compliance from ShiftCare and Pay Cat.

📺 Want the full set-up walkthrough?

Watch the webinar replay to see a complete demo and Q&A session.

Watch Now

How Pay Cat Ensures 100% SCHADS Compliance

🚀 Pay Cat is the ONLY cloud payroll solution that guarantees 100% accurate SCHADS Award interpretation.

✔ Automated award interpretation to prevent payroll errors.
✔ Time & attendance syncing to eliminate manual data entry mistakes.
✔ Instant compliance alerts for incorrect pay classifications & allowances.
✔ Manager approvals & payroll processing in under an hour.
✔ Our SCHADS template is an industry-first and the ONLY 100% compliant cloud payroll solution that guarantees accurate interpretation of the SCHADS award. 

🔗 See how Pay Cat’s SCHADS payroll system works – Book a Free Demo

More SCHADS Resources 

Watch it

📽️ Designing a SCHADS Time and Attendance Workflow

📽️ SCHADS Common Shift Calculations Explained

📽️ Achieve Complete SCHADS Compliance with Pay Cat and ShiftCare

📽️ Recording SCHADS Scenarios

Read it

📄 The SCHADS Award: Key Updates, Compliance, and What Employers Need to Know

📄 Simplify Complex Shifts By Automating Broken and Sleepover Payroll

📄 Recent Updates to the SCHADS Award: What You Need to Know

Learn it

👩🏼‍💻 Watch the first part of our SCHADS course for free!
Mastering the SCHADS Award

Download it

📘 The SCHADS Award eBook (MA000100)

📄 Download our independently reviewed report to discover why Pay Cat’s SCHADS payroll solution is the only one that guarantees 100% SCHADS compliance.

Who Is Pay Cat?

Pay Cat are payroll specialists dedicated to helping Australian businesses simplify payroll and ensure 100% compliance with modern awards. As Employment Hero Payroll experts, we provide tailored solutions that streamline payroll processes, reduce errors, and save time. For SCHADS businesses, our industry-first, 100% compliant SCHADS interpreter template guarantees accurate award interpretation and automation.