This article provides guidelines about when to use the different work types and tags that are included as part of the pre-built Nurses Award 2020 [MA000034] package. For further information about the Nurses Award, refer to: Nurses Award.
Key Updates to Award
Last Updated: August 2023
Installing and Configuring the Pre-Built Award Package
For details on how to install and configure this Pre-built Award Template, please review the detailed help article here.
Given the use of shift conditions and work types used in this template, it is recommended that you review the list of work types. They will all be automatically applied to employees by default but if any are ever going to be relevant to your organisation then consider removing the 'auto enable' feature.
While every effort is made to provide a high-quality service, YourPayroll does not accept responsibility for, guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness or up-to-date nature of the service. Before relying on the information, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances.
Coverage
This award covers employers throughout Australia of employees in the Nurses Award. For further details and any exclusions, please see clause 4 of the award.
Managing progressions through pay points
The award requires progression through pay points to be based on an annual anniversary date for full time employees and 1786 hours for part time and casual employees. We have built automatic progression into the employment agreements for full time employees based on the number of years since the anniversary date. The anniversary date should be populated by the user as the date that the employee started at their particular level.
For Part Time and Casual employees, we are unable to provide an automatic progression into the employment agreements as it is based on number or hours worked at a particular pay point. Instead we have provided an employment agreement for each pay point. To keep track of the hours worked at a particular pay point, we recommend keeping anniversary date populated as the date the employee started the current pay point. With this stored, you can run a timesheet report (Reports > Timesheet Report), setting the 'from' date as the employees anniversary date and the to date as today. This will tally the hours worked between those two dates to give you a gauge as to whether the employee is ready to move on to the next pay point.
Work Types
Work types are a description of the kind of shift you are working, and are selected when you record a timesheet. The following is a list of work types employees can select on their timesheet, and the meaning of each item.
| Work Type | Description |
| ADO taken | Select this work type when an accrued day off is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| Annual Leave taken | Select this work type when annual leave is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| Ceremonial leave taken | Select this work type when ceremonial leave is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| Changeover shift | Select this work type if you are moving from, for example, day work to shift work or afternoon shift to night shift as part of a regular rostered changeover |
| Compassionate leave taken | Select this work type when compassionate leave is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| Hours worked | Select this work type for all hours worked, unless another work type is more specific |
| Hours worked on a substituted public holiday | Under this award, public holidays may be substituted for another day by agreement. Choose this work type if that day is a substituted public holiday |
| Kilometres travelled | Select this work type to enter the mileage travelled in your car for work purposes. 1 unit is equivalent to 1 kilometre |
| Leave without pay | Select this work type when leave without pay is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| Long-service leave taken | Select this work type when long-service leave is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| On-call | Select this work type if you are on call. This should reflect the start and finish time you are required to be on call, up to 24 hours in duration |
| On-call on a rostered day off | Select this work type if you are on call and it is normally your rostered day off. This should reflect the start and finish time you are required to be on call, up to 24 hours in duration |
| Paid community service leave taken | Select this work type when paid community service leave is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| Personal / carer's leave taken | Select this work type when personal / carer's leave is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| Public holiday not worked | Use this work type if you're a permanent employee who has had a day or part of a day off because it is a public holiday |
| Public holiday on rostered day off | Use this work type if it is a public holiday but you normally are not required to work on that day |
| Recalled to work when not on call | Use this work type if you are called back to work after leaving for the day, and you were not on call when you left |
| Recalled to work when on call | Use this work type if you are called back to work after leaving for the day, and you were on call when you left |
| Remain on duty during meal break | Use this work type when you are required to stay on duty during your rostered meal break. Use this work type for the part of the day until you've had an actual meal break |
| TIL taken | Select this work type when time in lieu is taken . This will also be used when turning an approved leave request into a timesheet entry through employee self service. |
| 8hr break between shifts | Select this work type when by mutual agreement between the employer and employee,the ten hour rest break may be reduced to eight hours |
| Available for duty whilst on meal break |
Select this work type when you are required by the employer to remain available for duty during a meal break. 1 unit = 1 allowance of 30 minutes paid break at ordinary rate. |
| Recalled back to duty whilst on meal break | Select this work type when you are recalled back to be on duty during a meal break. |
| Recalled to work when on call - electronic communication | Select this work type when you are on call and and are required to perform work by the employer via electronic communication. |
| Recalled to work when not on call - electronic communication | Select this work type when you are not on call and are required to perform work by the employer via electronic communication. |
Shift Conditions
Shift Conditions are further detail you can add to a shift where perhaps more than one condition applies to your shift. Shift conditions are selected when you edit a timesheet record, or when clocking on using the ClockMeIn Time and Attendance app. The following is a list of Shift Conditions employees can select on their timesheet, and the meaning of each item.
| Shift condition | Description |
| TIL for overtime shift | Use this shift condition for a shift where you'd like to swap any overtime for time in lieu. If you'd like this as a permanent arrangement, use the employee tag instead and do not use the shift condition |
| 8hr break between shifts | Use this shift condition for a shift where by mutual agreement between the employer and employee,the ten hour rest break may be reduced to eight hours |
| Forfeit Meal Break | Use this shift condition for a shift where by agreement of an individual employee, an employee who works shifts of six hours or less may forfeit their meal break. |
Employee Tags
Employee Tags are specific conditions typically related to the employees agreement. These are often conditions negotiated and agreed between the employer and the employee, or unique characteristics of the employees role.
| Employee tag | Description |
| Uniform provided by employer | Select this tag if the employer provides all uniforms |
| Uniform provided by employee | Select this tag if the employee provides all or some uniforms |
| Employee launders own uniform | Select this tag if the employee is responsible for laundering their own uniforms |
| employee could reasonably return home for a meal | Select this tag if the employee is close enough that they could reasonably return home for a meal during overtime rest periods |
| ADO | Select this tag to implement an accrued day off system. Using this, an employee working, for example, 5 x 8 hour shifts per week will accrue a day off after 19 shifts |
| Shiftworker | Select this tag if the employee is principally engaged to be a shift worker |
| TIL of OT | Select this tag if the employee has agreed to have all overtime hours accrued as time in lieu of overtime |
| TIL of public holidays | Select this tag if the employee has agreed to have the penalty rate portion of all public holiday hours accrued as time in lieu |
Key Updates
August 2023
31st
We have updated the pay condition rule set Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 and Registered nurse levels 4 and 5 to cap the “Available for duty whilst on meal break allowance” to maximum one unit per day.
We also updated the pay condition rule set Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 where the rules “Recalled to work when not on call - electronic communication and Recalled to work when on call - electronic communication” are updated to calculate correctly.
14th
We have created a new allowance when employees are required to be available for duty during meal break. Employees receiving this allowance would receive a 30-minute paid meal break at ordinary rate according to clause 14.1(c) of the award. The allowance is set up where employees are required to select the work type when submitting timesheets and enter 1 unit for each shift they are required to be available for duty during meal break.
1st July 2023 1stThis includes Fair Work Commission recent change to increase minimum wages by 15% for some employees working in aged care.
In line with the change, new “Aged care employees“ pay rate templates and employment agreements have been created to cater for employees engaged in the provision of:
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Services for aged persons in a hostel, nursing home, aged care independent living units, aged care serviced apartments, garden settlement, retirement village or any other residential accommodation facility; or
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Services for an aged person in a private residence.
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Existing pay rate templates and employment agreements pertains to other than aged care employees. You can find further information on what you should be aware of here.
May 2023
31st
We have updated the Pay Category payment classification for Paid Pandemic Leave Taken in line with the ATO specification categories found here.
January 2023
31st
We have updated the award to reflect changes made as part of the Fair Work Decision regarding Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave. Further information on what changes have been applied to the platform and what you should be aware of can be found within this article.
We have created the following new categories:
- New Leave Category: Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave.
- New Pay Category: Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave.
- New Work Type: Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave taken.
We have updated the Leave Allowance Templates to disable the existing unpaid Family and Domestic Violence and we have enabled the new Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave. We also updated any impacted rule conditions.
As part of Fair Work's ruling, an employee must be paid their full pay rate; this includes their base rate plus any incentive-based payments and bonuses, loadings, monetary allowances, overtime or penalty rates, and any other separately identifiable amount.
December 2022
We have updated the Other than Registered Nurse level four and five pay condition rule set to make sure that Afternoon Shift penalties trigger correctly as per clause 20.1.
November 2022
The pay condition rule set for Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 has been updated to ensure that Afternoon Shift and Night Shift penalties are triggered correctly as per clause 20.1.
1 July 2022
The Award has been updated to reflect the Fair Work Commission’s National Minimum Wage increase of detailed in theAnnual Wage Review 2021-22 decision. This also includes updates to expense-related allowances. Information on the Determinations can be foundhere andhere . These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2022. Please install these updates AFTER you have finalised your last pay run prior to the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2022.
Unpaid Pandemic Leave has been disabled as this entitlement has now expired within this award. Additional information can be found on theFairwork website .
January 2022
The Unpaid Pandemic Leave pay category has been updated and counts as service for entitlements under awards and the National Employment Standards.
If any staff have used this category previously, please adjust their Annual, Personal and Long Service Leave balances for any period of unpaid pandemic leave previously taken.
To identify affected employees and enter the leave accrual see: Calculating Missing Leave Accrual for Unpaid Pandemic Leave Taken
November 2021
The Award has been updated in line with the ATO's requirements for STP Phase 2 reporting. The reporting of gross earnings are now being disaggregated into distinguishable categories. The Pay Category payment classifications have been updated in line with the ATO specification categories found here. For further information please see our STP support article.
September 2021
The clause numbers have been updated in each pay condition rule set to reflect changes made as part of the Fair Work Decision 4 year review of modern awards. The determination can be found here. The changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after 9 September 2021. Further information can be found at Fair Work.
July 1 2021
The Award has been updated to reflect the Fair Work Commission’s National Minimum Wage increase of 2.5% detailed in the Annual Wage Review 2020-21 decision. This also includes updates to expense-related
allowances. Information on the Determinations can be found here and here.
These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2021. Please install these updates AFTER you have finalised your last pay run prior to the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2021.
Updates have also been made to the Leave Category Family & Domestic Violence Leave, so that the balance is displayed in days instead of hours in line with the National Employment Standards.
Once the update is installed, all employee’s FDV leave balances will be displayed in days not hours. This will mean that an employee’s balance may now show as 38 days. In order to correct the balance please see How to Fix Family & Domestic Violence Leave Balance Data.
This update is to ensure that any new installs of this award conducted since 1 July are now captured with the SG increase from 9.5% to 10% for all pay categories. If you have installed this award between 1 July 2021 to 8 July 2021 for the first time, please ensure you select "NO" to preserve custom pay categories. If you were using this award prior to 1 July 2021, then you do not need to select "NO." Further information can be found in Incorrect SG rate used in pay runs article here.
April 2021
The pay condition rule set for Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 has been updated to ensure that Recalled to Work is paid at overtime rates under clause 28.5 (a)
February 2021
The pay condition rule set for Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 has been updated in line with clause 16.2(b): Laundry Allowance. The per shift allowance has been capped at $1.49 per week in line with the current allowance rate.
August 2020
The award has been updated to reflect the High Court's decision on the accrual of personal/carer's leave which overturns the decision made by the Full Federal Court of Australia, with personal/carer's leave being calculated on working days not hours. Information on the decision can be found here. As such, we have removed the Personal/Carer's (10 days) Leave Allowance Templates and updated associated Employment Agreements. Please note, this update will not remove any of the above from a business where the award was already installed prior to 25 August 2020. However, any new award installs from 25 August 2020 will not display personal/carer's (10 days) leave details.
For further information on migrating from daily personal/carers leave accruals to hourly please refer here.
August 2020
The award has been updated to reflect changes made as part of the Fair Work Decision around flexibility during coronavirus. The new schedule Y allows employees to take up to two (2) weeks paid pandemic leave for each occasion of leave. A new pay category (Paid Pandemic Leave Taken), leave category and work type (Paid Pandemic Leave) have been created. Also, the rule sets have been updated, where necessary, to include/exclude the work type and leave category to some pay conditions.
Under this new schedule full time employees will need to be paid their base pay rate for ordinary hours. The rate for part time staff will be the higher of either their agreed ordinary hours of work or an average of their weekly ordinary hours for the previous 6 weeks
Casual employees who take paid pandemic leave need to be paid an amount based on an average of their weekly pay over the previous 6 weeks. If they’ve been employed for less than 6 weeks, the pay needs to be based on an average of their weekly pay for the time they’ve been employed. The pay rate for casual staff will need to be manually adjusted in each pay run for the period of leave.
1 July 2020
The Award, as part of Group 1 Awards, has been updated to reflect the Fair Work Commission’s National Minimum Wage increase of 1.75% detailed in the Annual Wage Review 2019-20 decision. This also includes updates to expense-related allowances. Information on the Determinations can be found here and here.
These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2020. Please install these updates AFTER you have finalised your last pay run prior to the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2020.
April 2020
The award has been updated to reflect changes made as part of the Fair Work Decision around flexibility during coronavirus. The new schedule allows employees to take up to two (2) weeks unpaid pandemic leave. A new pay category (Unpaid Pandemic Leave Taken), leave category and work type (Unpaid Pandemic Leave) have been created. Also, the rule sets have been updated, where necessary, to include/exclude the work type and leave category to some pay conditions. Further, the Leave Allowance Templates have been updated to ensure this new leave category is enabled and is now accessible for employees to take this leave when required.
Further, under this new schedule employees can take up to twice as much annual leave at a proportionally reduced rate if their employer agrees. The employee's pay rate and leave balance will need to be manually adjusted to half in each pay run for the period of leave.
March 2020
Refresh to Award to capture all previous updates.
February 2020
Due to recent changes to the interpretation of personal/carer's leave accrual under the National Employment Standards, updates have been made to the setup of the Award. Further information can be found here.
A new Leave Category called Personal/Carer's (10 days) Leave has been created. Also, new Leave Allowance Templates (LATs) have been created specific to 10 days accrual per year for each state and the LATs have been attached to the current Employment Agreements for selection options for an employee's LAT in their Employee Default Pay Run screen. Any rules impacted by Personal/Carer's Leave have also been updated with the new leave category.
Instructions on converting the accruals to the 10 day method can be found here
The Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 rule set pay conditions have been updated to satisfy clause 21.1 of the Award in relation to ordinary hours of work for full-time employees which can be organised as 38 hours per week, 76 hours per fortnight or 152 hours over 28 days. Also, we have created a rule for ordinary hours of work for part-time employees based on clause 10.3 of the Award, where ordinary hours need to be agreed.
August 2019
The award has been updated to reflect the Fair Work Commission clarification on how weekend, public holiday and overtime rates for casuals are calculated. Information on the decision can be found here.
The pay rates apply from 1st July 2019.
30 June 2019
The Award has been updated to reflect the Fair Work Commission’s National Minimum Wage increase of 3% from its Annual Wage Review 2018-19 decision. This also includes updates to expense-related allowances. Information on the Determinations can be found here and here.
These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2019. Please install these updates AFTER you have finalised your last pay run prior to the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2019.
9 January 2019
The award has been updated to reflect changes made as part of the Fair Work Decision 4 year review of modern awards. The determination for the new clauses in the modern award can be found here.
These changes apply from the first full pay period on or after 9 January 2019.
The following clauses have been changed/updated in the Award:
23. Rest breaks between rostered work
23.1 An employee will be allowed a rest break of ten hours between the completion of one ordinary work period or shift and the commencement of another work period or shift.
23.2 By mutual agreement between the employer and employee, the ten hour rest break may be reduced to eight hours.
23.3 If, on the instruction of the employer, an employee resumes or continues to work without having had ten consecutive hours off duty, or eight hours as agreed, they will be paid at the rate of double time until released from duty for such period.
The Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 and Registered nurse levels 4 and 5 rule sets were updated to include new rules relating to casuals who work less than 10 or 8 hours between shifts worked on the same day and should receive double time.
27.1 Meal breaks
(a) An employee who works in excess of five hours will be entitled to an unpaid meal break of not less than 30 minutes and not more than 60 minutes. Such meal break will be taken between the fourth and the sixth hour after beginning work, where reasonably practicable. Provided that, by agreement of an individual employee, an employee who works shifts of six hours or less may forfeit the meal break.
The Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 and Registered nurse levels 4 and 5 rule sets were updated to include a new rule allowing an employee to select the shift condition "forfeit meal break" when an employee who works shifts of six hours or less and agrees to forgo the meal break.
(c) Where an employee is required by the employer to remain available during a meal break, but is free from duty, the employee will be paid at ordinary rates for a 30 minute meal break. This period will not count as time worked when calculating ordinary hours for the purposes of overtime or penalties. If the employee is recalled to perform duty during this period the employee will be paid overtime for all time worked until the balance of the meal break is taken.
The Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 and Registered nurse levels 4 and 5 rule sets were updated to include two new rules allowing an employee to select the work types "Available for duty whilst on meal break" or "Recalled back to duty whilst on meal break."
28.5 Recall to work when on call
(b) An employee who is required to be on call and who is required to perform work by the employer via telephone or other electronic communication away from the workplace will be paid at the appropriate overtime rate for a minimum of one hours work. Multiple electronic requests made and concluded within the same hour shall be compensated within the same one hour’s overtime payment. Time worked beyond one hour will be rounded to the nearest 15 minutes.
28.6 Recall to work when not on call
(b) An employee who is not required to be on call and who is required to perform work by the employer via telephone or other electronic communication away from the workplace will be paid at the appropriate overtime rate for a minimum of one hours work. Multiple electronic requests made and concluded within the same hour shall be compensated within the same one hour’s overtime payment. Time worked beyond one hour will be rounded to the nearest 15 minutes.
The Other than registered nurse levels 4 and 5 and Registered nurse levels 4 and 5 rule sets were updated to include a new rule allowing an employee to select the work types "recalled to work when on call - electronic communication" or "recalled to work when not on call - electronic communication," which ensure that the minimum one hour is paid when work type is selected.
December 2018
The setup of the Payroll Tax Exempt field in Payroll Settings>Pay Categories was replicating the PAYG Exempt field rather than creating a unique identity; when installed into the business settings. An audit has been carried out across the system and the issue has now been resolved with this update.
1 August 2018
The award has been updated to reflect changes made as part of the Fair Work Decision 4 year review of modern awards. The determination for the new clause in the modern award allowing employees to take unpaid leave to deal with family and domestic violence can be found here. Family and Domestic Violence leave applies from the first full pay period on or after 1 August 2018. Further information can be found at Fair Work.
Employees, including part-time and casual employees are entitled to 5 days unpaid family and domestic violence leave each year of their employment. The 5 days renews each 12 months of their employment but does not accumulate if the leave is not used.
A new leave category has been created - “Family and Domestic Violence Leave” and a new Work Type - “Family and Domestic Violence Leave taken”. The Leave Allowance Templates and any impacted rule conditions have also been updated.
June 2018
The Award has been updated to reflect the Fair Work Commission’s national minimum wage increase of 3.5% from its Annual Wage Review 2017-18 decision. This also includes updates to expense-related allowances.
These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2018. Please install these updates AFTER you have finalised your last pay run prior to the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2018.
Additionally, the following change have been made as part of this update:
- The Payment Classification settings for Allowance based pay categories have been updated as per Single Touch Payroll (STP) requirements.
If you have any feedback or questions please contact us via support@yourpayroll.com.au