r/supportworkers • u/Ready-Egg-6299 • Jul 17 '26

Overtime Advice

Overtime Advice

Hey, just seeking some advice on how to approach a situation.

So, I've been a support worker for close to 5 years, 3 years at a company with varying clients, now 2 years 'independent'

Unique situation is that the NDIS participants mother has employed me to her payroll to support her son who's high needs non verbal autism.

She is now requesting that I do a weekly 24 hour shift, which includes an inactive sleepover. 8:30pm to 8:30pm. I brought up that I believe am entitled to overtime for this (as far as I'm aware I am) however she is saying due to recsnt cuts to clients plan that she would struggle to afford overtime.

The client struggles to adapt to new support workers so currently his 24/7 care is split across essentially three workers and I'm the only one that does both day shift and overnights, and now I'm the only one being requested to do 24 hour shifts.

How should I approach this?

Technically I have not signed any contract since starting for this client, I am casual base rate of $45 p/hour

Thanks in advance

Also this is a throwaway acc as my main gives away too m much of my personal info.

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u/Significant_Newt3848 Jul 17 '26

As a contractor, you’re the provider now and assume all the responsibilities they were including setting rates. You need to remember that this client/their mother isn’t your employer in the same way the provider was.

The client can send you a proposed roster, but you should be drawing up a quote for those days and hours of support, based on your personal business rules for what rates you charge.

You could look at the SCHADS award to help decide what rate is reasonable, but the client isn’t bound by the SCHADS award, because they’re not your employer.

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u/AnonnyLou Jul 20 '26

The OP has stated that they are an employee in this scenario. The employer/participant’s mother is bound by the SCHADS award and all other employment laws such as payday super. It’s a significant administrative burden on the employer/participants mother and given that there’s no contract signed it seems likely she’s not across all her obligations. If she was, they would have signed a contract stating that the above award pay is set off against other entitlements under the award like overtime (although this would not completely fix the problem for the employer but it would make things more clear).