The Sleepover Guide: Entitlements and Avoiding Compliance Pitfalls

Sleepovers are a cornerstone of disability and residential care support, yet they are frequently misinterpreted. Under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (SCHADS), a sleepover is not just "sleeping at work"—it has specific regulatory requirements and payment triggers.

What defines a Sleepover?

According to Clause 25.7(a), a sleepover occurs when an employer requires an employee to sleep overnight at premises where the client is located.

The Sleepover Allowance

For each night an employee sleeps over, they are entitled to an allowance of 4.9% of the standard rate (Clause 25.7(d)).

This allowance covers the 8-hour sleep period. However, this is assuming no work is performed.

What if they have to wake up? (Active Work)

This is where many providers fail audit. If an employee is required to perform work during the sleepover (Clause 25.7(e)):

• Overtime Pay: All work performed during the sleepover must be paid at the prescribed overtime rate.
• Minimum Payment: There is a one-hour minimum payment for the first instance of work.
• Duration: If the work exceeds one hour, the employee is paid for the full duration of the activity at overtime rates.

Facilities Checklist

Employers are legally obligated to provide a specific standard of accommodation (Clause 25.7(c)):

1. A separate room with a bed and clean linen.
2. Use of appropriate facilities (bathroom, etc.).
3. Access to food preparation facilities.
4. Free board and lodging for the night.

Rostering Around the Sleepover

Clause 25.7(f) allows an employer to roster work immediately before and/or after the sleepover. However:

The employee must be rostered for at least 4 hours of work for at least one of these contiguous periods.

If you only roster someone for 1 hour before a sleepover and no work after, you must still pay them for 4 hours for that morning/evening block.

Common Compliance Trap

The most common error is failing to pay the 1-hour minimum overtime when a worker is woken up to assist a client for 5 minutes. Audit trails often miss these manual adjustments, leading to long-term liability.