A sleepover is when an employee is required to sleep overnight at their client’s premises. It’s different to a 24 hour care shift. The span for a sleepover is a continuous period of 8 hours.

As well as the sleepover, employees must be rostered or paid for a minimum of 4 hours' work before and/or after the sleepover.

How much an employee gets paid for the sleepover period depends on whether they’re required to perform work during the sleepover.

See Sleepovers in the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award for more information about how sleepovers work, including minimum work periods before and/or after a sleepover.

Minimum pay for a sleepover period

An employee who isn’t required to perform work during a sleepover gets paid the sleepover allowance.

Example - not working during a sleepover

Connie is a social and community services employee - level 2 - pay point 2. She worked a sleepover shift on Monday night but wasn’t required to wake and perform any work. Connie will get the sleepover allowance for the shift.

Sleepover allowance:

4.9% of the standard rate

4.9% x $1183.50 = $57.99

Total pay for the sleepover = $57.99.

Additional pay once work is performed

An employee who is required to perform work during a sleepover gets paid:

• the sleepover allowance
• at least 1 hour’s pay at overtime rates.

The minimum of 1 hour’s pay is for the total time worked by the employee, not for each time they wake to perform work.

If the total time worked during a shift is more than 1 hour, the employee is paid the actual time worked.

Example: working during a sleepover

Connie is a social and community services employee - level 2 - pay point 2.

Minimum pay for work performed 

During a sleepover on Tuesday night Connie was only required to wake once to perform 30 minutes of work. She’ll get paid the minimum payment for work performed and the sleepover allowance.

Calculation of pay:

Payment for time worked is a minimum of 1 hour at overtime rates:

 $34.46 x 1.5 = $51.69

Total pay for the sleepover:

Sleepover allowance + minimum payment for time worked

$57.99 + $51.69 = $109.68

Connie gets $109.68 for the sleepover which includes the 30 minutes of work performed during the shift.

More than 1 hour worked 

On Thursday night, Connie worked a total of 1.25 hours during a sleepover. Her time worked was recorded as:

• 15 minutes
• 45 minutes
• 15 minutes.

Connie gets paid for her actual time worked because it was more than 1 hour, plus the sleepover allowance.

Calculation of pay:

1.25 hours at overtime rates:

$34.46 x 1.5 = $51.69 (overtime rate)

$51.69 x 1.25 = $64.61

Total pay for the sleepover:

Sleepover allowance + payment for actual time worked

$57.99 + $64.61 = $122.60

Connie gets $122.60 for the sleepover which includes payment for her actual time worked.