If you’re using the legacy KeyPay-API integration, see Pay Cat integration for that setup. Pay Cat Connect is a separate product with different configuration.
Current scope
- Supported award: SCHADS Award only
- Supported payroll systems: Xero and MYOB (API and manual export)
- Award-Aware Rostering is available on the client roster only - location roster support is planned
- One award sector per worker - multi-sector support is planned for a future release
Award-Aware Rostering
Award-Aware Rostering gives rostering staff live visibility of the SCHADS award cost implications for each shift they allocate. Rather than discovering payroll surprises after the fact, your team can see how scheduling decisions affect costs in real time and respond before shifts are locked in.How it works
When allocating a worker to a shift on the client roster, Visualcare sends the shift details - along with any previously worked shifts in the same pay period - to Pay Cat for award interpretation. Pay Cat returns a costed breakdown displayed on screen using colour-coded indicators. Shift history is linked across the pay period. If a worker has already worked 11 hours earlier in the week, the system factors those hours in when costing the next shift, giving an accurate picture of cumulative overtime exposure.Warning types
Setting up Pay Cat Connect
Before AAR can display award costs, each worker needs to be correctly configured in Visualcare. There are three areas to set up: the worker profile, service payroll code mappings, and business-level configuration.Worker profile - Finance tab
Go to the worker profile and open the Finance tab. Set the following fields:Worker profile - Engagement Details tab
Scroll to the Award Details section within the Engagement Details tab and complete the following:
When you save, Visualcare stores the data locally first, then sends it to Pay Cat. You may briefly see an “Updating Pay Cat” message. If Pay Cat rejects the record (for example, an invalid pay level and point combination), an error message appears. The data is saved in Visualcare but won’t exist in Pay Cat until you correct the issue and save again.
Choosing the right award sector
Choosing the right award sector
Only one award sector can be assigned per worker. If a worker regularly provides both NDIS and Support at Home services, this scenario isn’t yet fully supported. A sector override capability is planned for a future release.
Service payroll code mapping
When Pay Cat Connect is enabled, a payroll category mapping screen becomes available under Maintenance → Services. Each SCHADS payroll category needs to be mapped to the corresponding pay item in your Xero or MYOB account. When Pay Cat interprets a timesheet, it uses this mapping to assign the correct pay code in the export.1
Open the mapping screen
Go to Maintenance → Services and open the Pay Cat Mapping screen.
2
Map each payroll category
For each payroll category listed on the left, select or enter the matching pay item from your payroll system. Once all applicable codes have been entered, click Save.If you use the Xero or MYOB API, the dropdown auto-populates with your live pay items. For MYOB without API access, enter the code manually.
- Casual hours
- Afternoon shift and night shift
- Sleepover
- Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday
- Overtime 1.5x and overtime 2x
- Shift spans (double time) - distinct from overtime 2x, with different tax and super implications, so map it to its own pay item
- Broken shift allowance
- Top-up hours (minimum engagement)
- Vehicle allowance - taxable and non-taxable (two separate codes)
- Overtime meal allowance
How this differs from the legacy method
How this differs from the legacy method
The legacy integration used a service-level payroll matrix where you mapped a payroll code for each pay level for each service. With Pay Cat Connect, you map pay categories once. Pay Cat’s interpretation determines which category applies based on the time worked, and the mapped pay code is used in the export.
Business configuration
A small amount of business-level setup is needed under Settings → Integrations:- Pay period configuration - weekly or fortnightly. This determines how pay period overtime is calculated (38 hours weekly, 76 hours fortnightly)
- Payroll start date - the day your pay period begins. This isn’t always Monday - some providers run Wednesday to Tuesday - and it’s how Pay Cat knows where the period starts and finishes
- Business or provider name - passed to Pay Cat for account identification
AAR scenarios and warnings
The following scenarios describe the SCHADS award conditions that Visualcare and Pay Cat detect and surface to rostering users. To interpret a shift, select a worker when creating a service in the client’s roster and click Interpret Award. If shift conflicts exist in the worker’s roster, you’ll need to resolve them before interpretation can succeed. Go to the worker’s roster and identify conflicts highlighted in orange.Daily overtime
Under the SCHADS Award, a worker who works more than 10 hours in a single day is entitled to overtime rates for the additional hours.
Visualcare chains shifts across the pay period. If a worker has already completed an 11-hour shift earlier in the week, any additional hours rostered immediately attract higher overtime rates. The AAR panel reflects this cumulative position.
A long shift may also trigger an overtime meal allowance. You can configure whether this applies based on whether a meal has been provided during the shift.
Daily overtime example
Daily overtime example
A worker already has 11 hours logged for the day. A new two-hour shift is rostered.
- Hour one of the new shift = 1.5x (their 12th hour for the day)
- Hour two of the new shift = 2x (their 13th hour for the day)
Pay period overtime
In addition to daily overtime, the SCHADS Award sets an overtime threshold for the full pay period:- Weekly pay period: 38 ordinary hours per week
- Fortnightly pay period: 76 ordinary hours per fortnight
This is most likely to be triggered when a worker has a regular series of shifts for one client and picks up additional shifts for another, pushing them over the threshold without the rosterer necessarily noticing.
Broken shift allowance
A broken shift occurs when a worker has two shifts in a day with an unpaid break of more than one hour between them. Under the default Pay Cat configuration, any break exceeding one hour triggers the broken shift allowance.Travel time isn’t accounted for at the rostering level because it’s captured at the timesheet level after the shift is worked. You may see a broken shift warning on the roster for a shift with, say, a 90-minute gap, even though some of that gap will ultimately be paid as travel time. Once travel time is recorded on the timesheet, Pay Cat recalculates and the broken shift may no longer apply.
Minimum engagement (top-up hours)
Under the SCHADS Award, workers are entitled to a minimum number of hours per engagement depending on their sector and employment type. The minimum engagement is two hours for workers in the Disability Services and Home Care sectors, and three hours for workers in other sectors. If a rostered shift is shorter than the minimum, the worker is paid for the minimum period regardless. Pay Cat detects this and surfaces a warning in the AAR panel. The system also calculates and includes the top-up hours in the timesheet interpretation when the export is processed.Minimum engagement example
Minimum engagement example
A casual worker’s minimum engagement is two hours. The rosterer schedules a one-hour shift. Pay Cat returns a top-up of one additional hour, so the worker is paid for two hours in total.
Allowances
Pay Cat detects and applies the following allowances where relevant:Timesheet interpretation
Timesheet Interpretation automates the SCHADS award calculation for completed timesheets and exports a costed payroll file to Xero or MYOB. This replaces manual award calculation and the reliance on vAir for payroll interpretation.How it works
1
Review timesheets
Review timesheets in Visualcare as per your normal processes.
2
Send to Pay Cat
Go to Timesheets → Data Export, select the timesheet data you want to export, and click Send to Pay Cat.A loading bar appears while Pay Cat applies the award rules.
3
Review the interpreted data
Click View Details to review the costed breakdown. Pay Cat applies the SCHADS award rules and returns a breakdown of hours and pay codes.
4
Export to payroll
Select the items you want to export, click Export to Payroll, and select the appropriate accounting software export option. Confirm the export.Visualcare maps the interpreted results to your Xero or MYOB pay items using the payroll category mappings you set up earlier.
Who this applies to
Timesheet Interpretation is relevant for providers using Xero or MYOB who don’t have native SCHADS award interpretation in their payroll system. If you already use KeyPay or Pay Cat as your payroll software, you won’t typically use this export - your payroll system handles award interpretation natively.Workers included in the export
Only workers with Worker Type set to Full-time, Part-time, or Casual are included in the Pay Cat export. When you send to Pay Cat from Timesheets → Data Export, you may see some errors. This can be due to accounting codes missing or workers not existing in Pay Cat. Workers classified as Broker, Contractor, or other types can still be exported using the existing payroll export method in Visualcare Data Export - the two processes run independently.Custom variations and enterprise agreements
The base SCHADS implementation applies to all providers. Some providers may have:- Variations to standard SCHADS provisions - for example, different meal break rules
- Enterprise agreements with their own classifications and rates
Common issues
Running into issues?
See Integration troubleshooting for more errors and fixes.Related articles
Pay Cat integration (legacy)
The legacy KeyPay-API integration for payroll export
Award interpretation
How award interpretation works during rostering
Exporting payroll data
Export timesheet data to your payroll software
Employment Hero integration
Sync worker data and compliance from Employment Hero