How to Switch from ShiftCare to CareIQ — A Step-by-Step Migration Guide
📅 May 2026⏱ 6 min read👤 CareIQ Team
Thousands of NDIS providers use ShiftCare. Many are looking for an alternative that includes more features without the per-user pricing. This guide explains how switching works, what we migrate for you, and how to run both systems in parallel during the transition.
Why Providers Switch from ShiftCare
The most common reasons we hear:
- Per-user cost grows with the team. Every new hire increases the monthly bill. On ShiftCare Premium at $25/user, a team of 30 pays $750/month — just for software.
- Custom forms locked to the highest tier. Providers who need digital forms for compliance, assessments, or client documentation must pay $25/user just to access them.
- No SIL daily compliance forms. Group home and SIL providers still use spreadsheets or paper for daily observations, meal records, bowel charts, and personal care logs because ShiftCare has no shift checklist module.
- Payroll still calculated manually. ShiftCare helps with compliance checking but doesn't calculate the actual dollar amounts for SCHADS penalty rates, overtime, and allowances. That happens in a separate payroll tool.
- Behaviour support data collected elsewhere. Providers with participants in PBS plans collect incident data in separate spreadsheets, then analyse it separately. There's no behaviour module in ShiftCare.
What CareIQ Migrates for You — Free
Switching platforms is not as painful as it sounds when the migration is done properly. CareIQ migrates the following at no charge:
- Client records — names, NDIS numbers, addresses, plan dates, support categories
- Employee profiles — names, roles, qualifications, pay classifications
- Historical shift data — completed shifts for timesheets and reporting continuity
- Existing invoice history — so you have a full financial record in one place
- Rostering templates — recurring shift patterns
💡 What can't be migrated automatically
Clinical notes written inside ShiftCare cannot be exported in a structured format. We recommend running a report before your switch date and archiving the PDFs. Your new notes going forward will be in CareIQ. This is normal for any platform migration.
The Migration Process — Step by Step
Step 1
Start your 2-month free trial
No credit card, no setup fee. You get full access to everything from day one — not a limited demo.
Step 2
Export your data from ShiftCare
Go to ShiftCare and export your clients and employees as CSV files. This takes about 10 minutes. Send them to us and we'll handle the import.
Step 3
We set up your company configuration
We configure your SCHADS pay rates, NDIS support item codes, shift types, qualification requirements, and any custom form templates you need. This is included.
Step 4
Run both systems in parallel for 2–4 weeks
During the trial, run CareIQ alongside ShiftCare. Use CareIQ for new shifts, notes, and timesheets. This gives your team time to learn the platform without operational risk.
Step 5
Train your team
CareIQ's mobile app takes most support workers about 20 minutes to learn. The main flows — clock in, write a note, record a medication — are designed to be simple. We provide training guides and will run a team walkthrough on request.
Step 6
Set your switch date and cancel ShiftCare
Once your team is comfortable and you've confirmed payroll and invoicing work correctly, cancel ShiftCare at the end of your billing period. Your data in CareIQ is complete.
How Long Does the Transition Take?
Most providers are fully live within 2–3 weeks. The 2-month trial gives you plenty of time to run parallel, train staff, and switch without rush.
✅ Tip: Use your first SCHADS payroll run as the confidence test
Before you cancel ShiftCare, run your first full fortnightly payroll through CareIQ and compare the output. If the penalty calculations, overtime splits, and totals match what you expect, you're ready to switch. This is the best practical validation of the migration.
What's Different About How CareIQ Works
A few things work differently from ShiftCare and are worth knowing in advance:
- Timesheets use scheduled times by default. CareIQ uses scheduled shift start/end times for payroll, not raw clock-in/out times. If a staff member clocks in 45 minutes early, their timesheet still shows the scheduled start. They can flag approved overtime if they genuinely worked extra.
- Notes have an 18-hour handover window. Clinical notes are visible in the handover dashboard for 18 hours after they're written. This prompts the incoming shift to acknowledge them before writing their own.
- Invoices are generated per client, not per shift type. You select a client and billing period, and CareIQ maps all completed shifts to the correct NDIS support item codes automatically.
- Behaviour forms are separate from incident reports. Behaviour data collection has its own structured ABC form. Incidents are a separate workflow. Both link to the client record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep my ShiftCare data after switching?
Yes. Export everything from ShiftCare before you cancel. Your historical reports, invoices, and notes can be kept as PDFs or CSVs permanently. We also store your migrated data in CareIQ going forward.
What if I'm locked into a ShiftCare contract?
Start your CareIQ trial now and run in parallel until your ShiftCare contract ends. The 2-month trial gives you time to set up fully before your commitment to ShiftCare expires. Contact your ShiftCare account manager about cancellation terms.
How much support do we get during migration?
CareIQ is a founder-supported product. During your trial you'll have direct access to the team — not a chatbot or a ticket queue. We answer questions the same day. If your team needs a walkthrough call, we'll do one.
What happens to our data if we decide not to continue?
We export your data for you in full before your account closes. You will never be locked in or held to ransom over your own records.
Start your free migration from ShiftCare
2-month free trial. No setup fee. Free data migration. No credit card required.
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