How much annual leave do you get in Australia?
Short answer
Four weeks of paid annual leave per year for full-time employees, accruing progressively from your first day, plus a fifth week for certain shift workers. Part-time employees accrue pro rata. Casuals receive no paid annual leave — the casual loading of at least 25 per cent is paid instead.
Verified · 5 cited sources
Four weeks is a National Employment Standard, meaning it is a statutory minimum that cannot be reduced by a contract or agreement. Certain shift workers — broadly those who work a roster including regular Sundays and public holidays in a continuously operating business — receive five weeks.
Leave accrues progressively throughout the year based on ordinary hours worked, and it accumulates from year to year if unused. There is no legal cap on accrual, though awards and agreements may allow an employer to direct an employee to take leave where an excessive balance has built up.
Personal or carer's leave is separate: ten days per year for full-time employees, also accruing progressively and carrying over. Unlike annual leave, it is not paid out when you leave a job.
Public holidays are additional and are set by each state and territory, so the number you receive depends on where you work. Working a public holiday usually attracts a penalty rate under an award.
Long service leave is a state entitlement, separate again, generally accruing after seven to ten years of continuous service with the same employer. The thresholds and rates differ by jurisdiction and it is one of the more commonly overlooked entitlements when changing jobs.
- Four weeks paid annual leave, five for eligible shift workers
- Accrues progressively and carries over year to year
- Part-time pro rata; casuals get the loading instead
- Ten days personal or carer's leave, separate and not paid out on termination
- Public holidays and long service leave are additional and set by each state
People also ask
Sources & provenance
Facts verified
- 1.Annual leave OfficialFair Work OmbudsmanUsed for: Four-week entitlement, shift worker fifth week and accrual rules
- 2.Sick and carer's leave OfficialFair Work OmbudsmanUsed for: Ten-day personal leave entitlement and that it is not paid out
- 3.Public holidays OfficialFair Work OmbudsmanUsed for: Public holidays by state and territory
- 4.Long service leave OfficialFair Work OmbudsmanUsed for: State-based entitlement and varying thresholds
- 5.Fair Work Act 2009 — National Employment Standards LegislationFederal Register of LegislationUsed for: Statutory minimum leave entitlements
All entitlements come from the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Act as cited. Long service leave thresholds and rates differ by state and territory — check your own jurisdiction. Awards and enterprise agreements can provide more than the statutory minimum but never less.
Facts on this page are taken from the sources listed above — Australian government departments, regulators, statutory bodies and official statistical releases. Comparisons, judgements and "which option suits whom" conclusions are AI-assisted analysis written over those sources; they are marked in the text and listed as an AI-analysis entry in the sources, not attributed to any authority. Rates, thresholds, fees and processing times change, often at the start of a financial year; figures are current as at the review date shown and should be confirmed with the responsible agency before you rely on them for money or legal decisions.