PayTallyLong service leave

Long service leave calculator by state: what you've built up, and whether you can take it yet

Your details

State or territory
The state where you work. Each has its own long service leave Act.
Continuous service (time with this employer)
Unbroken time with one employer.
?

Unpaid leave and some breaks may not count, and each state has its own rules on what breaks continuity (gaps of up to 12 weeks are allowed in Victoria, 3 months in Queensland; NSW looks at regularity case by case). Casual and part-time service counts in every state if it is continuous. See your state's rule under the result.
Ordinary weekly pay (before tax)
Optional, for a dollar value. No overtime or penalty rates; casual loading is included.
?

Every state uses your ordinary pay at the time you take the leave or your job ends. If your hours or rate varied, the state averages them (over 12 months, 5 years or the whole period, depending on the state). This calculator uses the figure you type and does not average for you; the result is marked "not averaged".
More options (leave already taken, portable schemes)
In some states these industries have a portable scheme that applies instead of the general Act.

Your state's rule

Long service leave by state: NSW · VIC · QLD · WA · SA · TAS · ACT · NT

Compare all states and territories

The general long service leave Act in each state and territory. Figures were checked on 8 November 2026 against the official source linked in each row. Confirmed means the figure appears on an official agency page or in the Act itself.

Show the comparison
Long service leave entitlements by Australian state and territory
State or territoryFull entitlementPaid out on leaving fromConditions before the full entitlementSource
NSW8.6667 weeks (2 months) after 10 years; then 4.3333 weeks per further 5 years. Confirmed5 years5–10 years: only if the employer ends the job (other than for serious and wilful misconduct), the worker leaves because of illness, incapacity or a domestic or other pressing necessity, or the worker dies. After 10 years, paid out for any reason.NSW Industrial Relations
Victoria1 week per 60 weeks of service (6.0667 weeks at 7 years, 8.6667 at 10), can be taken after 7 years. Confirmed7 yearsAny reason: resignation, dismissal, redundancy or death. Nothing is payable before 7 years.Wage Inspectorate Victoria
Queensland8.6667 weeks after 10 years; then 4.3333 weeks per further 5 years. Confirmed7 years7–10 years: only on death, resignation because of illness or a domestic or other pressing necessity, dismissal because of illness, dismissal for a reason other than conduct, capacity or performance, or unfair dismissal. After 10 years, any reason.Business Queensland (OIR)
Western Australia8.6667 weeks after 10 years; then 4.3333 weeks per further 5 years. Confirmed7 years7–10 years: paid if the employee resigns, is made redundant, dies or is dismissed for any reason other than serious misconduct.WA Wageline
South Australia13 weeks after 10 years; 1.3 weeks per completed year after that. Confirmed7 yearsAny reason, except dismissal for serious and wilful misconduct or where the worker ends the job unlawfully (for example without giving required notice). 1.3 weeks per completed year.SafeWork SA
Tasmania8.6667 weeks after 10 years; then 4.3333 weeks per further 5 years. Confirmed7 years7–10 years: if the employer ends the job (other than for serious and wilful misconduct), the employee leaves because of illness, incapacity or a domestic or other pressing necessity, or the employee dies. After 10 years, any reason.WorkSafe Tasmania
ACT1/5 of a month per year (0.8667 weeks); 6.0667 weeks at 7 years, when leave can first be taken. Confirmed5 years5–7 years: only if the employee leaves because of illness, incapacity or a domestic or other pressing necessity, retires at or after retirement age (65 unless an award says otherwise), dies, or is dismissed for a reason other than serious and wilful misconduct. After 7 years, any reason.Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT)
Northern Territory13 weeks after 10 years (1.3 weeks per completed year); a further 6.5 weeks for each later 5-year block. Confirmed7 years7–10 years: only if the employee retires at or after retirement age, is dismissed for a reason other than serious misconduct, leaves because of illness, incapacity or a domestic or other pressing necessity, or dies. After 10 years, any reason (misconduct limits payment to completed 10- and 5-year blocks).Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT)

How the calculator works

Each state's rule is applied as its Act or agency describes it. The figure you see is the legal minimum under the general Act; an award, agreement or portable scheme can give more or work differently.

1. Weeks built up

Your continuous service is multiplied by the state's rate: 0.8667 weeks a year (two months per 10 years) in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, Tasmania and the ACT, and 1.3 weeks a year in SA and the NT. SA and the NT count completed years only, the ACT counts completed months, and the others count down to days. Leave already taken is subtracted.

2. What you can take now

In NSW, Queensland, WA, Tasmania and the NT, leave becomes available in blocks: the first at 10 years, then one for each further 5 years. If you are still employed with, say, 12 years in NSW, you can take the 10-year block (8.6667 weeks) now; the extra 1.7 weeks keep building toward the 15-year block, or are paid out when you leave. In Victoria and the ACT, everything built up can be taken from 7 years; in SA, from 10 years.

3. Paid out when you leave

Once you pass the full qualifying period (10 years in most states, 7 in Victoria and the ACT), the whole balance is paid out whatever the reason. Below that, from the state's threshold (5 years in NSW and the ACT, 7 elsewhere), a share of the full amount is paid, but in most states only for qualifying reasons: the employer ending the job, illness or incapacity, a domestic or other pressing necessity, or death. Victoria, WA and SA pay the share for almost any reason. The result card tells you which case you are in.

4. Dollar value

Weeks multiplied by the ordinary weekly pay you enter, before tax. Every state uses your ordinary pay at the time, and most average it if your hours or rate varied; this calculator does not average for you, so the result is marked not averaged. Casual loading is included; overtime and most penalty rates are not.

Worked example

12 years in NSW, still employed, on $1,500 a week: 12 × 0.8667 = 10.4 weeks built up. The completed 10-year block, 8.6667 weeks, can be taken now, worth $13,000 before tax. The other 1.7 weeks keep building toward the 15-year block or are paid out when you leave.

Frequently asked questions

Do I get long service leave after 7 years?

In Victoria and the ACT, yes: you can take the leave you have built up once you reach 7 years with one employer (about 6.07 weeks), and it is paid out if you leave after that for any reason. In Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania and the NT, 7 years is the point where a share can be paid when your employment ends, but you generally cannot take the leave until 10 years, and in QLD, Tasmania and the NT the payout depends on why you left. In NSW the threshold for a payout is 5 years, with conditions.

Do I get long service leave if I resign?

It depends on the state and how long you have served. Once you pass the full qualifying period (10 years in most states, 7 in Victoria and the ACT) your balance is paid out whatever the reason. Below that, resigning by choice qualifies for a share only in Victoria (from 7 years), WA (from 7 years) and SA (from 7 years, provided you give proper notice). In NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT, a resignation in that window is paid only if it was because of illness, incapacity or a domestic or other pressing necessity, and you may need to show evidence.

Is long service leave paid out on redundancy?

Usually yes, once you are past the state's threshold. Redundancy is the employer ending the job for a reason that is not misconduct, so it qualifies in every state from the threshold (5 years in NSW and the ACT, 7 years elsewhere). Before the threshold, nothing is payable under the state Acts even on redundancy. Our redundancy pay calculator works out the rest of a redundancy payment.

How is long service leave calculated?

Years of service multiplied by the state's rate, less any long service leave already taken, multiplied by your ordinary weekly pay. The rate is 0.8667 weeks a year (two months per 10 years) in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, Tasmania and the ACT, and 1.3 weeks a year in SA and the NT. SA and the NT count completed years only; the ACT counts completed months; the others count down to days.

How is long service leave taxed?

Leave you take while employed is taxed as ordinary salary through PAYG withholding. A payout when you leave is an unused leave payment: the part built up after 17 August 1993 is taxed at your marginal rate (with withholding at a flat 32% in most cases), while amounts from earlier service, or paid because of a genuine redundancy, invalidity or early retirement scheme, get concessional treatment. The ATO's page on unused leave payments on termination has the current rules.

Do casuals get long service leave?

Yes, in every state and territory, provided the service is continuous under that state's rules. Casual loading is included in the pay rate, and weeks are worked out from average or total ordinary hours. Gaps between engagements can break continuity: Victoria allows up to 12 weeks, Queensland up to 3 months, and NSW assesses regularity case by case.

Can I cash out long service leave instead of taking it?

Not in most states: NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT prohibit or tightly restrict cashing out while employed (Queensland allows it only by agreement after 10 years, and the ACT and Victoria do not allow it). WA allows cashing out by written agreement for leave already built up; SA allows it by agreement for leave above the minimum entitlement. A payout when you leave is different and is what the calculator shows.

What if my award or a portable scheme covers me?

Some federal awards and enterprise agreements carry their own long service leave terms that override the state Act, and workers in building and construction, contract cleaning, community services, contract security (in some states) and black coal mining build up leave through portable schemes run by a state corporation or Coal LSL. Check your award on the Fair Work Ombudsman site, or the portable scheme in your state, before relying on these figures.

Sources

All checked 8 November 2026. Figures marked confirmed on the page appear on these official pages or in the text of the Act.

  1. NSW Industrial Relations, Long service leave (guidance updated 1 March 2026): nsw.gov.au/employment/rights-responsibilities/leave/long-service-leave; Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW).
  2. Wage Inspectorate Victoria, Long service leave: vic.gov.au/long-service-leave; Comprehensive Guide, Calculating long service leave; Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic).
  3. Business Queensland / Office of Industrial Relations, Entitlements and continuous service and Calculating long service leave; Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld).
  4. WA Private Sector Labour Relations (Wageline), WA long service leave calculator, Payment for long service leave and the 2022 amendments fact sheet; Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA).
  5. SafeWork SA, Accruing leave and Payment; Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA).
  6. WorkSafe Tasmania, Long service leave and Pro rata long service leave; Long Service Leave Act 1976 (Tas).
  7. ACT Legislation Register, Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT), republication R29 (19 Nov 2025); WorkSafe ACT, Long service leave.
  8. NT Legislation Database, Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT); NT Government, Long service leave.
  9. Australian Taxation Office, Unused leave payments on termination of employment.
  10. Fair Work Ombudsman, Long service leave, 13 13 94.