Dominic is the CEO of Lawpath, dedicating his days to making legal easier, faster and more accessible to businesses. Dominic is a recognised thought-leader in Australian legal disruption, and was recognised as a winner of the Australian Legal Innovation Index and recently a winner of the LexisNexis 40 Under 40 (APAC).
The Lawpath long service leave calculator (below) is a free tool that estimates the leave an employee can take now, or the amount payable when employment ends, under each Australian state and territory Act. Enter the state, the length of continuous service, ordinary weekly pay and whether employment has ended, and the calculator returns the weeks owing and a dollar figure.
A lot of owners treat 8.67 weeks after 10 years as the rule for every employee in Australia. That figure is right in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania once the person reaches 10 years. Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory let staff take leave after 7 years. South Australia and the Northern Territory give 13 weeks after 10 years. And if someone leaves at year 8, the reason they leave can be the difference between a payout and nothing.
What is the long service leave calculator, and who is it for?
It’s a planning tool for anyone who has to approve a period of leave or a termination payout: a sole trader with a long-serving casual, or a small team checking what is owing before someone resigns. If you’ve asked “how much long service leave does this person have?”, it’s for you.
It answers one question for the general state or territory Act you select: how many weeks can be taken while the person is still employed, or how many weeks should be paid if employment has ended for a given reason? You still need to confirm that service was continuous, and that no portable scheme or award term sets a different rule.
How to use the long service leave calculator
Here’s what you enter in the calculator above, in order.
- Select the state or territory where the employee works.
- Enter years, months and days of continuous service, as the relevant Act counts it (after excluding unpaid time that does not count as service).
- Enter ordinary gross weekly pay, excluding overtime and most bonuses or allowances. If hours vary, enter the weekly figure you would use to pay the leave. Queensland casuals should enter the loaded casual weekly amount.
- Choose full-time or part-time, or casual. This can add a continuity note. It does not decide whether service was continuous.
- Choose whether the person is still employed, or employment has ended. If it has ended, select the reason, because several states only pay a pro-rata amount for listed reasons. For South Australia, tick the box if the employee left without the required notice.
- If some leave has already been taken, enter those weeks so the result deducts them.
What the results show
You get the weeks owing and a dollar value (weeks multiplied by the weekly amount you entered). The explanation tells you whether that figure is leave that can be taken now, a payout due on ending employment, a possible entitlement that depends on the facts, or nothing yet. Official sources for the selected state sit under the result.
Same length of service, two different payouts
Business Victoria works an example of an employee named Jacqui who resigns after 7 years and 6 months. Accrual in Victoria is 1 week of leave for every 60 weeks of service, and a year is counted as 52 weeks. That is (7 × 52 + 26) ÷ 60, or 6.5 weeks. At $1,200 ordinary weekly pay, the payout is $7,800.
Run 8 years of service in Queensland and an ordinary resignation pays nothing. Queensland only opens a pro-rata payout between 7 and 10 years for listed reasons, such as redundancy, death, or leaving because of illness or a domestic or pressing necessity. If that same person had been made redundant, the payout would be 8 ÷ 10 × 8.6667, or 6.9334 weeks ($8,320.08 at $1,200 a week).
SafeWork SA works a different example. Aisha has 8 years and 6 months of service and leaves with the required notice. South Australia pays 1.3 weeks for each completed year only, so 8 × 1.3 = 10.4 weeks. The extra 6 months does not count. At $1,200 a week, that is $12,480. Completing 7 years in South Australia still does not let the employee take leave while employed. Taking leave starts after 10 years, when the first entitlement is 13 weeks.
How the states differ
Long service leave is mostly state and territory law. The Fair Work Ombudsman also covers cases where a pre-modern federal award or agreement still sets the entitlement. For the general Acts, the first point at which leave can be taken, and the first block of leave, look like this.
| State or territory | Leave can be taken after | First entitlement | Pro-rata payout if employment ends earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 10 years | 8.67 weeks (2 months) | From 5 years, only for listed reasons. After 10 years, any reason. |
| Victoria | 7 years | 1 week per 60 weeks of service (about 6.07 weeks at 7 years) | After 7 years, unused leave is paid when employment ends. |
| Queensland | 10 years | 8.6667 weeks | From 7 years, only for listed reasons. After 10 years, any reason. |
| WA | 10 years | 8.667 weeks | From 7 years, except dismissal for serious misconduct. After 10 years, unused vested leave plus pro-rata of completed years in the current block, unless serious misconduct (then vested blocks only). |
| SA | 10 years | 13 weeks, then 1.3 weeks per later completed year | From 7 years, 1.3 weeks per completed year, unless serious and wilful misconduct or the worker leaves without the required notice. |
| Tasmania | 10 years | 8⅔ weeks | From 7 years for some reasons (not ordinary resignation). After 10 years, resignation for any reason qualifies. |
| ACT | 7 years | 6.0667 weeks | From 5 years, only for listed reasons. After 7 years, accrued leave is paid when employment ends. |
| NT | 10 years | 13 weeks (1.3 weeks per completed year) | From 7 years, only for listed reasons, and only completed years. The official 7 to 10 year list does not include death. |
Those figures come from the official state and territory guidance: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory. We have a longer explainer on how long service leave works in Australia if you want the background in more depth.
What this calculator leaves out
Casual employees can accrue long service leave, but only if their service is continuous under that state’s test. Tasmania generally requires regular work of 32 hours or more in each consecutive four-week period. Victoria looks at absences of more than 12 weeks, with exceptions. Queensland continuity can break if more than 3 months pass between contracts. The long service leave calculator does not decide continuity. You still have to apply the test.
Portable long service leave schemes in industries such as construction, contract cleaning, community services and security are also out of scope. Those schemes can keep leave accruing when a person moves between employers. Check with the relevant state authority rather than relying on this result.
A few official pages also leave a genuine gap. WorkSafe Tasmania treats some 7 to 10 year resignations for incapacity, pressing necessity or illness as circumstance-specific, so the calculator marks those as possible rather than automatic. The official Northern Territory 7 to 10 year list does not include death. SafeWork SA states the misconduct and notice exclusions for the pro-rata payment, and is less clear about leave already vested after 10 years. In those cases the tool shows the figures it can support and tells you to check the Act or get advice.
Long service leave calculator vs pay calculator
Use the tools together. The long service leave calculator estimates a state or territory leave entitlement. Our Pay Calculator shows award rates for common industries and the employee’s take-home pay after tax. Our Minimum Wage Checker shows the National Minimum Wage floor for award and agreement free staff. Once you know the wage, the Cost of Employment Calculator adds super, payroll tax, workers comp and leave loading, so you can see what the hire costs the business.
Frequently asked questions
Is the long service leave calculator free?
Yes. It’s free to use and there’s no login or sign-up.
How much long service leave do employees get in Australia?
It depends on the state or territory. NSW, Queensland, WA and Tasmania generally give about 8.67 weeks after 10 years. Victoria and the ACT let employees take leave after 7 years (about 6.07 weeks at that point). South Australia and the Northern Territory give 13 weeks after 10 years. Pro-rata payout rules if someone leaves earlier also differ by jurisdiction and by the reason employment ended.
Do casual employees get long service leave?
Usually yes, if their service is continuous under the relevant state’s test. Tasmania generally requires regular work of 32 hours or more in each consecutive four-week period. Other states use their own continuity rules, including limits on long gaps between engagements. The calculator estimates the weeks once you treat the service as continuous. It does not decide continuity for you.
When is a pro-rata payout due if someone leaves before 10 years?
It depends on the state and the reason employment ended. Victoria pays unused accrued leave once 7 years is reached. NSW can pay from 5 years, and the ACT from 5 years, but only for listed reasons. Queensland, WA, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory can pay from 7 years, again with their own reason tests. An ordinary resignation before 10 years often pays nothing in NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory.
Does this calculator cover portable long service leave schemes?
No. Portable schemes in industries such as construction, contract cleaning, community services and security are not modelled. Those schemes can keep leave accruing across employers. Check with the relevant state portable scheme authority.
Check the state rule before you approve the payout
Getting the jurisdiction right is the starting point. Once you have the weeks, confirm continuity, check for a portable scheme or a different award term, and then decide whether the person can take the leave or should be paid it out.
Estimate the leave owing for your next long-serving employee in a couple of minutes with the free long service leave calculator above.
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This article is general information only and isn’t legal, tax or financial advice. Entitlements change, so get advice for your situation and check the official state or territory source, or the Fair Work Ombudsman for pre-modern award cases.
