Australia Long Service Leave Calculator
Pick your state or territory, then enter your years of continuous service and weekly pay to see your estimated long service leave entitlement, with the governing Act and the pro-rata-on-termination position for that state. Covers all eight Australian jurisdictions. Free, instant, and calculated entirely in your browser; no sign-up.
New South Wales long service leave
8.6667
weeks accrued
$13,000.00
At 10 years in New South Wales, the entitlement is 2 months (8.6667 weeks) at 10 years, then a further month (4.3333 weeks) for every further 5 years, accruing continuously at the same underlying rate.
Governing provision
Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW) s 4(2)(a)(i)(A)
Pro-rata leave if your employment ends before you reach the full entitlement
From 5 years but under 10, pro-rata leave is only payable if your employer ends your employment for a reason other than your serious and wilful misconduct, or you resign because of illness, incapacity, or a domestic or other pressing necessity, or you die. From 10 to 15 years, pro-rata leave becomes payable on any reason for termination, including a plain resignation.
Taking this leave is not the same as accruing it
This figure is what accrues, which is the right basis for a termination payout. The right to TAKE leave arrives in 5-year blocks, so if you are part-way through a block your employer may not have to grant the extra accrual as leave yet.
This is a minimum, not the final word
This is the statutory floor set by the New South Wales Act. A modern award, enterprise agreement or employment contract can set a better long service leave entitlement. Check your award or agreement before relying on this estimate.
This tool estimates the ordinary long service leave entitlement under the New South Wales Act only. It does not calculate a portable-scheme entitlement (construction, contract cleaning, community services or security in the states that run one), does not apply the rate-of-pay averaging rules those Acts use in full, and does not assess your specific circumstances. This is general legal information, not legal advice. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any Australian government body. Consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory about your situation.
Eight Acts, Eight Formulas
Long service leave is the one genuinely state-based part of Australian employment law; almost everything else runs off the federal Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). Each state and territory has its own Act, its own qualifying period (10 years in most, 7 years in Victoria and the ACT), and its own formula, and they are not interchangeable. New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania all use the same underlying rate, 2 months (8.6667 weeks) at 10 years, then a further month for every further 5 years, but South Australia and the Northern Territory instead accrue at a flat 1.3 weeks per completed year, and Victoria uses a 1/60th-of-service formula that becomes accessible at 7 years rather than 10.
| State / territory | Governing Act | Qualifying period | Entitlement |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW) | 10 years | 2 months (8.6667 weeks) at 10 years, then a further month (4.3333 weeks) for every further 5 years, accruing continuously at the same underlying rate. |
| Victoria | Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic) | 7 years | 1/60th of your total continuous service, about 0.8667 weeks for every year worked, accruing continuously from your first day. |
| Queensland | Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld) | 10 years | 8.6667 weeks at 10 years, then a proportionate amount for every further 5 years, accruing continuously at the same underlying rate. |
| Western Australia | Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA) | 10 years | 8⅔ weeks at 10 years, then 4⅓ weeks for every further 5 years, accruing continuously at the same underlying rate. |
| South Australia | Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA) | 10 years | 13 weeks at 10 years, then 1.3 weeks for every completed year after that. |
| Tasmania | Long Service Leave Act 1976 (Tas) | 10 years | 8⅔ weeks at 10 years, then 4⅓ weeks for every further 5 years, accruing continuously at the same underlying rate. |
| Australian Capital Territory | Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT) | 7 years | 1/5 of a month for every year of service, 1.4 months at 7 years, continuing at the same rate after that. |
| Northern Territory | Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT) | 10 years | 1.3 weeks for every completed year of service, 13 weeks at 10 years. |
Two Points That Trip People Up
Victoria pays nothing before 7 years, on any ground. Every other state and territory has some form of early pro-rata leave for illness, redundancy or a pressing personal necessity. Victoria does not. Under the Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic), nothing accrues as a payable entitlement before the 7-year mark, whatever the reason your employment ends.
The ACT Act is written in months, not weeks. The Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT) sets the entitlement at 1/5 of a month for every year of service, which comes to 1.4 months at 7 years. This calculator converts that to weeks (about 6.0667 weeks) for comparability with the other states, but the conversion is not a verbatim statutory figure, only a calculation from the ACT's own months-based formula.
For the full state-by-state detail, including how continuous service, casual employment and rate of pay are worked out, see New South Wales long service leave, Victoria long service leave, or Western Australia long service leave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my weeks figure not change when I added a fraction of a year?
In South Australia and the Northern Territory, the extra accrual past the qualifying period is calculated per completed year, so a partial year beyond a completed year does not add to the figure until it becomes a full year. In the other states, accrual is continuous, so a partial year does add proportionately.
Can I take long service leave before I reach the qualifying period?
In most states, you cannot take the ordinary entitlement before the qualifying period, though a pro-rata amount can become payable earlier if your employment ends for specific reasons such as illness, redundancy or a pressing personal necessity. Victoria is the exception: nothing is payable there before 7 years, on any ground. Check the pro-rata note this calculator shows for your selected state.
Does this calculator cover portable long service leave schemes?
No. Construction, and in some states contract cleaning, community services or security work, run under separate portable long service leave schemes that let workers carry service between employers in the same industry. This calculator estimates the ordinary employer-based entitlement under each state's general Act only.
Is Western Australia long service leave still governed by a 1978 General Order?
No. That instrument was repealed in 2006. The Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA) is the current general entitlement for most private-sector employees, and some employees instead hold an at-least-equivalent award or agreement entitlement that displaces the Act for them.
How is my rate of pay calculated when I take long service leave?
This differs by state. New South Wales uses the greater of your current ordinary pay or a 5-year average; Victoria uses the greatest of a 52-week, 260-week, or whole-of-employment average; the Northern Territory uses a point-in-time rate; and South Australia averages commission over 12 months and casual pay over 3 years. This calculator uses your current weekly pay as a simple estimate and does not apply these averaging rules.
Does this tool store what I enter?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you select or enter is saved, transmitted, or used to contact you.
This calculator summarises the ordinary long service leave entitlement under the long service leave Act of the eight Australian states and territories, current as at 19 July 2026. It is a general estimate, not legal advice, and does not calculate a portable-scheme entitlement or apply the full rate-of-pay averaging rules for your state. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any Australian government body. Consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory about your situation.
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