Australia Redundancy Pay Calculator
Enter your years of continuous service and weekly base pay to see your estimated National Employment Standards redundancy pay, with the full schedule and working shown. Free, instant, and calculated entirely in your browser; no sign-up.
Estimated redundancy pay
10
weeks
$15,000.00
At at least 5 but less than 6 years, the National Employment Standards schedule gives 10 weeks of redundancy pay.
This is a minimum, not the final word
The NES is a statutory floor. A modern award, enterprise agreement or employment contract can set a better redundancy scale. Check your award or agreement before relying on this estimate.
Full NES schedule (s 119(2))
| Continuous service | Redundancy pay |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 0 weeks |
| At least 1 but less than 2 years | 4 weeks |
| At least 2 but less than 3 years | 6 weeks |
| At least 3 but less than 4 years | 7 weeks |
| At least 4 but less than 5 years | 8 weeks |
| At least 5 but less than 6 years | 10 weeks |
| At least 6 but less than 7 years | 11 weeks |
| At least 7 but less than 8 years | 13 weeks |
| At least 8 but less than 9 years | 14 weeks |
| At least 9 but less than 10 years | 16 weeks |
| 10 years or more | 12 weeks |
This tool estimates the National Employment Standards minimum only. It does not calculate an award or agreement redundancy scheme, does not check your award coverage or eligibility, and is not legal advice. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the Fair Work Commission or any Australian government body. Consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory about your situation.
Why the Scale Drops at 10 Years
The National Employment Standards redundancy pay scale in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) s 119(2) climbs steadily from 4 weeks at 1 year to 16 weeks at just under 10 years, then drops to 12 weeks at 10 years or more. That is not a drafting error. It reflects that long service leave entitlements start becoming available to many employees around the 10-year mark, so Parliament set a lower NES redundancy figure for longer-serving employees. A modern award, enterprise agreement or employment contract can still set a higher figure that avoids this drop, which is one reason it is worth checking your award before relying on the NES minimum alone.
Who Is Excluded
NES redundancy pay does not apply to an employee with less than 12 months of service, and it does not apply at all where the employer is a small business employer with fewer than 15 employees (Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) s 121(1)). The small business headcount includes full-time and part-time employees, regular casuals, and employees of any associated entity, counted across the whole business rather than just the immediate employer. A narrow exception in s 121(4) can restore redundancy pay where the business only became small through the very redundancies at issue and has since gone bankrupt or into liquidation. See redundancy pay in Australia for the full explainer, and unfair dismissal in Australia for how a redundancy dismissal can still be challenged if it was not a genuine redundancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as base pay for this calculator?
Use your ordinary base rate of pay only. Exclude overtime, penalty rates, allowances, bonuses, and any incentive-based payments. The Fair Work Act formula for the amount payable uses base rate of pay, not your total take-home pay.
Is redundancy pay the same as notice pay?
No, they are separate entitlements. Notice of termination (or payment in lieu) and redundancy pay can both apply to the same genuine redundancy. See the Australia notice period calculator to estimate the separate notice entitlement.
Does this calculator check my award or enterprise agreement?
No. This tool only calculates the National Employment Standards minimum under s 119(2) of the Fair Work Act. A modern award, enterprise agreement or your employment contract can set a better redundancy scale, and if one applies to you it can override this estimate. Check the relevant instrument or ask the Fair Work Ombudsman.
My employer has 14 employees. Do I still get NES redundancy pay?
Generally no. An employer with fewer than 15 employees is a small business employer, and small business employers are exempt from NES redundancy pay under s 121(1)(b), unless the narrow s 121(4) carve-out applies. The headcount is calculated across the whole business, including regular casuals and any associated entities, so it can be higher than the number of people at your specific worksite.
Why does my figure show 12 weeks when a colleague with 1 year less service got 16?
That is the built-in drop at 10 years described above. It is a genuine feature of s 119(2), not an error in this calculator. Someone with 9 years and 11 months of service is entitled to 16 weeks, while someone at exactly 10 years is entitled to 12 weeks.
Does this tool store what I enter?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved, transmitted, or used to contact you.
This calculator applies the National Employment Standards redundancy pay schedule in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) s 119(2), current as at 19 July 2026. It is a general estimate, not legal advice, and does not account for a modern award, enterprise agreement or contract that improves on the NES minimum. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the Fair Work Commission or any Australian government body. Consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory about your situation.
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