1300 344 480
1300 344 480
1300 344 480

Long service leave

Long service leave is state law, and every jurisdiction does it differently – accrual rates, qualifying years, what counts as service, and whether a resignation pays out at all. Pick the state or territory, answer the questions, and the estimate updates as you type. Covers all eight jurisdictions with each Act's actual accrual, pro-rata and ordinary-pay rules.

Where and what are we calculating?

LSL is governed by the state or territory the employment is substantially connected to – not where the employer is registered

State or territory of employment
What do you need?
Basis of employment

Service period

Continuous service with the one employer (including across a sale of the business). Absences that don't count as service push the entitlement out – add them as excluded periods

Excluded periods
weeks

How is the employment ending?

Ordinary pay

Enter the details

Estimated payout value

$0

0.00weeks of LSL
$0.00ordinary weekly pay used
DetailValue
The legislation behind this calculator
  • ACT: Long Service Leave Act 1976. Leave builds at one-fifth of a month for each year of service, so 6.0667 weeks at 7 years. Pro-rata can be paid from 5 years in limited circumstances, and from 7 years it is payable however the employment ends
  • NSW: Long Service Leave Act 1955. 8.6667 weeks at 10 years, with pro-rata available from 5 years in limited circumstances. Once past 10 years, a termination payout counts part-years as well as whole years
  • NT: Long Service Leave Act 1981. 13 weeks at 10 years, building at 1.3 weeks for each completed year only. Pro-rata between 7 and 10 years has strict conditions, and dismissal for misconduct after 10 years winds the entitlement back to completed blocks
  • QLD: Industrial Relations Act 2016, ss 93–114. 8.6667 weeks at 10 years, with pro-rata from 7 years in defined circumstances. Anyone who has been casual or part-time at any point also gets the hours-based floor in s 105
  • SA: Long Service Leave Act 1987. 13 weeks at 10 years, counting completed years only. Pro-rata is payable from 7 years on any lawful termination, and variable hours are averaged over 3 years
  • TAS: Long Service Leave Act 1976. 8.6667 weeks at 10 years, with pro-rata from 7 years in defined circumstances. Ordinary pay includes shift penalties
  • VIC: Long Service Leave Act 2018. Leave builds at one-sixtieth of total service and is payable at 7 or more years however the employment ends. Pay is the greatest of the 52-week, 260-week and whole-of-employment averages
  • WA: Long Service Leave Act 1958, as amended on 20 June 2022. 8.6667 weeks at 10 years, with pro-rata from 7 years unless the employee is dismissed for serious misconduct. Hours are averaged within each accrual period, and results-based pay is averaged over 365 days
  • Counting service: Calendar days divided by 365.25, with any excluded periods taken off as whole days
  • Not modelled: Award or agreement variations, pre-2010 federal award terms (Fair Work Act s 113), portable industry schemes (flagged but not calculated), public holidays that fall during leave, tax withholding under ATO Schedule 7, and super, which applies to leave taken as leave but not to a termination lump sum

General information only. This calculator applies each state Act's standard method and doesn't consider award or agreement variations, pre-2010 federal award LSL terms, disputed continuity questions, or your specific circumstances. Reason-based conditions (misconduct, pressing necessity) are fact-dependent. This isn't legal, financial or BAS advice. Digit Business Advisors are registered BAS agents – talk to us before acting on these figures.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Long Service Leave Calculator

It depends on the state or territory Act. Full long service leave entitlement arrives at 7 years of continuous service in Victoria and the ACT, and at 10 years in NSW, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Most jurisdictions also pay a pro-rata entitlement on termination after 5 to 7 years in qualifying circumstances.
Most Australian jurisdictions accrue 8.67 weeks of long service leave over 10 years of service, which is 0.8667 weeks per year: NSW, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the ACT all use this rate. South Australia and the Northern Territory are more generous at 1.3 weeks per year, which is 13 weeks over 10 years.
Yes. Untaken long service leave is paid out when employment ends once the employee has reached the Act's qualifying service, and most states pay a pro-rata amount after 5 to 7 years where the termination reason qualifies, such as employer termination, illness or pressing domestic necessity. Dismissal for serious misconduct commonly removes the pro-rata entitlement.
In most Australian jurisdictions, yes. Regular and systematic casual service counts towards long service leave in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, subject to each Act's continuity rules, such as Queensland's limit on breaks of more than 3 months. Check the relevant state Act before excluding any casual service from the count.