Long Service Leave Calculator NSW (8.67 Weeks)
In New South Wales, long service leave is 2 months (8.67 weeks) after 10 years of continuous service, then a further month for every 5 years. From 5 years, pro-rata leave is paid if the employer ends the employment (other than for serious misconduct), or the employee resigns because of illness, incapacity or a domestic or pressing necessity.
Long service leave balance
10.85 weeks
The full qualifying service period has been reached under this model; the selected leaving reason does not remove the accrued entitlement.
- Balance hours
- 412.16
- Balance days
- 54.23
- Value
- $18,547.40
- Status
- full entitlement
Show breakdown
Calculation breakdown
- Service years
- 12.52
- Accrued weeks to date
- 10.85
- Status
- full entitlement
- Entitled weeks
- 10.85
- Balance weeks
- 10.85
- Balance hours
- 412.16
- Balance days
- 54.23
- Value
- $18,547.40
- Full entitlement date
- 3 Mar 2024
- Rule
- 8.6667 weeks after 10 years; pro-rata from 5 years (employer_termination_not_misconduct, resignation_illness_incapacity_domestic, death)
- Note
- The full qualifying service period has been reached under this model; the selected leaving reason does not remove the accrued entitlement.
| Service years | 12.52 |
|---|---|
| Accrued weeks to date | 10.85 |
| Status | full entitlement |
| Entitled weeks | 10.85 |
| Balance weeks | 10.85 |
| Balance hours | 412.16 |
| Balance days | 54.23 |
| Value | $18,547.40 |
| Full entitlement date | 3 Mar 2024 |
| Rule | 8.6667 weeks after 10 years; pro-rata from 5 years (employer_termination_not_misconduct, resignation_illness_incapacity_domestic, death) |
| Note | The full qualifying service period has been reached under this model; the selected leaving reason does not remove the accrued entitlement. |
Portable schemes, awards, interstate service and statutory averaging rules can change entitlements. Confirm which unpaid absences count before deducting days.
NSW: full entitlement. The balance is 10.85 weeks (412.16 hours), valued at $18,547.40 at the entered ordinary rate.
At a glance
- NSW
- 8.67 weeks after 10 years; conditional pro-rata from 5 years; see the state rules below
- VIC
- 1/60th of service, payable after 7 years on any termination; 8.70 weeks at 10 years
- QLD
- 8.67 weeks after 10 years; conditional pro-rata from 7 years; conduct and performance exclusions apply
- WA, TAS
- 8.67 weeks after 10 years; pro-rata from 7 years on any termination except serious misconduct
- SA, NT
- 13 weeks after 10 years; pro-rata from 7 years
- ACT
- 6.07 weeks after 7 years; pro-rata from 5 years on employer termination or resignation for illness
How it is calculated
Count service using calendar anniversaries, apply the selected jurisdiction’s accrual rule and assess the termination conditions. Deduct leave taken from payable entitlement before valuing ordinary hours.
end_exclusive = end + 1 day if the employment ended on `end` (the last day worked is a day of service); `end` itself for an "as at" balance
service_years = completed calendar anniversaries of `start` before end_exclusive, plus (days since the last anniversary ÷ days in that anniversary year),
after deducting unpaid days that do not count as service. 10 years is reached on the 10th anniversary, whatever the leap days.
accrued_weeks = service_years × rule.weeks_per_year (all states except VIC)
= eligible service days ÷ 420 (VIC: one sixtieth of the period of continuous employment)
Entitlement status:
service_years ≥ qualifying_years → full entitlement (any reason for leaving, incl. misconduct: accrued leave is a vested entitlement)
pro_rata_years ≤ service_years < qualifying_years
and reason qualifies under rule.pro_rata_reasons → pro-rata on termination
reason = serious misconduct before qualifying → nil
still employed, service ≥ pro_rata_years → accruing; shows what a qualifying termination would pay
otherwise → no entitlement yet, with the date the full entitlement is reached
entitled_weeks = accrued_weeks when status is full or pro-rata, else 0
balance_weeks = max(0, entitled_weeks − taken_weeks)
balance_hours = balance_weeks × hours_per_week; value = balance_hours × hourly_rate
full_entitlement_date = the qualifying_years-th calendar anniversary of start (29 February rolls to 28 February)- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Long Service Leave — NSW · Verification pending
- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Long Service Leave — VIC · Verification pending
- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Long Service Leave — QLD · Verification pending
- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Long Service Leave — WA · Verification pending
- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Long Service Leave — SA · Verification pending
- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Long Service Leave — TAS · Verification pending
- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Long Service Leave — ACT · Verification pending
- Rates as at 2026-09-07 from Long Service Leave — NT · Verification pending
Is NSW long service leave paid on resignation after 5 years?
Before ten years, an ordinary resignation to take another job does not normally trigger the listed NSW pro-rata entitlement. From five years, resignation for illness, incapacity or a domestic or pressing necessity can qualify. Confirm the reason and continuous-service rules before calculating a final payment.
How is NSW long service leave calculated for casuals?
Casual service can count where continuity meets the NSW Act. The pay and hours used may require statutory averaging rather than the latest roster. Enter a verified ordinary-hours average and check the official NSW guidance before using the value in a termination payment.
How is long service leave calculated in Australia?
Every state and territory has its own Long Service Leave Act (Queensland’s rules are in the Industrial Relations Act 2016), and each sets three things: the years of continuous service needed for the full entitlement, the weeks of leave at that point, and the point from which a proportionate payment is owed if employment ends earlier. Most states give 8.67 weeks after 10 years, which is 0.867 weeks for every year of service, and the leave keeps accruing at that rate afterwards. The calculator takes the start and end dates, works out the years of continuous service, multiplies by the state’s rate, and applies the pro-rata rules to the reason for leaving. Leave is paid at the ordinary rate for the employee’s ordinary hours, so the dollar value is weeks × weekly hours × hourly rate.
When is pro-rata long service leave payable?
Before the full entitlement, only on termination and only after a minimum period that varies by state: 5 years in NSW and the ACT, 7 years everywhere else. What the termination must be also varies. In WA, SA, TAS and NT, the listed pro-rata rules generally exclude serious misconduct. In Victoria, once seven years of continuous employment are completed, the 2018 Act requires payment on termination, including serious misconduct. In NSW, QLD and the ACT a resignation only qualifies if it is because of illness, incapacity or a domestic or pressing necessity; otherwise the trigger is termination by the employer (for example redundancy), or death. So an employee with eight years’ service who resigns to take another job is paid long service leave in Victoria and nothing in New South Wales. Once the full qualifying period is reached, the accrued leave is payable on termination for any reason.
How do casual and part-time employees accrue long service leave?
The same way, on their ordinary hours. Casuals accrue long service leave in every state as long as service is continuous under the Act’s rules (breaks of a certain length, or engagements on a regular and systematic basis, are defined per state). The difficulty is the pay rate and hours to use: the Acts set averaging rules, such as the greater of the average over the last 12 months, the last 5 years or the whole period, and some exclude casual loading. The calculator uses the average weekly hours you enter and says so; payroll systems that apply the state rules, such as MYOB Acumatica payroll, compute the average from the pay history.
What does not count as continuous service?
Continuous service is broken by resignation and re-engagement (unless the Act deems it continuous within a set period), and some unpaid absences reduce it without breaking it. Paid leave, public holidays and workers compensation absences generally count; unpaid parental leave counts in some states and not others; a period of unpaid leave agreed with the employer usually does not break service but may not count towards it. A transfer of business, where the new employer takes on the employee, carries service across. Enter unpaid days that do not count as service in the calculator, and check the state’s rule for parental leave.
| State | Full entitlement | Pro-rata from | Pro-rata triggered by | Accrual per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 8.67 weeks after 10 years | 5 years | Employer termination (not misconduct); resignation for illness, incapacity or domestic necessity; death | 0.867 weeks |
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Employment started | 2020-08-01 |
| Last day of employment | 2026-09-07 |
| Reason | redundancy |
| Ordinary hours per week | 38 |
| Hourly rate | $40.00 |
| Continuous service | 6.1041 years |
| Accrued before leave taken | 5.2902 weeks |
| Leave already taken | 0 weeks |
| Entitlement status | pro-rata on termination |
| Payable balance | 5.2902 weeks |
| Payable hours | 201.03 hours |
| Value | $8,041.18 |
Frequently asked questions
Is NSW long service leave paid on resignation after 5 years?
Before ten years, an ordinary resignation to take another job does not normally trigger the listed NSW pro-rata entitlement. From five years, resignation for illness, incapacity or a domestic or pressing necessity can qualify. Confirm the reason and continuous-service rules before calculating a final payment.
How is NSW long service leave calculated for casuals?
Casual service can count where continuity meets the NSW Act. The pay and hours used may require statutory averaging rather than the latest roster. Enter a verified ordinary-hours average and check the official NSW guidance before using the value in a termination payment.
Is long service leave paid out on resignation?
After the full qualifying period (10 years in most states, 7 in VIC and the ACT) accrued leave is paid on termination for any reason, including resignation. Before that, a resignation triggers pro-rata leave only in VIC, WA, SA, TAS and NT after 7 years; in NSW, QLD and the ACT it must be for illness, incapacity or domestic necessity.
Can long service leave be cashed out?
Generally no while employed. Most state Acts require leave to be taken as leave, and several make it an offence to cash it out, although some allow it by agreement in limited circumstances (for example Queensland by written agreement after the entitlement arises, and Western Australia under certain conditions). It is paid out on termination. Check the state Act before agreeing to any cash-out.
MYOB Acumatica partner in Brisbane
Long service leave liabilities by state, accrued automatically on ordinary hours, is what payroll inside your ERP is for. Ask us about MYOB Acumatica payroll.
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