Redundancy Pay Table Australia 2026-27
The full redundancy pay table Australia uses under the National Employment Standards — redundancy weeks and minimum notice for every length of service, straight from the Fair Work Act.
Last updated: July 2026 · Fair Work Act 2009 ss 117, 119, 121 · FY 2026–27
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How to Read This Table
Find your years of continuous service — permanent service with this employer, not counting any period you worked as a casual — and read across. The redundancy column is paid at your base rate for ordinary hours (no overtime, loadings or allowances); the notice column is the minimum warning your employer must give, worked or paid out in lieu at full rate. The two entitlements stack: a 6-year employee gets 11 weeks redundancy plus 4 weeks notice (or its value), plus wages owed and untaken annual leave.
The Rules in One Line
Redundancy: 4–16 weeks (drops to 12 at 10+ years) · Notice: 1–4 weeks (+1 if over 45 with 2+ years)
Needs 12 months service · Employers under 15 staff: generally no redundancy pay · Casuals: excluded
NES Redundancy Pay & Notice Scale 2026–27
| Continuous Service | Redundancy Pay (s 119) | Minimum Notice (s 117) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | — | 1 week |
| At least 1, under 2 years | 4 weeks | 1–2 weeks |
| At least 2, under 3 years | 6 weeks | 2 weeks |
| At least 3, under 4 years | 7 weeks | 2–3 weeks |
| At least 4, under 5 years | 8 weeks | 3 weeks |
| At least 5, under 6 years | 10 weeks | 3–4 weeks |
| At least 6, under 7 years | 11 weeks | 4 weeks |
| At least 7, under 8 years | 13 weeks | 4 weeks |
| At least 8, under 9 years | 14 weeks | 4 weeks |
| At least 9, under 10 years | 16 weeks | 4 weeks |
| 10 years or more | 12 weeks | 4 weeks |
Add 1 week to notice if the employee is over 45 and has completed at least 2 years of service. Notice ranges show the s 117 boundaries falling inside each redundancy band. Awards and enterprise agreements can improve on all of these minimums.
Understanding the Scale
Worked example: six years of service on a base week of $1,500 means 11 weeks — $16,500 of redundancy pay — plus 4 weeks of notice worked or paid ($6,000), plus every hour of untaken annual leave. The number that surprises people is the base week itself: it’s your ordinary-hours rate only, so shift workers and overtime regulars will find their redundancy week smaller than a normal week’s earnings.
The eligibility gates matter as much as the scale. Under 12 months of service (casual periods excluded) there’s no redundancy pay at all; employers with fewer than 15 staff are generally exempt; and the count uses the Fair Work Act’s rules — regular casuals count toward the 15, and associated companies count as one employer. If your employer sits near that line, the head-count question is worth asking precisely.
Frequently Asked Questions
I work part-time — do I get the same weeks?
Yes — the same number of weeks, valued at your ordinary weekly pay. A part-timer on three days a week gets the identical row of the table; each “week” is simply worth a three-day week of base pay.
Does notice come on top of redundancy pay?
Yes. They’re separate NES entitlements: redundancy pay compensates the job disappearing; notice (worked or paid in lieu) covers the transition. An employer can’t fold one into the other — “your 11 weeks includes your notice” is wrong unless your award or agreement genuinely says something more generous overall.
My employer says they can’t afford it — can they just not pay?
Not unilaterally. An employer claiming incapacity to pay (or that they found you other acceptable employment) must apply to the Fair Work Commission, which can reduce the amount — sometimes to nil, sometimes not. Until the FWC orders a reduction, the full scale applies. If payment simply doesn’t arrive, the Fair Work Ombudsman is the enforcement path.
Which years count if I converted from casual to permanent?
Only the permanent years. Casual periods don’t count as continuous service for redundancy or notice — so five years casual plus two years permanent reads as two years on this table. It’s one of the most common miscounts in redundancy disputes.
Also in Australia:
📋 Entitlements verified — Official sources: Fair Work Act 2009 ss 117–123 · Fair Work Ombudsman — P.A.C.T.
⚠️ This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. KnowMyGovt is an independent service with no affiliation with or endorsement by the Fair Work Commission, the Fair Work Ombudsman or the Australian Government, and is not responsible for decisions you make based on it.
