Long Service Leave Australia
The reward for staying put — months of paid leave written into state law. Every state and territory has its own rules; here they all are, verified against each one’s official source.
Last updated: July 2026 · State & territory long service leave acts (all 8 jurisdictions verified) · FY 2026–27
What is Long Service Leave?
Long service leave is extra paid leave you earn simply by staying with one employer for years — a uniquely Australian entitlement that sits on top of your annual leave. Unlike the NES entitlements, it’s state and territory law, which means the rules change at the border: how long you must stay, how much you get, and what happens if you leave early are all different in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin.
The stakes are real money. In most jurisdictions ten years of service converts to roughly two months of paid leave (8⅔ weeks) — in South Australia and the Northern Territory it’s 13 weeks. Leave early and the pro-rata rules decide whether years of accrual pay out or evaporate: Victoria pays out from 7 years no matter why you leave, while most states between 7 and 10 years pay only for specific exits — and resigning casually one month before a threshold can cost five figures. The calculator below does your state’s arithmetic; the table compares all eight side by side.
Long Service Leave 2026–27 at a Glance
| Jurisdiction | Take leave after | Entitlement |
|---|---|---|
| NSW · QLD · WA · TAS | 10 years | 8.67 weeks |
| SA · NT | 10 years | 13 weeks |
| Victoria | 7 years | ≈6.1 weeks (1 wk per 60 wks) |
| ACT | 7 years | 1.4 months (1/5 month per year) |
Pro-rata payouts on termination start at 7 years in most jurisdictions (5 in NSW and the ACT) — usually only when the exit is for illness, pressing necessity, redundancy or employer termination other than serious misconduct. Casuals accrue long service leave in most jurisdictions, unlike annual leave. Some industries (building and construction, contract cleaning, community services, coal mining) have portable schemes that follow you between employers.
What You’ll Find in This Section
- Long Service Leave Calculator: pick your state, enter your years and weekly pay — get your accrued weeks, their dollar value, and whether they’d pay out if you left today
- State-by-State Table: all 8 jurisdictions compared — thresholds, accrual rates and pro-rata rules, each verified against its own official source
- Complete guide: taking long service leave — timing, payment, what breaks continuous service, and the thresholds that make quitting expensive
In this section:
⚠️ This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. KnowMyGovt is an independent service with no affiliation with or endorsement by any state or territory government, the Fair Work Commission or the Australian Government, and is not responsible for decisions you make based on it.
