Long service leave calculator, New South Wales
See how much long service leave you have earned in New South Wales, and what it is worth if it is paid out — under the Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW).
The calculator
Long service leave in New South Wales is set by the Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW), not by the national system — so the qualifying period and the amount you accrue differ from other states.
Unbroken service with the same employer. Approved leave usually counts; check the exceptions below.
Your ordinary hours, excluding overtime. Most states use your pay at the time you take the leave.
This is an estimate, not financial or legal advice.
Full rate table
The NSW entitlement in full
| Governing Act | Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW) |
|---|---|
| Qualifying period | 10 years of continuous service |
| Leave at the qualifying point | 8.6667 weeks |
| Accrual after that | 0.86667 weeks for each further year |
| Pro-rata on resignation | Resignation: from 5 years. Between 5 and 10 years, a worker who resigns is only paid pro-rata long service leave where they leave on account of illness, incapacity, or domestic or other pressing necessity of such a nature as to justify resigning. A plain resignation before 10 years attracts nothing. |
| Pro-rata when the employer ends it | Termination: from 5 years. Between 5 and 10 years, a worker whose employment is ended by the employer for any reason other than serious and wilful misconduct is paid a proportionate amount on the basis of 2 months for 10 years. The same applies on the worker's death, paid to the estate. |
Worked example
Ten years of continuous service — 2 months, where a month is 4⅓ weeks
10 years of continuous service in New South Wales earns 8.6667 weeks of long service leave (43.33 working days). At $1500 a week that is $13,000.05 before tax.
Checked against https://www.nsw.gov.au/employment/rights-responsibilities/leave/long-service-leave. This figure is re-computed from the rule file on every build, so a page that no longer reproduces its own source example never ships.
How it’s worked out
How long service leave is worked out here
Under the Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW), you reach the qualifying point at 10 years of continuous service with the same employer, and that earns 8.6667 weeks of leave. Each further year adds 0.86667 weeks. Accrual is continuous — the qualifying point is when the leave becomes payable, not when it starts building up, which is why a pro-rata payment before that point is worked out on the same per-year rate.
The Act works in months, and defines a month as 4⅓ weeks. Two months for the first 10 years is therefore 8.6667 weeks, and the further month for each completed 5 years is 4.3333 weeks — the same 0.86667 weeks per year either side of the 10-year mark. This calculator assumes unbroken continuous service with one employer and ordinary weekly pay. It does not cover the separate portable schemes for the building and construction or contract cleaning industries, which have their own rules and their own registers.
Leaving before 10 years
- If you resign: from 5 years. Between 5 and 10 years, a worker who resigns is only paid pro-rata long service leave where they leave on account of illness, incapacity, or domestic or other pressing necessity of such a nature as to justify resigning. A plain resignation before 10 years attracts nothing.
- If your employer ends the job: from 5 years. Between 5 and 10 years, a worker whose employment is ended by the employer for any reason other than serious and wilful misconduct is paid a proportionate amount on the basis of 2 months for 10 years. The same applies on the worker's death, paid to the estate.
Read before you rely on this
What this does not account for
- Continuous service is a legal test, not just elapsed time. Unpaid leave, casual gaps, transfers between related employers and periods of industrial action can each affect it, and this calculator assumes unbroken service.
- Ordinary weekly pay excludes overtime, and several Acts require averaging where your hours or pay have changed — a recent change from full-time to part-time in particular.
- An enterprise agreement, award or contract can give more than the Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW), but never less. If yours does, the better entitlement applies and this figure will be low.
- Portable long service leave schemes cover building and construction, contract cleaning, security and community services work in several states. Those schemes have their own registers and rules, and are not modelled here.
- Whether a resignation qualifies as illness, incapacity or pressing necessity is a judgement the relevant authority makes, not something a calculator can decide.
- Long service leave paid out on termination is taxed differently to leave taken while employed. This shows the gross amount only.
Questions
Common questions
- How much long service leave do I get in New South Wales?
- After 10 years with the same employer you get 2 months — and the Act defines a month as 4⅓ weeks, so that is 8.6667 weeks. Every 5 years after that adds another month, or 4.3333 weeks. Enter your service above for the exact figure.
- Can I be paid out if I leave before 10 years?
- Between 5 and 10 years NSW pays pro-rata only in specific situations: your employer ends the job for something other than serious and wilful misconduct, you die, or you resign because of illness, incapacity, or a domestic or other pressing necessity serious enough to justify leaving. Resigning simply to take another job before 10 years attracts nothing.
- Why does NSW talk about months rather than weeks?
- The Long Service Leave Act 1955 is one of the oldest in the country and is written in months, then defines a month as 4⅓ weeks. That is where the awkward 8.6667 figure comes from — it is 2 × 4⅓. Working in weeks makes the accrual clearer: 0.86667 weeks for every year you work, on both sides of the 10-year mark.
- What counts as continuous service?
- Continuous service means unbroken employment with the same employer, and it is a legal test rather than just elapsed time. Paid leave normally counts. Unpaid leave, casual gaps, industrial action and transfers between related businesses can each affect it, and the Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW) sets out which absences break service and which merely pause it. This calculator assumes your service is unbroken, so check the detail with Industrial Relations NSW if you have had a significant gap.
- Is long service leave paid at my current wage?
- Generally yes — it is paid at your ordinary weekly pay, excluding overtime, at the time you take the leave or when the employment ends. Where your hours or pay have changed, several Acts require an average to be used instead, which matters most if you have moved between full-time and part-time work. The figure above uses the single weekly pay you enter, so if your hours have changed materially treat it as approximate.
- Does my enterprise agreement override this?
- An award, enterprise agreement or contract can give you more than the Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW), but it can never give you less. If yours has a better long service leave clause, that one applies and the figure above will understate what you are owed. Check your agreement first. Portable schemes for building and construction, contract cleaning, security and community services work also sit outside this calculator and have their own registers.
Across the country
The same service in every state
10 years of continuous service, under each state and territory’s own Act.
| State | Weeks at 10 years | Qualifying period |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | 13 | 10 years |
| South Australia | 13 | 10 years |
| Australian Capital Territory | 8.6667 | 7 years |
| New South Wales | 8.6667 | 10 years |
| Queensland | 8.6667 | 10 years |
| Tasmania | 8.6667 | 10 years |
| Victoria | 8.6667 | 7 years |
| Western Australia | 8.6667 | 10 years |
Where this comes from
Source
Industrial Relations NSW — Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW), s 4
https://www.nsw.gov.au/employment/rights-responsibilities/leave/long-service-leave
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