Long service leave calculator, Victoria
See how much long service leave you have earned in Victoria, and what it is worth if it is paid out — under the Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic).
The calculator
Long service leave in Victoria is set by the Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic), 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 VIC entitlement in full
| Governing Act | Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic) |
|---|---|
| Qualifying period | 7 years of continuous service |
| Leave at the qualifying point | 6.0667 weeks |
| Accrual after that | 0.86667 weeks for each further year |
| Pro-rata on resignation | Resignation: not available before the 7-year qualifying point. Victoria has no pro-rata payment below 7 years. The entitlement itself arises at 7 years of continuous employment, and nothing is payable before that point. |
| Pro-rata when the employer ends it | Termination: not available before the 7-year qualifying point. Victoria has no pro-rata payment below 7 years. Once 7 years is reached the accrued entitlement is paid out on termination for any reason, including resignation, so no separate pro-rata rule is needed above that point. |
Worked example
Seven years of continuous employment — one sixtieth of the period employed
7 years of continuous service in Victoria earns 6.0667 weeks of long service leave (30.33 working days). At $1500 a week that is $9,100.05 before tax.
Checked against https://business.vic.gov.au/business-information/staff-and-hr/long-service-leave-victoria/long-service-leave-an-overview. 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 2018 (Vic), you reach the qualifying point at 7 years of continuous service with the same employer, and that earns 6.0667 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.
Victoria accrues long service leave at one sixtieth of the period of continuous employment — 52 ÷ 60, or 0.86667 weeks for every year worked — and the right to take it arises at 7 years, not 10. That is the main way Victoria differs from most other states. Leave can be taken in periods of not less than one day. This calculator assumes unbroken continuous employment with one employer.
Leaving before 7 years
- If you resign: not available before the 7-year qualifying point. Victoria has no pro-rata payment below 7 years. The entitlement itself arises at 7 years of continuous employment, and nothing is payable before that point.
- If your employer ends the job: not available before the 7-year qualifying point. Victoria has no pro-rata payment below 7 years. Once 7 years is reached the accrued entitlement is paid out on termination for any reason, including resignation, so no separate pro-rata rule is needed above that point.
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 2018 (Vic), 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 Victoria?
- Victoria accrues one sixtieth of the time you have been employed — 52 ÷ 60, or 0.86667 weeks for each year. At 7 years that is 6.0667 weeks, and at 10 years it is 8.6667 weeks. Enter your service above for the exact figure.
- Can I be paid out if I leave before 7 years?
- Victoria has no pro-rata payment below 7 years — nothing is payable before that point, however you leave. The trade-off is that Victoria reaches the entitlement three years earlier than most states, and once you pass 7 years the accrued leave is paid out whatever the reason you leave, including a plain resignation.
- How is the 2018 Act different from the old Victorian rules?
- Under the previous 1992 Act you could not take long service leave until 10 years. The Long Service Leave Act 2018, in force from 1 November 2018, brought that forward to 7 years and allowed leave to be taken in periods of not less than one day. That is why Victoria now sits alongside the ACT as the earliest jurisdiction to qualify.
- 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 2018 (Vic) sets out which absences break service and which merely pause it. This calculator assumes your service is unbroken, so check the detail with Business Victoria 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 2018 (Vic), 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
Business Victoria — Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic), ss 6, 8 and 61
https://business.vic.gov.au/business-information/staff-and-hr/long-service-leave-victoria/long-service-leave-an-overview
Checked on .
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