Annual Leave Calculator
Calculate your annual leave entitlements, accrual rates, leave loading, and payout value under Australian employment law.
Calculate Your Leave Entitlements
Full-time: 38 hours standard
Leave already accrued
Quick Reference
Standard Entitlement
- • 4 weeks per year (full-time)
- • 152 hours (38 hrs × 4)
- • 20 days (7.6 hrs × 20)
- • Accrues from day 1
Shift Workers
- • 5 weeks per year
- • 190 hours (38 hrs × 5)
- • 25 days annual leave
Leave Loading
Leave loading is an extra payment (typically 17.5%) on top of your normal pay when taking annual leave.
Example:
1 week leave @ $1,500 base
+ 17.5% loading = $262.50
Total: $1,762.50
Cashing Out Leave
- • Must have 4+ weeks remaining after cashing out
- • Requires written agreement
- • Paid at current rate + loading
- • Maximum 2 weeks per year (some Awards)
Casual Employees
Casual employees don't accrue annual leave. Instead, they receive a 25% casual loading on their hourly rate to compensate for no leave entitlements.
Understanding Annual Leave in Australia
Annual leave is a fundamental entitlement under the National Employment Standards (NES) in Australia. All permanent employees (full-time and part-time) are entitled to paid annual leave, which accrues progressively throughout the year based on hours worked.
How Annual Leave Accrues
| Employment Type | Annual Entitlement | Weekly Accrual | Fortnightly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Time (38 hrs) | 152 hours (4 weeks) | 2.923 hrs | 5.846 hrs | 12.67 hrs |
| Part-Time (20 hrs) | 80 hours (pro-rata) | 1.538 hrs | 3.077 hrs | 6.67 hrs |
| Shift Worker (38 hrs) | 190 hours (5 weeks) | 3.654 hrs | 7.308 hrs | 15.83 hrs |
| Casual | No leave | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Leave Accrual Formula
The Calculation
Weekly Accrual =
(Annual Leave Weeks × Hours/Week) ÷ 52
For 38-hour week with 4 weeks leave:
(4 × 38) ÷ 52 = 2.923 hours/week
Simple Rule
For every 13 weeks worked, you accrue 1 week of annual leave (for 4-week entitlement).
- • 1 month = ~1.67 days leave
- • 3 months = 5 days (1 week)
- • 6 months = 10 days (2 weeks)
- • 12 months = 20 days (4 weeks)
Leave Loading Explained
What is Leave Loading?
Leave loading is an additional payment on top of your base pay when taking annual leave. It was originally introduced to compensate workers who would lose overtime earnings during holidays.
Standard rate: 17.5% of base salary during leave
Who Gets Leave Loading?
- • Employees covered by most Modern Awards
- • Many Enterprise Agreements
- • Some employment contracts
- • Not guaranteed under NES (check your Award)
Taking Annual Leave
Request Process
- • Submit request in advance
- • Employer can refuse if unreasonable
- • Must consider employee needs
- • Cannot unreasonably refuse
Directed Leave
- • Employer can direct leave in some cases
- • Business shutdown periods
- • Excessive leave accumulation
- • Must give reasonable notice
Minimum Period
- • No minimum under NES
- • Some Awards require min 1 week
- • Employer may have policies
- • Half-day leave often available
Leave Payout on Termination
When your employment ends (resignation, redundancy, or termination), you're entitled to be paid out all accrued but untaken annual leave, including leave loading if applicable.
Tax: May be taxed differently as a termination payment (concessional rates may apply for genuine redundancy)
Excessive Leave Accumulation
Many Modern Awards allow employers to direct employees to take leave if they've accumulated more than 8 weeks (or 10 weeks for shift workers). However:
Employer's Right
- • Can direct employee to take leave
- • Must give at least 8 weeks notice
- • Employee must retain 6 weeks balance
- • Direction must be reasonable
Employee's Protection
- • Can't be forced to zero balance
- • Must be given reasonable notice
- • Can negotiate timing
- • Can't be terminated for having excess leave
Public Holidays During Leave
If a public holiday falls during your annual leave, that day doesn't count as annual leave. You'll be paid for the public holiday separately at your ordinary rate, and that day is added back to your leave balance.