Easter Leave Hack: 10 Days Using Only 3
Easter 2026 + Anzac Day = two long weekends in April. Use just 3 leave days to get 10 days off. Here's the exact dates to book.
Tom Kirkwood
Small Business & Finance Writer · Former Small Business Owner, Cert IV in Small Business Management
The April 2026 Calendar Sweet Spot
April 2026 is a gift for anyone who plans their leave properly. You've got two separate long weekends packed into a single month — and with a bit of strategy, you can turn them into one massive break.
Here's what's happening:
- Good Friday: Friday 3 April (public holiday, all states)
- Easter Saturday: Saturday 4 April (public holiday in all states except TAS and WA)
- Easter Sunday: Sunday 5 April
- Easter Monday: Monday 6 April (public holiday, all states)
- Anzac Day: Saturday 25 April — but because it falls on a Saturday, most states observe a substitute public holiday on Monday 27 April
Two long weekends. One month. And the gap between them is where the magic happens.
The 10-Day Break: Book These 3 Days
This is the play. You take 3 days of annual leave and get 10 consecutive days off. Here's exactly what to book:
- Tuesday 7 April — annual leave
- Wednesday 8 April — annual leave
- Thursday 9 April — annual leave
That gives you this unbroken stretch:
| Date | Day | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 3 April | Friday | Good Friday (public holiday) |
| Sat 4 April | Saturday | Easter Saturday / weekend |
| Sun 5 April | Sunday | Weekend |
| Mon 6 April | Monday | Easter Monday (public holiday) |
| Tue 7 April | Tuesday | Annual leave |
| Wed 8 April | Wednesday | Annual leave |
| Thu 9 April | Thursday | Annual leave |
| Fri 10 April | Friday | Normal weekend starts |
| Sat 11 April | Saturday | Weekend |
| Sun 12 April | Sunday | Weekend |
10 days off. 3 leave days used. That's a 3.3x return on your annual leave — the best ratio you'll get all year.
Pro tip: put this request in now. Your coworkers have probably already spotted this one.
The Extended 16-Day Play
If you can stretch it further, April 2026 gets even better. Take 4 additional days off in the week before Anzac Day:
- Tuesday 21 April — annual leave
- Wednesday 22 April — annual leave
- Thursday 23 April — annual leave
- Friday 24 April — annual leave
Combined with the Anzac Day long weekend (Sat 25 + Sun 26 + substitute Mon 27 April), you now have 16 days off using just 7 leave days total.
That's more than two full weeks — enough for an international trip, a proper road trip, or just a real reset. Most full-time workers get 20 annual leave days per year. This block uses just over a third of your yearly allowance for more than two weeks off.
Can Your Boss Refuse Your Leave Request?
Short answer: yes, but only on reasonable business grounds.
Under the National Employment Standards (section 88 of the Fair Work Act), your employer can refuse a request for annual leave — but they must do so in writing and the refusal must be based on genuine operational needs. "We don't like it" doesn't cut it.
What counts as reasonable grounds:
- The leave period falls during a genuinely critical business period
- Multiple team members have already been approved for the same dates
- Your role is essential and there's no available cover
What doesn't count:
- A blanket "no leave in April" policy with no specific reason
- Verbal refusal without putting it in writing
- Refusing because you're a casual who's been "converted" — you still get your accrued leave
If you give at least 2 weeks' notice (which is standard for short leave periods), refusal becomes much harder to justify. Put your request in writing — email, not a verbal chat — so there's a paper trail.
Use our Leave Entitlements Calculator to check exactly how many annual leave days you've accrued.
What About Part-Time and Casual Workers?
Part-time workers get annual leave on a pro-rata basis. If you work 3 days a week, you accrue 3/5 of the full-time entitlement — that's 12 days of annual leave per year instead of 20. You can still use this Easter hack, but check your balance first.
Casual workers don't get paid annual leave — that's the trade-off for the 25% casual loading on your hourly rate. But here's the thing: if you're a casual and you work on a public holiday, you're entitled to penalty rates. Under most awards, that's 225% of your base rate for working on Good Friday or Easter Monday.
So if you're a casual earning $28/hour base, working Easter Monday pays you $63/hour. Not a bad consolation prize.
Use the Casual Loading Calculator to see your total hourly rate including loading and any applicable penalties.
State-by-State Public Holiday Differences
Not every state treats Easter the same. Here's what you need to know:
| Holiday | States where it's a PH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Good Friday (3 April) | All states and territories | Universal public holiday |
| Easter Saturday (4 April) | All except TAS and WA | TAS and WA treat it as a normal Saturday |
| Easter Sunday (5 April) | ACT, NSW, QLD, SA | Not a PH in VIC, TAS, WA, NT |
| Easter Monday (6 April) | All states and territories | Universal public holiday |
| Easter Tuesday (7 April) | TAS only | Tasmania gets an extra day — lucky them |
| Anzac Day sub (27 April) | Most states | Because Anzac Day falls on Saturday, substitute Monday applies in most jurisdictions |
If you're in Tasmania: Easter Tuesday (7 April) is already a public holiday, so you only need to book 2 days of leave (Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9) for the 10-day break. Even better.
Check your exact public holiday penalty rates with our Public Holiday Rates Calculator.
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Official resources
General information and estimates only — not legal, financial, or tax advice. Always verify with the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified professional.
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About Tom Kirkwood
Tom ran a landscaping business in regional Victoria for eight years and dealt first-hand with Modern Award complexity, BAS lodgements, and employing casuals. He writes about small business compliance, employer obligations, and finance topics from a practical operator's perspective.
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