Long Service Leave Calculator by State 2026 — How Much Do You Get?
Calculate your long service leave entitlement by state in Australia. Covers qualifying periods, accrual rates, pro-rata entitlements, and how to calculate your LSL payout for every state and territory.
Long Service Leave Entitlements by State and Territory
Long service leave (LSL) in Australia is governed by state and territory legislation, not the federal Fair Work Act, which means entitlements vary depending on where you work. Here is the summary for each jurisdiction. New South Wales: 2 months (8.6667 weeks) after 10 years of continuous service under the Long Service Leave Act 1955, with pro-rata available after 5 years if employment ends for certain reasons including redundancy, illness, or death. Victoria: 6.0667 weeks after 7 years (effective 2018) under the Long Service Leave Act 2018, with pro-rata after 7 years. Queensland: 8.6667 weeks after 10 years under the Industrial Relations Act 2016, with pro-rata after 7 years. South Australia: 13 weeks after 10 years under the Long Service Leave Act 1987, with pro-rata after 7 years on termination. Western Australia: 8.6667 weeks after 10 years under the Long Service Leave Act 1958, with pro-rata after 7 years in certain circumstances. Tasmania: 8.6667 weeks after 10 years under the Long Service Leave Act 1976, with pro-rata after 7 years. Northern Territory: 13 weeks after 10 years under the Long Service Leave Act 1981. ACT: 6.0667 weeks after 7 years under the Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT). Some awards and enterprise agreements provide more generous LSL entitlements — always check your instrument.
How to Calculate Your Long Service Leave Payout
Calculating your LSL payout requires knowing your entitlement period, your accrual rate, and your current pay rate. The basic formula is: LSL payout = (years of service ÷ qualifying period) × weeks of LSL entitlement × weekly pay rate. For example, in NSW with 15 years of service: (15 ÷ 10) × 8.6667 weeks = 13 weeks of LSL. If your weekly pay is $1,500, your payout would be $19,500. In Victoria with 10 years of service: (10 ÷ 7) × 6.0667 weeks = 8.6667 weeks. At $1,500 per week, that is $13,000. Your weekly pay for LSL purposes is generally your ordinary rate of pay, including any regular loadings and allowances but typically excluding overtime. Some state laws specify that if your pay varied over the service period (for example, you moved from part-time to full-time), the payout is calculated on the average of your hours over a specified period — commonly the last 12 months or the last 5 years, depending on the jurisdiction. If you are a part-time worker, your LSL accrues proportionally to your hours worked. If you changed between full-time and part-time during your service, the calculation becomes more complex — your employer should calculate this based on the average of your hours worked over the qualifying period. Use our long service leave calculator to estimate your entitlement quickly.
Pro-Rata Long Service Leave — When Can You Claim It?
Pro-rata long service leave means receiving a proportional LSL payout even though you have not yet completed the full qualifying period. The availability and conditions for pro-rata LSL vary by state. In most states, pro-rata LSL is available after 5 or 7 years if employment ends due to specific circumstances. In NSW, pro-rata is available after 5 years if employment ends for any reason other than serious misconduct — this is one of the most generous pro-rata provisions in Australia. In Victoria, pro-rata is available after 7 years regardless of the reason for termination. In Queensland, pro-rata is available after 7 years on termination, including resignation. In SA, pro-rata is available after 7 years. In WA, pro-rata after 7 years is available if the employee dies, is terminated by the employer for reasons other than serious misconduct, or terminates due to illness, incapacity, or domestic pressing necessity. In Tasmania and the NT, pro-rata provisions apply after 7 years in similar circumstances. It is important to note that some states have different pro-rata rules depending on whether the employee resigned voluntarily or was terminated by the employer. If you are close to a pro-rata threshold and your employer is contemplating redundancy, ensure your termination date falls after the threshold date. Even one day can make the difference between receiving a significant LSL payout and receiving nothing.
Taking Long Service Leave vs Cashing It Out
You generally have two options for long service leave: taking it as paid leave or cashing it out (having it paid as a lump sum). During employment, most state legislation allows you to take LSL as a block of leave by agreement with your employer. Some jurisdictions allow you to take LSL at half-pay for double the period — for example, 8.6667 weeks at full pay could be taken as 17.3334 weeks at half pay. The tax treatment differs depending on how you receive your LSL. If you take LSL as leave during employment, it is taxed as ordinary income through your normal pay cycle at your regular marginal tax rate. If you receive LSL as a lump sum on termination, the tax treatment depends on when the service was performed. LSL relating to service from 16 August 1978 onwards is taxed as ordinary income at marginal rates. However, LSL relating to service before 16 August 1978 receives concessional tax treatment — only 5% of the amount is included in assessable income. For most current employees this pre-1978 concession will not apply, but it can be significant for very long-serving employees. When your employment ends, any accrued but untaken LSL must be paid out as part of your final pay — your employer cannot forfeit this entitlement. The payment must be made within the timeframe specified by the relevant state legislation, which is typically within 7 to 14 days of termination. If your employer fails to pay, you can lodge a complaint with the relevant state industrial relations body.
Portable Long Service Leave Schemes
Several industries in Australia have portable long service leave schemes, which allow workers to accumulate LSL entitlements across multiple employers within the same industry. This is particularly valuable in industries with high labour mobility where workers rarely stay with one employer long enough to qualify for standard LSL. The main industries covered by portable schemes include building and construction (all states and territories), contract cleaning (ACT, Queensland, NSW), community services (ACT, Queensland), security (ACT), and mining (some states). These schemes are administered by state-based authorities — for example, CoINVEST in Victoria, QLeave in Queensland, and the Long Service Corporation in NSW for the building and construction industry. Under portable schemes, employers make regular contributions (typically a percentage of wages, commonly 1.5% to 2.7%) to the scheme on behalf of each worker. The scheme then manages the funds and pays the worker their LSL entitlement when they qualify — usually after 7 to 10 years of cumulative service across all participating employers. Workers covered by portable schemes are generally excluded from the standard state LSL legislation to avoid double-dipping. If you work in one of these industries, register with the relevant portable LSL authority to ensure your service is being recorded accurately. Check your statements regularly and report any discrepancies to the scheme administrator.
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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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