What is personal leave?
Personal leave covers 10 days of paid sick leave and carer's leave per year for full-time employees under the NES.
Personal leave — sometimes called sick leave or carer's leave — gives full-time employees 10 days of paid leave per year under the National Employment Standards. Part-time employees accrue it pro-rata. The leave covers situations where you are unfit for work due to illness or injury, or need to care for an immediate family or household member who is sick or has an emergency.
Personal leave accrues progressively and rolls over from year to year with no cap. There is no payout of unused personal leave when employment ends. Your employer can ask for evidence (such as a medical certificate) for absences of more than one day, or if the absence is on a day adjacent to a public holiday or weekend.
Key facts
- •Full-time employees get 10 days paid personal leave per year
- •Covers both sick leave (own illness) and carer's leave (caring for family/household members)
- •Accrues progressively from day one and accumulates without limit
- •Not paid out on termination of employment
- •Employer may request a medical certificate or statutory declaration as evidence
Try the calculator
Leave Entitlements CalculatorFrequently asked questions
Can my boss ask why I'm taking sick leave?
Your employer can ask for reasonable evidence that you were genuinely unfit for work (like a medical certificate), but they are not entitled to know your specific diagnosis.
Can I use personal leave to care for a sick child?
Yes. Personal leave covers caring for an immediate family member or household member who is ill, injured, or has an unexpected emergency. Children are immediate family members.
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.