APS Redundancy Calculator
Estimate an APS voluntary redundancy under the 2024 APS enterprise agreements: severance benefit, notice pay, the NES minimum and the tax-free amount.
APS voluntary redundancy pays 2 weeks' salary per completed year of service plus pro-rata months, with a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of 48 weeks, plus 4 weeks' notice (5 if over 45 with 5+ years). Source: APSC Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027 cl 435–438.
Your details
The APS redundancy formula
Every 2024 APS enterprise agreement carries the same redundancy terms. Clause numbers below are from the Australian Public Service Commission Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027 (operative 5 March 2024, nominal expiry 28 February 2027); your agency's agreement uses the same wording under different numbers (for example ATO Enterprise Agreement 2024 clauses 87.5 and 88).
| Item | Rule | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Severance benefit | 2 weeks' salary per completed year + pro-rata completed months | 437 |
| Minimum / maximum | 4 weeks / 48 weeks | 438 |
| Part-time service | Pro-rated unless 24+ years full-time service; never below the NES | 439 |
| Notice | 4 weeks; 5 weeks if over 45 with 5+ years | 435–436 |
| Salary | Substantive salary, 12-month higher duties, salary-type allowances | 441 |
| Retention period (declined VR) | 13 months (20+ years or over 45) or 7 months, less NES redundancy | 443–444 |
Example: 10 years at $93,900 a year. Weekly salary is $93,900 × 12 ÷ 313 ÷ 2 = $1,800. Severance is 20 weeks × $1,800 = $36,000, notice is 4 weeks = $7,200, total $43,200. The tax-free limit for 10 completed years is $13,598 + 10 × $6,801 = $81,608, so the whole amount is tax-free.
Sources: APSC Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027 (FWC AE523664) and ATO Enterprise Agreement 2024 (FWC AE523904), read from the FWC-approved text on 26 September 2026; Fair Work Act 2009 s117 and s119; ATO "Genuine redundancy payments" (updated 5 June 2026) and 2026-27 ETP rates.
Frequently asked questions
How is APS redundancy calculated?
An APS employee who accepts voluntary redundancy gets a severance benefit of 2 weeks' salary for each completed year of continuous service, plus a pro-rata amount for completed months since the last full year. The minimum is 4 weeks' salary and the maximum is 48 weeks' salary, and it can never be less than the NES redundancy minimum. Source: APSC Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027 clauses 437–438; the same wording is in every 2024 APS agency agreement.
How much notice do APS employees get on redundancy?
4 weeks, or 5 weeks if you are over 45 and have at least 5 years' continuous service (APSC Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027 clause 435). If your employment ends before the notice period finishes, the rest is paid in lieu.
What is the maximum APS redundancy payout?
48 weeks' salary, reached at 24 years of service. Notice pay (4 or 5 weeks) and accrued annual and long service leave are paid on top.
What salary is APS redundancy based on?
Your substantive salary, or the higher-duties salary if you have acted at the higher level for at least 12 continuous months before notice, plus allowances in the nature of salary paid during annual leave. Reimbursements and disability allowances are excluded (clause 441). Weekly salary follows the APS pay formula: fortnightly salary = annual salary × 12 ÷ 313.
Is APS redundancy tax-free?
Partly. For 2026-27 the first $13,598 plus $6,801 for each completed year of service is tax-free as a genuine redundancy payment. The ATO counts severance and pay in lieu of notice together. The rest is taxed at 32% if you are under 60, or 17% if you are 60 or older on 30 June, both including the Medicare levy.
What happens if I decline APS voluntary redundancy?
You enter a retention period of 13 months if you have 20 or more years of service or are over 45, otherwise 7 months, reduced by your NES redundancy entitlement (clauses 443–444). If you are not redeployed you can be terminated and paid the balance of the retention period plus NES redundancy pay instead of the severance benefit.
Check the salary you enter
Redundancy pay is worked out from your salary. Current rates, with their effective dates and sources:
Other public service redundancy calculators
FairWork Mate AI
Is the figure right for you?
The advisor reads your payslip, contract or letter against the Fair Work Commission case library and cites the decision behind every answer.
Renews monthly at A$29.99 until you cancel. By continuing you agree to our Terms.
Get pay and rights updates for your job
Free email updates when award rates, the minimum wage or workplace laws change.