Annual Leave Calculator Australia (2025–2026)
Annual leave under the National Employment Standards is 4 weeks of paid leave for each year of service for an employee who is not a casual.
Last updated October 2026.
Key takeaways
- A non-casual employee accumulates 4 weeks of paid annual leave for each year of service.
- On a 38-hour week that is 152 hours. On a 20-hour week it is 80 hours.
- Five weeks applies only to a shiftworker defined for the NES, or to an award-free employee on a continuous 24/7 roster who regularly works Sundays and public holidays.
- The NES pays the base rate for ordinary hours. A 17.5% loading is an award or agreement payment, not an NES payment.
- Leave taken during employment attracts 12% super. A lump-sum payout of unused leave on termination does not.
1. Hours on a 38-hour week
Four weeks of 38 ordinary hours is 152 hours a year. The rows below spread that 152 across the year. They are not a second entitlement. The weekly cap of 38 hours is explained on the work hours calculator. The source is the Fair Work Ombudsman annual leave fact sheet.
| Weeks of service | Leave hours on a 38-hour week |
|---|---|
| 4 | 11.69 |
| 13 | 38.00 |
| 26 | 76.00 |
| 39 | 114.00 |
| 52 | 152.00 |
2. Four weeks versus five weeks
The Fair Work Ombudsman annual leave page says full-time and part-time employees get 4 weeks, based on their ordinary hours. Casuals do not get paid annual leave. Many awards pay a casual loading instead. That loading is often 25%, and it is checked on the casual loading calculator, not added on top of 4 weeks of leave.
A part-time employee on 20 ordinary hours a week accrues 4 weeks of those hours: 80 hours a year. Do not give them 152 hours.
The extra week is explained on the shiftworker annual leave page. An employee covered by an award or agreement gets 5 weeks only if that instrument defines or describes them as a shiftworker for the NES. If it does not, they stay on 4 weeks. An award-free employee gets 5 weeks only when all three of these apply: the workplace rosters shifts continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; they are regularly rostered to work those shifts; and they regularly work Sundays and public holidays. On a 38-hour week, 5 weeks is 190 hours.
3. When 17.5% leave loading applies
The NES pays annual leave at the employee’s base rate for ordinary hours. That base rate does not include overtime, penalties, allowances, or bonuses. An award or agreement can require a higher payment, including annual leave loading.
The Fair Work Ombudsman leave-loading note says many awards use either a 17.5% loading on the minimum hourly rate, or the weekend or shift penalty the employee would have earned, sometimes the higher of the two. The Hospitality Award example on that page is 17.5% of the amount payable under the NES for the leave. Clerks and other awards are listed on the awards hub. Do not add 17.5% until the instrument says so.
Illustration only, for a 38-hour employee whose base rate is $30 an hour: 152 hours is $4,560. If the award requires 17.5% on that base, the loading is $798. Change the hourly rate and the dollars change. The 152 hours do not.
4. Super on leave taken, and the termination payout
The ATO ordinary time earnings list treats annual leave taken during employment as ordinary time earnings. The Superannuation Guarantee on that pay is 12%. Annual leave loading is also ordinary time earnings unless the employer can show, in writing, that the loading compensates for lost overtime.
On termination, the employer must pay untaken annual leave at the same amount the employee would have received if they had taken the leave, including loading if the loading applied during employment. That lump sum is salary or wages. It is not ordinary time earnings, so super is not payable on the unused-leave payout. Long service leave is a different accrual — the long service leave calculator.
The NES does not wipe a balance at the end of a year. An award may let an employer direct an employee to take leave when the balance is excessive. The annual leave fact sheet refers to more than 8 weeks, or 10 weeks for a shiftworker. Cashing out is allowed only where the award, agreement, or the award-free NES rule permits it, a written agreement is made, and at least 4 weeks of paid annual leave remain.
5. How to read a leave balance
- Confirm the employee is not a casual.
- Multiply ordinary weekly hours by 4. Use 5 only if they are a shiftworker for the NES.
- Pay the hours at the base rate for ordinary hours.
- Add 17.5%, or the higher shift penalty, only when the award or agreement says so.
- On resignation, pay the untaken balance the same way, and do not add 12% super to that lump sum. Model ordinary pay on the take-home pay calculator and compare two offers on the salary comparator after the leave rule is fixed.
Sources
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Annual leave fact sheet
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Annual leave
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Extra week of annual leave for shiftworkers
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Annual leave loading
- Australian Taxation Office — payments that are ordinary time earnings
Work hours calculator
The 38-hour week that this leave table uses for a full-time employee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Official Australian tax, superannuation, and take-home pay guidance grounded in current ATO rulings.
How much annual leave do employees get in Australia?
Under the National Employment Standards, an employee who is not a casual accumulates 4 weeks of paid annual leave for each year of service. The leave accumulates continuously on ordinary hours. A 38-hour week is 152 hours of leave a year. A 20-hour week is 80 hours, because the 4 weeks use that employee’s ordinary hours.
Who gets 5 weeks of annual leave?
A shiftworker gets 5 weeks only when an award or registered agreement defines or describes them as a shiftworker for the NES. If the instrument has no NES shiftworker definition, the extra week is not automatic. An award-free employee gets 5 weeks only if the workplace runs a continuous 24/7 roster, they are regularly rostered on those shifts, and they regularly work Sundays and public holidays.
Is 17.5% annual leave loading part of the NES?
No. The NES pays annual leave at the employee’s base rate for ordinary hours. A 17.5% loading is paid only where an award or agreement requires it. Some awards pay the higher of 17.5% and the shift or weekend penalty the employee would have earned.
Is super paid on annual leave?
Annual leave taken during employment is ordinary time earnings, so the 12% Superannuation Guarantee applies. A lump sum of unused annual leave paid on termination is salary or wages but is not ordinary time earnings, so super is not payable on that payout. Leave loading is ordinary time earnings unless it is clearly linked to lost overtime and there is written evidence of that purpose.
What is paid out when employment ends?
The employer must pay untaken annual leave at the same amount the employee would have been paid if they had taken the leave. That includes annual leave loading if the loading applied while they were employed. The NES does not set an expiry date that wipes the balance.