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People reading this page usually work these out too.
Thirteen weeks of paid leave after 10 years of continuous service, calculated at 1.3 weeks for each year of employment. Part years do not count — 14½ years pays 14 years — and you cannot cash the leave out instead of taking it. Between 7 and 10 years a pro-rata payment is owed only if you reach retirement age, the employer ends the job for something other than serious misconduct, or you resign because of illness, incapacity or pressing necessity.
Long service leave you take as leave is taxed like ordinary pay. This schedule is for an unused balance paid out when the job ends. See take-home pay on $105,000 for the year that includes it, or the final pay calculator for the whole termination payment.
Long service leave in the Northern Territory comes from the Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT), administered by NT Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment. It accrues at 1.3000 weeks for every year of continuous service with one employer. At 10 years you can take 13 weeks of paid leave; after that, 1.3 weeks of leave for each further completed year of employment.
| Continuous service | Weeks accrued | Weeks you can take | Worth at $1,600 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 years | 6.50 | — | $10,400 |
| 7 years | 9.10 | — | $14,560 |
| 8 years | 10.40 | — | $16,640 |
| 10 years | 13.00 | 13.00 | $20,800 |
| 12 years | 15.60 | 15.60 | $24,960 |
| 15 years | 19.50 | 19.50 | $31,200 |
| 20 years | 26.00 | 26.00 | $41,600 |
| 25 years | 32.50 | 32.50 | $52,000 |
“Accrued” is what is paid out when employment ends and a pro-rata entitlement exists. “Can take” is what you can use as leave while still employed — a dash means the 10-year qualifying period has not been reached.
A pro-rata payment first becomes possible at 7 years of continuous service in the Northern Territory. Below that, nothing is owed however the job ends.
Between 7 and 10 years the payment is owed only where one of these applies:
A plain resignation for a better job is not on that list. From 10 years the accrued balance is paid out however the employment ends, and it covers your whole period of continuous service — not just the years past the milestone.
Whatever is owed is paid in your final pay, with unused annual leave and any notice. Work the whole thing out with the final pay calculator, and remember that annual leave is a separate entitlement handled by the annual leave calculator.
Casual employment accumulates long service leave, and service carries across when the business is transferred to a new owner. Part years of service, absences on workers compensation and unpaid leave do not accumulate.
Because the entitlement is measured in weeks, a part-timer earns the same number of weeks as a full-timer and is paid at their own ordinary weekly rate. Put your actual weekly pay into the calculator above rather than a full-time equivalent.
You cannot cash in NT long service leave instead of taking it.
Tax on long service leave is federal, so it is the same in the Northern Territory as everywhere else. Leave you take is taxed like ordinary pay. An unused balance paid out at termination follows the ATO's unused-leave schedule:
| Leave accrued | Resignation, retirement or dismissal | Genuine redundancy or invalidity |
|---|---|---|
| Before 16 August 1978 | 5% taxed at marginal rates | 5% taxed at marginal rates |
| 16 Aug 1978 – 17 Aug 1993 | Flat 32% | Flat 32% |
| After 17 August 1993 | Marginal rate | Flat 32% |
For anyone who started work after 17 August 1993, only the last row applies. A 10-year NT entitlement of 13.00 weeks on $1,600 a week is $20,800 gross, landing in a year worth about $104,000 — see take-home pay on $105,000 for what that leaves after tax. The calculator above applies the same split to your own dates.
If one of those describes you, the figures on this page are not yours. NT Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment is the regulator for the Act itself; for a federal award or agreement, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.
NT is one of eight jurisdictions with its own Act. The qualifying period runs from 7 years (Victoria and the ACT) to 10, and the rate from 0.8667 weeks a year to 1.3 (South Australia and the Northern Territory).
| State | Take leave at | Weeks then | Pro-rata from |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 10 years | 8.67 | 5 years |
| VIC | 7 years | 6.0667 | 7 years |
| QLD | 10 years | 8.6667 | 7 years |
| WA | 10 years | 8.667 | 7 years |
| SA | 10 years | 13 | 7 years |
| TAS | 10 years | 8.667 | 7 years |
| ACT | 7 years | 6.0667 | 5 years |
| NT | 10 years | 13 | 7 years |
The long service leave hub sets all eight side by side, including what each pays if you resign at 8 years.
13.00 weeks. Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT) accrues 1.3000 weeks for every year of continuous service, and 10 years is the point at which you can take it — 13 weeks. 1.3 weeks of leave for each further completed year of employment.
9.10 weeks has accrued, but NT does not let you take long service leave until 10 years. Seven years does matter for another reason: it is the point at which a pro-rata payment becomes possible if the job ends.
Only from 10 years if you simply resign. Between 7 and 10 years NT pays a pro-rata amount only where one of these applies: you have reached retirement age; the employer ends your employment for a reason other than serious misconduct — redundancy, for example; you resign because you are unable to work due to illness, incapacity, or a domestic or other pressing necessity. From 10 years the accrued balance is paid however the employment ends.
Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT) accrues 1.3000 weeks for each year of continuous service, paid at your ordinary weekly rate at the time you take the leave or the job ends. Part years are dropped: 8½ years is paid as 8.
Casual employment accumulates long service leave, and service carries across when the business is transferred to a new owner. Part years of service, absences on workers compensation and unpaid leave do not accumulate.
You cannot cash in NT long service leave instead of taking it.
Tax is federal, so it is the same in every state. If your service started after 17 August 1993, the payout is taxed at your marginal rate when you resign, retire or are dismissed. If you leave through genuine redundancy, invalidity or an early retirement scheme, the ATO withholds a flat 32% instead. No tax is withheld from unused leave paid after an employee's death.
NT Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment lists: NT Government employees; Australian Government employees; construction workers under the NT Build portable long service scheme. If you are in one of those groups, your long service leave comes from somewhere else — check with the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94 or your scheme.
Last verified: 28 August 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Employment & Workplace Rights Editor
B.Com (Hons), Cert IV Financial Planning
Penny is a financial journalist and workplace compliance specialist with over a decade of experience writing about Australian employment law, Fair Work entitlements, and payroll. She has contributed to publications covering industrial relations and personal finance, and previously advised small businesses on award interpretation and pay compliance.
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