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Long Service Leave Calculator NT (Northern Territory)13 weeks after 10 years under the Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT)

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.

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Long Service Leave Calculator — Northern Territory

$

Ordinary time only — no overtime. About $83,200 a year.

Are you still employed?
Long service leave you can take
13.00 weeks
$20,800 gross at $1,600 a week · 65.0 working days

How NT works it out

Continuous service10 yr 3 mth 2 wk 0 d
Service paid on (completed years only)10.0000 years
Rate1.3000 weeks per year
Accrued to date13.00 weeks
Qualifying period (10 years)reached
Takeable as leave now13.00 weeks

Tax on the payout (ATO)

Gross payout$20,800.00
Post-17 Aug 1993 at your marginal rate (32.0%)-$6,656.00
Tax withheld-$6,656.00
In your hand$14,144.00

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.

Not modelled: unpaid leave and other absences that do not count as service; long service leave you have already taken; portable schemes (building and construction, contract cleaning, community services, security, black coal); an award or agreement that replaces the Act; and pay averaging where your hours changed. A day is taken as one fifth of a week ($320.00 here). Check the balance on your payslip against this figure and ask payroll about any gap.

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Long service leave is not annual leave: annual leave is the federal four weeks a year in the annual leave calculator.

How Much Long Service Leave You Get in the Northern Territory

The Long Service Leave Act 1981 covers most NT private sector employees; NT and Australian Government employees and NT Build construction workers are outside it. Disputes go to the Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment (OCPE), which can investigate, request your employer's records and refer a matter to the Solicitor for the Northern Territory.

The Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT) accrues 1.3000 weeks for every year with one employer. At 10 years you can take 13 weeks; after that, 1.3 weeks of leave for each further completed year of employment. Only completed years are paid; a part year is dropped.

Continuous serviceWeeks accruedWeeks you can takeWorth at $1,600 a week
7 years9.10—$14,560
8 years10.40—$16,640
10 years13.0013.00$20,800
14 years18.2018.20$29,120
15 years19.5019.50$31,200
20 years26.0026.00$41,600

Accrued is what is paid out when the job ends and a pro-rata entitlement exists; a dash means the 10-year qualifying period has not been reached.

Pro-Rata Long Service Leave in the Northern Territory

Nothing is owed below 7 years. Between 7 and 10 years the NT Act pays a pro-rata amount only where:

  • 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 balance is paid however the job ends, resignation included.

How NT Long Service Leave Pay Is Worked Out

While on leave you are paid your usual rate of pay, which does not include overtime, penalties, or district and site allowances.

Only completed years are paid. After 10 years the credit is paid out when you resign — 14½ years pays 14 — less any leave already used. Part years, absences on workers compensation and unpaid leave do not accumulate any leave at all.

Between 7 and 10 years, a resignation for illness, incapacity or a domestic or other pressing necessity has to be shown to be genuine and the real reason, and one a reasonable person would make. If your employer goes bankrupt or into liquidation, unpaid long service leave may be covered by the Australian Government's Fair Entitlements Guarantee.

Taking Long Service Leave in the Northern Territory

Leave is taken in one continuous period or, if your employer agrees, in no more than 3 periods of at least 4 weeks each.

Public holidays and weekends are part of long service leave and do not add days to it. Your employer can require you to take your entitlement, but must give at least 2 months' notice.

Casual, Part-Time and Continuous Service in the Northern Territory

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.

Casual employment accumulates long service leave, and your service carries across when the business is transferred to a new owner.

Cashing Out Long Service Leave in the Northern Territory

You cannot cash in NT long service leave instead of taking it.

Portable Long Service Schemes in the Northern Territory

Construction workers in the Territory accrue through the NT Build portable long service scheme rather than the 1981 Act.

Also outside the NT Act

  • NT Government employees
  • Australian Government employees
  • construction workers under the NT Build portable long service scheme

Tax, and How NT Compares

Tax on a payout is federal, so it is the same in the Northern Territory as everywhere: the ATO unused-leave schedule is set out on the hub. A 10-year NT entitlement of 13.00 weeks at $1,600 a week is $20,800 gross — see take-home pay on $105,000 for the year it lands in. For the other seven Acts side by side, see long service leave in every state.

How this calculator works▼
  • Weeks = years of continuous service × 1.3000, the rate NT Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment publishes. Only completed years are paid; a part year is dropped.
  • Payout = weeks × the weekly pay you enter. The calculator does not apply the NT averaging or ordinary-pay rules described above, so enter the figure those rules give you.
  • NT Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment's published worked example is reconciled to this formula in the test suite. Source: https://nt.gov.au/employ/for-employees-in-nt/holidays-and-leave/long-service-leave, read 10 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

NT long service leave questions and answers

How much long service leave do you get after 10 years in the Northern Territory?

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.

How much long service leave do you get after 7 years in the Northern Territory?

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.

Do you get long service leave paid out if you resign in the Northern Territory?

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.

How is long service leave pay calculated in the Northern Territory?

While on leave you are paid your usual rate of pay, which does not include overtime, penalties, or district and site allowances.

Do casual employees get long service leave in the Northern Territory?

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.

Can you cash out long service leave in the Northern Territory?

You cannot cash in NT long service leave instead of taking it.

Can I split long service leave in the NT?

Only if your employer agrees, and then into no more than 3 periods of at least 4 weeks each. Otherwise it is taken in one continuous period.

Do public holidays extend NT long service leave?

No. Public holidays and weekends are part of long service leave in the NT and do not add extra days.

How do I make a long service leave complaint in the NT?

Call the Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment for help from a consultant. If that does not resolve it, lodge the long service leave complaint form with the OCPE, which can investigate, ask your employer for records, and refer the matter to the Solicitor for the Northern Territory or recommend you take your own legal action.

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.

While on leave you are paid your usual rate of pay, which does not include overtime, penalties, or district and site allowances.

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.

Only if your employer agrees, and then into no more than 3 periods of at least 4 weeks each. Otherwise it is taken in one continuous period.

No. Public holidays and weekends are part of long service leave in the NT and do not add extra days.

Call the Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment for help from a consultant. If that does not resolve it, lodge the long service leave complaint form with the OCPE, which can investigate, ask your employer for records, and refer the matter to the Solicitor for the Northern Territory or recommend you take your own legal action.

Related Calculators

Long service leave in your state

Work out the rest of your pay: annual leave · final pay · redundancy pay · take-home pay

What this covers. How many weeks you have accrued, what the balance is worth at your ordinary pay, and how the ATO taxes a payout — so you can check the figure on your payslip or final pay. It is not legal advice, and it does not cover disputes, dismissal or whether an award or agreement displaces the Act. For those, contact NT Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment or the Fair Work Ombudsman. Figures verified 10 October 2026.

Sources & References

  1. 1
  2. 2
    NT Build— NT Build
  3. 3
  4. 4
    Long service leave— Fair Work Ombudsman

Last verified: 10 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.

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