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People reading this page usually work these out too.
Ten years of continuous service earns 8.6667 weeks, rising to 13 weeks at 15 years; past 15 years leave can be taken as it accrues. Between 7 and 10 years a proportionate payment is owed only in defined circumstances — death, illness, domestic necessity, or a dismissal that is not about your conduct, capacity or performance. From 10 years the payment on termination is automatic and covers your full continuous service.
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 $95,000 for the year that includes it, or the final pay calculator for the whole termination payment.
Long service leave in Queensland comes from the Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld), administered by Industrial Relations, Office of Industrial Relations. It accrues at 0.8667 weeks for every year of continuous service with one employer. At 10 years you can take 8.6667 weeks of paid leave; after that, a further 4.3333 weeks at 15 years (13 weeks in total); past 15 years leave can be accessed as it accrues.
| Continuous service | Weeks accrued | Weeks you can take | Worth at $1,600 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 years | 4.33 | — | $6,933 |
| 7 years | 6.07 | — | $9,707 |
| 8 years | 6.93 | — | $11,093 |
| 10 years | 8.67 | 8.67 | $13,867 |
| 12 years | 10.40 | 8.67 | $16,640 |
| 15 years | 13.00 | 13.00 | $20,800 |
| 20 years | 17.33 | 17.33 | $27,733 |
| 25 years | 21.67 | 21.67 | $34,667 |
“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 Queensland. 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 and regular part-time employees qualify after the same 10 years. Their entitlement is worked out from hours, not weeks: total ordinary hours ÷ 52 × 8.6667 ÷ 10. Since 30 March 1994 all continuous casual service counts, but a break of more than 3 months between contracts can end continuity. Casuals are paid at the loaded casual hourly rate.
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.
Queensland long service leave can only be cashed in if the award, enterprise agreement or certified agreement allows it, or if the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission orders it on compassionate grounds or financial hardship (Form 13), and only once the entitlement has been reached.
Tax on long service leave is federal, so it is the same in Queensland 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 QLD entitlement of 8.67 weeks on $1,600 a week is $13,867 gross, landing in a year worth about $97,067 — see take-home pay on $95,000 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. Industrial Relations, Office of Industrial Relations is the regulator for the Act itself; for a federal award or agreement, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.
QLD 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.
8.67 weeks. Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld) accrues 0.8667 weeks for every year of continuous service, and 10 years is the point at which you can take it — 8.6667 weeks. A further 4.3333 weeks at 15 years (13 weeks in total); past 15 years leave can be accessed as it accrues.
6.07 weeks has accrued, but QLD 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 QLD pays a pro-rata amount only where one of these applies: your service ends because you die; you end your service because of illness, injury, incapacity or another medical condition, or a domestic or other pressing necessity; the employer dismisses you because of your illness; the employer dismisses you for a reason other than your conduct, capacity or performance; the employer unfairly dismisses you. From 10 years the accrued balance is paid however the employment ends.
Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld) accrues 0.8667 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 count, down to the day. Casual and regular part-time employees use a separate hours formula: total ordinary hours ÷ 52 × 8.6667 ÷ 10.
Casual and regular part-time employees qualify after the same 10 years. Their entitlement is worked out from hours, not weeks: total ordinary hours ÷ 52 × 8.6667 ÷ 10. Since 30 March 1994 all continuous casual service counts, but a break of more than 3 months between contracts can end continuity. Casuals are paid at the loaded casual hourly rate.
Queensland long service leave can only be cashed in if the award, enterprise agreement or certified agreement allows it, or if the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission orders it on compassionate grounds or financial hardship (Form 13), and only once the entitlement has been reached.
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.
Industrial Relations, Office of Industrial Relations lists: employees whose long service leave comes from a federal award or enterprise agreement; building and construction and contract cleaning employees in Queensland's portable schemes. 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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