Long Service Leave Calculator WA (Western Australia)8.67 weeks after 10 years under the Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA)
Leave can be taken after 10 years of continuous employment, when 8.667 weeks has accrued, with another 4.333 weeks every 5 years after that. WA is unusually generous at the exit: after 7 years of continuous employment a full-time, part-time, casual or seasonal employee is paid pro-rata long service leave when the job ends by resignation, dismissal, redundancy or death — the only exception being dismissal for serious misconduct.
Long Service Leave Calculator — Western Australia
How WA works it out
Tax on the payout (ATO)
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.
What to check next
People reading this page usually work these out too.
- Long Service Leave CalculatorWeeks accrued and what a payout is worth, in every state.
- Leave Payout CalculatorA different entitlement: unused annual leave paid out when you leave.
- Final Pay CalculatorEverything owed when you leave a job.
- Take-Home Pay CalculatorSee your actual pay after tax, super and Medicare.
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 Western Australia
Private Sector Labour Relations (Wageline) administers the Long Service Leave Act 1958, which covers many state and national system private sector employers in Western Australia. Full-time, part-time, casual and seasonal employees all accrue under it on the same terms.
The Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA) accrues 0.8667 weeks for every year with one employer. At 10 years you can take 8.667 weeks; after that, a further 4.333 weeks for every 5 years of continuous employment after the first 10. Part years count, down to the day.
| Continuous service | Weeks accrued | Weeks you can take | Worth at $1,600 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 years | 6.07 | — | $9,707 |
| 8 years | 6.93 | — | $11,094 |
| 10 years | 8.67 | 8.67 | $13,867 |
| 12 years | 10.40 | 8.67 | $16,641 |
| 15 years | 13.00 | 13.00 | $20,801 |
| 20 years | 17.33 | 17.33 | $27,734 |
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 Western Australia
From 7 years the accrued balance is paid however the job ends. The exception is dismissal for serious misconduct, which the employer must prove.
How WA Long Service Leave Pay Is Worked Out
Ordinary pay is your normal weekly number of hours multiplied by your ordinary time rate. Shift premiums, overtime rates, penalty rates and allowances are excluded; casual loading is included, as is the cash value of meals or accommodation normally provided but not taken during the leave.
WA averages hours separately for each accrual period — the first 10 years, then each 5-year block — rather than over your whole career. Unusually, hours of overtime you regularly worked count towards your normal weekly hours. Wageline's example: 27,040 hours over 10 years ÷ 521.7 weeks = 52 hours a week, so 8.667 weeks is 450.684 hours of leave.
Dismissal for serious misconduct changes the payout. Between 7 and 10 years nothing is owed. After 10 years you are paid only the part of your last fully accrued entitlement you have not taken — Wageline's Anastasia, dismissed after 12 years and one month, gets 8.667 weeks but nothing for the two years since.
Taking Long Service Leave in Western Australia
An employer cannot direct you to take long service leave at a particular time. If you have not agreed on timing, the employer cannot refuse leave that fell due more than 12 months ago: give at least 2 weeks' notice and take it in one continuous period.
You can ask to take it at half pay (8 weeks becomes 16) or double pay (8 weeks becomes 4). A public holiday during the leave adds a day for full-time and part-time employees. Leave in advance is by agreement, and if you leave before earning it back the employer may deduct the difference from your final pay.
Casual, Part-Time and Continuous Service in Western Australia
Full-time, part-time, casual and seasonal employees all accrue under the WA Act. All hours worked up to the last day, including a worked notice period, count towards continuous employment.
Cashing out is allowed only once an entitlement has fully accrued, by written agreement signed by both parties, and at no less than the ordinary pay you would have received on leave. It cannot be done in advance — not as a lump sum, a loading on top of base pay or a commission.
Cashing Out Long Service Leave in Western Australia
WA long service leave can be cashed out by agreement between the employer and employee once the entitlement has fully accrued.
Portable Long Service Schemes in Western Australia
Employees working on site in the construction industry are covered by the Construction Industry Portable Paid Long Service Leave Act 1985 instead of the 1958 Act; MyLeave administers it.
- MyLeave — on-site construction industry employees, under the Construction Industry Portable Paid Long Service Leave Act 1985
Also outside the WA Act
- employees whose long service leave comes from a federal award or agreement with its own provisions
- on-site construction industry employees, who are covered by the Construction Industry Portable Paid Long Service Leave Act 1985 (MyLeave)
Tax, and How WA Compares
Tax on a payout is federal, so it is the same in Western Australia as everywhere: the ATO unused-leave schedule is set out on the hub. A 10-year WA entitlement of 8.67 weeks at $1,600 a week is $13,867 gross — see take-home pay on $95,000 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 × 0.8667, the rate Private Sector Labour Relations (Wageline) publishes. Part years count, down to the day.
- Payout = weeks × the weekly pay you enter. The calculator does not apply the WA averaging or ordinary-pay rules described above, so enter the figure those rules give you.
- Private Sector Labour Relations (Wageline)'s published worked example is reconciled to this formula in the test suite. Source: https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/private-sector-labour-relations/taking-long-service-leave, read 10 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
WA long service leave questions and answers
How much long service leave do you get after 10 years in Western Australia?
8.67 weeks. Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA) accrues 0.8667 weeks for every year of continuous service, and 10 years is the point at which you can take it — 8.667 weeks. A further 4.333 weeks for every 5 years of continuous employment after the first 10.
How much long service leave do you get after 7 years in Western Australia?
6.07 weeks has accrued, but WA 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 Western Australia?
Yes. From 7 years of continuous service WA pays the accrued balance however the employment ends — resignation, dismissal, redundancy or death, except that a dismissal for serious misconduct pays no pro-rata amount.
How is long service leave pay calculated in Western Australia?
Ordinary pay is your normal weekly number of hours multiplied by your ordinary time rate. Shift premiums, overtime rates, penalty rates and allowances are excluded; casual loading is included, as is the cash value of meals or accommodation normally provided but not taken during the leave.
Do casual employees get long service leave in Western Australia?
Full-time, part-time, casual and seasonal employees all accrue under the WA Act. All hours worked up to the last day, including a worked notice period, count towards continuous employment.
Can you cash out long service leave in Western Australia?
WA long service leave can be cashed out by agreement between the employer and employee once the entitlement has fully accrued.
Can my employer make me take long service leave in WA?
No. Under the WA Long Service Leave Act an employer cannot direct an employee to take long service leave at a particular time. If the two of you have not agreed on timing, you can take leave that fell due more than 12 months ago by giving at least 2 weeks' notice, in one continuous period.
Is overtime included in WA long service leave pay?
Overtime rates are not, but overtime hours can be. If you regularly worked overtime during an accrual period, those hours are counted in your normal weekly number of hours, which are then paid at your ordinary time rate.
What happens to WA long service leave if I am dismissed for serious misconduct?
Between 7 and 10 years of continuous employment, no pro-rata payment is owed. After 10 years you are paid only the untaken part of your last fully accrued entitlement — the 8.667 weeks at 10 years, or 4.333 weeks for each further 5 years — and nothing pro-rata for the time since. The employer has to prove the misconduct.
8.67 weeks. Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA) accrues 0.8667 weeks for every year of continuous service, and 10 years is the point at which you can take it — 8.667 weeks. A further 4.333 weeks for every 5 years of continuous employment after the first 10.
6.07 weeks has accrued, but WA 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.
Yes. From 7 years of continuous service WA pays the accrued balance however the employment ends — resignation, dismissal, redundancy or death, except that a dismissal for serious misconduct pays no pro-rata amount.
Ordinary pay is your normal weekly number of hours multiplied by your ordinary time rate. Shift premiums, overtime rates, penalty rates and allowances are excluded; casual loading is included, as is the cash value of meals or accommodation normally provided but not taken during the leave.
Full-time, part-time, casual and seasonal employees all accrue under the WA Act. All hours worked up to the last day, including a worked notice period, count towards continuous employment.
WA long service leave can be cashed out by agreement between the employer and employee once the entitlement has fully accrued.
No. Under the WA Long Service Leave Act an employer cannot direct an employee to take long service leave at a particular time. If the two of you have not agreed on timing, you can take leave that fell due more than 12 months ago by giving at least 2 weeks' notice, in one continuous period.
Overtime rates are not, but overtime hours can be. If you regularly worked overtime during an accrual period, those hours are counted in your normal weekly number of hours, which are then paid at your ordinary time rate.
Between 7 and 10 years of continuous employment, no pro-rata payment is owed. After 10 years you are paid only the untaken part of your last fully accrued entitlement — the 8.667 weeks at 10 years, or 4.333 weeks for each further 5 years — and nothing pro-rata for the time since. The employer has to prove the misconduct.
Related Calculators
Long service leave in your state
- All states compared — the eight Acts side by side
- NSW long service leave — 8.67 weeks at 10 years
- VIC long service leave — 6.0667 weeks at 7 years
- QLD long service leave — 8.6667 weeks at 10 years
- SA long service leave — 13 weeks at 10 years
- TAS long service leave — 8.667 weeks at 10 years
- ACT long service leave — 6.0667 weeks at 7 years
- NT long service leave — 13 weeks at 10 years
Work out the rest of your pay: annual leave · final pay · redundancy pay · take-home pay
Sources & References
- 1Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA) — Private Sector Labour Relations (Wageline)— Private Sector Labour Relations (Wageline)
- 2Payment of long service leave— Private Sector Labour Relations (WA)
- 3Long service leave when employment ends— Private Sector Labour Relations (WA)
- 4Cashing out long service leave— Private Sector Labour Relations (WA)
- 5MyLeave— MyLeave
- 6Unused long service leave — withholding from unused leave payments on termination— Australian Taxation Office
- 7Long service leave— Fair Work Ombudsman
Last verified: 10 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
Areas of Expertise
What to check next
People reading this page usually work these out too.
- Long Service Leave CalculatorWeeks accrued and what a payout is worth, in every state.
- Leave Payout CalculatorA different entitlement: unused annual leave paid out when you leave.
- Final Pay CalculatorEverything owed when you leave a job.
- Take-Home Pay CalculatorSee your actual pay after tax, super and Medicare.