Annual Leave Calculator
Balance, Leave Loading and Payout
Work out how much annual leave you have, what it is worth with 17.5% leave loading, how much you could cash out, and what you would be paid — and taxed — if you left your job.
Read the full answer — method, rates and figures
Quick answer: Full-time and part-time employees in Australia get 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year under the National Employment Standards — 152 hours for a 38-hour week, 80 hours for a part-timer on 20 hours — accruing from the first day and rolling over; casual employees get none, and shiftworkers covered by a qualifying award get 5. Leave is paid at your base rate; a 17.5% leave loading is paid only if your award or agreement provides it.
On $40 an hour, 38 hours a week, with 228 hours (6 weeks) unused, your balance is worth $10,716 including $1,596 of loading, and it must all be paid out if you leave. On a genuine redundancy, invalidity or early retirement the employer withholds 32%.
Sources: Fair Work Ombudsman and ATO, checked 25 September 2026.
How much annual leave have I got?
4 weeks of your ordinary hours for every year worked, less what you have taken. Three years at 38 hours a week with 6 weeks taken leaves 228 hours, worth $10,716 at $40 an hour with 17.5% loading.
Leave balance
228 hours
In weeks
6 wks
Worth (incl. loading)
$10,716
A week of leave pays
$1,786
You accrue 152 hours a year. After 3 years and 228 hours taken, 228 hours remain, worth $10,716. If your award allows it, you could cash out up to 76 hours ($3,572) this year.
Been there 7 years or more? Check your long service leave too. Being made redundant? The redundancy calculator works out the tax-free part, and the pay calculator shows your regular take-home pay.
Last reviewed 25 September 2026 by the Richify AI agent team.
Reviewed by Felix, Richify's AI CFO — an AI author, presented as one.
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Leave accrues at 4 weeks (or 5 for qualifying shiftworkers) of your ordinary hours per year of service, progressively, and rolls over. Your balance is what has accrued less what you have taken. It is valued at your base hourly rate, plus leave loading if your award or agreement pays it — the same amount that must be paid out if your employment ends.
The cash-out figure applies the common award rule: keep at least 4 weeks, cash out no more than 2 weeks in 12 months. The resignation tax is an estimate of the extra 2026-27 income tax and Medicare levy from adding the payout to a year of your salary; the redundancy figure is the ATO's 32% withholding. Rules checked 25 September 2026 against the Fair Work Ombudsman and the ATO.
If you leave: your annual leave payout
| Unused leave at base rate | $9,120 |
| Leave loading (17.5%) | $1,596 |
| Payout | $10,716 |
| Resigning: extra tax for the year (estimate) | $3,429 |
| Genuine redundancy: 32% withheld | $3,429 |
Leave accrued before 18 August 1993 is withheld at 32% whatever the reason. Long service leave is a separate entitlement under state law.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your ordinary hours a week and your base hourly rate (before overtime, penalties and allowances).
- Enter how long you have worked there and how many hours of annual leave you have already taken.
- Tick shiftworker if your award gives the fifth week, and set leave loading to 17.5% if your award or agreement pays it.
- Read your balance in hours and weeks, what it is worth with loading, how much you could cash out, and the payout and tax if you leave.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How much annual leave do I get in Australia?
4 weeks a year for full-time and part-time employees, based on your ordinary hours: 152 hours a year on 38 hours a week (about 2.9 hours for every week worked), 80 hours on 20 hours. Shiftworkers defined as such by their award or agreement get 5 weeks.
Casual employees do not get paid annual leave; their casual loading is paid instead.
What is annual leave loading and do I get it?
Leave loading is an extra payment on top of your base pay while you are on annual leave — usually 17.5%. It is not a National Employment Standard: you get it only if your award, enterprise agreement or contract says so.
Some awards pay the higher of 17.5% and the shift loading you would have earned. Many awards include it; check yours on the Fair Work website.
Is unused annual leave paid out when I leave?
Yes. When employment ends, your employer must pay out all your unused annual leave, at the amount you would have received had you taken it — including leave loading if you would have been paid it.
This applies whatever an award, agreement or contract says, and whether you resign, are dismissed or are made redundant.
How is an annual leave payout taxed?
It is taxed as part of your income for the year, but the employer withholds tax under the ATO's rules for unused leave on termination. On a genuine redundancy, invalidity or an approved early retirement scheme, 32% is withheld from the leave and the loading.
For other reasons (resigning, retiring, dismissal), leave accrued from 18 August 1993 is withheld at your marginal rates, and any older leave at 32%. In the example, the resignation payout adds about $3,429 of tax for the year.
Can I cash out annual leave?
Only if your award or agreement allows it. Under most awards you need a written agreement with your employer, must keep at least 4 weeks' leave after cashing out, and can cash out no more than 2 weeks in any 12 months.
The payment must equal what you would have been paid had you taken the leave, and your employer cannot pressure you into it.
Does annual leave accrue on sick leave or parental leave?
It keeps accruing while you are on paid leave — paid annual, sick and carer's, family and domestic violence, community service and long service leave. It does not accrue during unpaid leave, including unpaid parental leave (the government's Paid Parental Leave is not paid leave from your employer), or for a period of leave you cashed out.
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Further Reading
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