Long Service Leave Calculator NSW 2026
NSW long service leave gives most employees 2 months of paid leave after 10 years of continuous service with the same employer, with another month each subsequent 5 years. Pro-rata payment kicks in on termination from 5 years of service in qualifying circumstances. Use this calculator to estimate your LSL entitlement under the Long Service Leave Act 1955, including casual and part-time scaling. Building and construction workers should use the portable scheme operated by the NSW Long Service Corporation instead.
Calculator
Inputs
Result
- Payable weeks
- 8.667
- Weekly rate applied
- $1,500
- Weeks accrued at 10+ years
- 8.667
- Pro-rata weeks (if 5-10 yrs)
- 8.667
10+ years of continuous service — full LSL entitlement is available to take as paid leave at the agreed time.
General estimate based on the NSW Long Service Leave Act 1955. Building and construction workers, contract cleaners and coal miners are covered by separate portable schemes — use the official scheme calculator for those industries. Confirm any termination payout with your employer or a registered industrial advocate.
What this calculator works out
This tool estimates NSW long service leave (LSL) entitlements under the Long Service Leave Act 1955. It works for full-time, part-time and casual continuous service, and handles two scenarios:
- Taking LSL while still employed (10+ years required for the full entitlement).
- Termination payout — full entitlement at 10+ years, or pro-rata between 5 and 10 years in qualifying circumstances.
The figure produced is the typical payout in Australian dollars. NSW workers in the building and construction industry, contract cleaning and coal mining are covered by separate portable schemes — see the notes at the end for where to look instead.
The formula and where the rates come from
The LSL Act 1955 sets the entitlement at:
- 2 months (= 8.667 weeks at 52 weeks/12 months) of paid LSL after 10 years of continuous service with the same employer.
- +1 month (4.333 weeks) for each additional 5 years of continuous service.
- Pro-rata on termination at the rate (years / 10) × 2 months once you have completed at least 5 years, in qualifying circumstances.
For part-time and casual staff, the entitlement is the same number of weeks but paid at a weekly rate scaled by:
weekly rate = current full-time weekly wage × (average ordinary hours per week ÷ 38)
Continuous service includes paid annual and personal leave, public holidays and most paid breaks. It excludes most stretches of unpaid leave, but a change of business ownership or transfer between related entities can preserve service under the transmission-of-business rules — see the Fair Work Ombudsman LSL guidance and NSW Industrial Relations LSL page.
How to read the inputs
- Years of continuous service — completed years with the same employer. Decimals (e.g. 7.5) are fine; the pro-rata formula works on the exact figure.
- Ordinary weekly pay — for full-time staff, the current weekly wage; for part-time / casual, the equivalent full-time weekly wage for the role.
- Average ordinary hours — only relevant for part-time / casual. Set to your average over the relevant period.
- Reason — switches between the "taking leave" entitlement (10+ years required) and the "termination payout" calculation (5-10 years pro-rata or 10+ years full).
- Serious misconduct flag — if termination is for serious and wilful misconduct, pro-rata at 5-10 years is not payable. Past 10 years the full entitlement is still payable on termination regardless of reason.
Worked examples
1. Full-time 10-year employee taking LSL. Weekly wage $1,500. Entitlement = 8.667 weeks. Typical payout = 8.667 × $1,500 ≈ $13,000.
2. Full-time 7-year employee made redundant. Weekly wage $1,500. Pro-rata = (7/10) × 8.667 = 6.067 weeks. Typical termination payout = 6.067 × $1,500 ≈ $9,100. Redundancy is a qualifying termination, so the pro-rata applies.
3. Part-time 10-year employee, 22.8 hours/week. Equivalent full-time weekly wage $1,500, scaled by 22.8/38 = 60% → applied weekly rate $900. Entitlement still 8.667 weeks. Typical payout ≈ $7,800.
4. 15-year full-time employee resigning. Weekly wage $1,800. Entitlement = 8.667 + 4.333 = 13 weeks. Typical termination payout = 13 × $1,800 = $23,400. Past 10 years, the full accrued LSL is payable regardless of reason.
Common pitfalls
- Casual ≠ no LSL. A long-term casual with continuous engagement does accrue LSL under the LSL Act 1955; the leave is just paid at a scaled weekly rate.
- Misreading "continuous" service. Most paid leave preserves continuity. Long stretches of unpaid leave generally do not. A change of business ownership or transfer between related entities often preserves it — get advice on the transmission-of-business rules before assuming a "fresh start".
- Pro-rata at 4.9 years. The pro-rata threshold is 5 years exactly. Resigning a fortnight before is the difference between $0 and several thousand dollars in many cases.
- Pro-rata after serious misconduct dismissal. A dismissal for serious and wilful misconduct disqualifies the pro-rata at 5-10 years. Past 10 years the full entitlement is still payable.
- Ignoring the portable schemes. Construction, cleaning and coal industry workers should not use this calculator — their entitlement is held by the relevant portable scheme and follows them across employers.
Related calculators
- VIC Long Service Leave Calculator — VIC pro-rata starts at 7 years under the LSL Act 2018.
- Redundancy Pay Calculator (AU) — Fair Work NES redundancy scale stacked on top of LSL.
- Annual Leave Loading Calculator (AU) — 17.5% loading on annual leave.
- Parental Leave Pay Calculator (AU) — Services Australia paid parental leave.
- Salary Sacrifice Super Calculator — pre-tax super contribution modelling.
Sources:
Frequently asked questions
The most common questions about how the calculator works and where the figures come from.
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