Under 5 years: the Act pays no long service leave, even on redundancy (s 11C).
From 5 to under 7 years: you are paid pro-rata (s 11C). The amount counts completed years and completed months, at about 0.87 weeks per year (s 11C(2)). For example, 5 years and 9 months is about 4.98 weeks.
7 years or more: you are paid your long service leave credit, which is the leave accrued less leave taken (s 11A(1)). This counts completed years only (s 3(2)). At 7 years it is about 6.07 weeks; at 10 years about 8.67 weeks.
Your payment uses your rate immediately before your job ends. If you were part-time or casual, it uses your average weekly hours over the 12 months before it ended (s 11D).
If the business is transferred and you move to the new owner, your service is treated as unbroken (s 10). If your employer loses a contract and the new contractor must take on the staff, your periods of service are added together (s 10A). In those cases your leave carries over rather than being paid out.
A stand-down for slackness of trade does not break your service if you are re-employed within 6 months, although the time away does not count (s 2G(2)(b), s 2G(5)).
Your employer must pay within 90 days after your employment ends. Since 19 November 2025, not paying in time is an offence (s 11A(4)).
Common questions
Do I get long service leave if I am made redundant after 5 years in the ACT?
Yes. Redundancy qualifies for pro-rata between 5 and 7 years (s 11C).
What if my employer loses a contract and the new contractor hires me?
If the new contractor is obliged to employ the old contractor's staff, your service periods are added together (s 10A).
How soon must I be paid after a redundancy?
Within 90 days after your employment ends (s 11A(4)).
Official sources
- Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT)ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office
- Guidance Note 067A: Long Service Leave Calculation GuidelinesWorkSafe ACT
- Guidance Note 067: Long Service LeaveWorkSafe ACT
Rules last reviewed 3 November 2026.