Work out normal weekly hours for leave
Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT)The Northern Territory rule
Under the Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT), normal weekly hours are the average in each completed year of service (s 7, s 11(1)-(5), s 11(8)).
Rate of pay on the day before leave starts or employment ends (RP) x hours worked per week in each completed year (HWW) x 1.3, summed over the years.
Worked example: hours cut back in Northern Territory
A long-serving employee worked 35 hours a week for three years, then reduced their hours, with 4 weeks of unpaid leave along the way. They are paid $40 an hour.
| Year | Hours worked | Unpaid leave weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Most recent 12 months | 1,300 | 0 |
| The 12 months before | 1,560 | 4 |
| 3 years back | 1,820 | 0 |
| 4 years back | 1,820 | 0 |
| 5 years back | 1,820 | 0 |
Under the Northern Territory rule:
- The ruleNorthern Territory uses the average in each completed year; this tool uses the whole employment as a guide (s 7, s 11(1)-(5), s 11(8)).
- Whole employment8,320.00 hours ÷ 256.00 weeks = 32.50 hours a week.
- Normal weekly hours32.50 hours a week.
- Weekly pay for leave32.50 hours × $40.00 an hour = $1,300.00 a week.
So leave is paid at 32.50 hours a week, or $1,300.00 a week.
Each year is counted as 52 weeks, less any unpaid leave weeks you entered. The Acts count calendar days and exclude some unpaid absences, so a payroll figure can differ slightly.
Northern Territory works the average out separately for each period the leave built up in. This tool gives one whole-employment figure as a guide.
See the Northern Territory long service leave calculator to work out the full entitlement with these hours.
Common questions
My hours dropped recently. Is my leave paid at the lower hours?
Not always. NSW and Victoria use the higher of a short and a long average, so a recent drop does not lower the pay if you worked more hours over the longer period. SA uses the last 3 years, and Tasmania and the ACT the last 12 months.
Do unpaid leave weeks count in the average?
The Acts generally leave out periods that do not count as service, such as unpaid leave. Enter unpaid weeks for each year and the calculator leaves them out of the weeks it divides by.
Official sources
Rules last reviewed 3 November 2026. Every figure comes from the Acts, the regulators, the ATO and the AASB; see sources and method.