Longserviceleave.com

Long service leave calculator for South Australia

Weeks and dollars under the Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA), with the section for every figure.

By Sri Murugan Systems · Rules last reviewed

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South Australia calculator

Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA)
Are you still working there?

In SA the reason only matters between 7 and 10 years.

$

Before tax, without overtime

Long service leave you have used

Part-time, casual, commission or unpaid leave
Hours, casual work and commission

Hours and pay

Long service leave already taken

Add each period. Weeks fill in from the dates; change them if you took part days or half pay.

Unpaid leave or breaks in service

Some unpaid time does not count as service, which pushes your dates back. Each state treats it differently.

SA · resigned after 12 years, 4 months, 1 day

15.60weeks

$28,860 paid when you leave, before tax

How this was worked out

After 10 years SA pays 1.3 weeks for each completed year whatever the reason you leave: 12 × 1.3 = 15.60 weeks.

  1. Service15 March 2014 to 15 July 2026 = 12 years, 4 months, 1 day
  2. Leave15.60 weeks under the rule above
  3. Value15.60 weeks × $1,850.00 a week = $28,860.00 before tax
  4. Tax (estimate)About $9,235.00, leaving about $19,625.00. Estimated extra tax for the year, using the 2026-27 resident rates and 2% Medicare levy, if your income for the year is about 52 weeks of your current pay. Your employer withholds using the ATO's Schedule 7 averaging method, so the amount taken from your final pay can differ.

    An award, enterprise agreement or public-sector rule can give you more than the Act. Check yours before you rely on this.

    Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA) s 5(2), s 5(7)Read the Act

    Check your employer's figure

    Got a figure from your employer or payslip? Enter it to see where the difference comes from.

    $

    Should you wait to leave?

    Choose "I've left or am leaving" to see what staying a little longer would add.

    In South Australia you get 13 weeks of long service leave after 10 years with the same employer, then 1.3 weeks for each further completed year (s 5(1)). If you leave after at least 7 but less than 10 years, you are paid 1.3 weeks for each completed year for almost any reason (s 5(3)). Only completed years count, so part years are never paid (s 5(7)).

    How much leave you get

    You become entitled to 13 weeks of long service leave once you complete 10 years of continuous service with your employer (s 5(1)(a)).

    After that, you earn 1.3 weeks for each further completed year of service (s 5(1)(b)). SafeWork SA says 1.3 weeks equals 9.1 calendar days.

    Only completed years count. A part year adds nothing until the year is finished (s 5(7)). For example, if you leave after 12 years and 6 months, you are paid for 12 years: 12 x 1.3 = 15.60 weeks (SafeWork SA).

    The rate is the same for full-time, part-time and casual workers. What changes for part-time and casual workers is how your weekly pay is worked out, not how many weeks you earn.

    Leave you have already taken comes off your balance. SafeWork SA's example: Liam has 13 years' service and has taken 10 weeks. He has 3 weeks left from his first 13, plus 3.90 weeks for the 3 years since (3 x 1.3), so 6.90 weeks in total.

    9.1weeks at 7 yearsNot leave yet, but paid out on leaving for most reasons (s 5(3))
    13weeks at 10 yearsFull entitlement to take leave (s 5(1)(a))
    14.3weeks at 11 yearsPlus 1.3 weeks per completed year (s 5(1)(b))
    19.5weeks at 15 years15 x 1.3 weeks
    26weeks at 20 years20 x 1.3 weeks

    When you leave

    If you leave with less than 7 years of service, you get no long service leave payment under the Act (s 5(3)).

    If you leave after at least 7 but less than 10 years, you are paid 1.3 weeks for each completed year of service, at your ordinary weekly rate immediately before you leave (s 5(3), s 8(4)). This applies however your job ends, with two exceptions: you were dismissed for serious and wilful misconduct, or you ended the job unlawfully, for example by resigning without giving the notice you were required to give (s 5(4)).

    If you resign without the required notice, the payment is not automatically lost. SafeWork SA says your employer 'has the legal option to withhold' it. In SafeWork SA's example, Ajay left Fairview Hospital after 7.5 years without giving 2 weeks' notice, and the hospital could withhold his pro-rata payment.

    Once you have 10 or more years, any untaken leave is paid out when you leave, whatever the reason (s 5(2), s 8(4)). The serious misconduct and notice exceptions apply only to the 7 to 10 year payment (s 5(4)).

    Payment on termination is due immediately (s 8(4)).

    If you die after 7 or more years, the payment goes to your personal representative (s 5(5)).

    How the job ended7 to 10 yearsAfter 10 years
    ResignedPaid 1.3 weeks per completed year, as long as you gave the required notice (s 5(3)). SafeWork SA's example: Aisha resigned after 8.5 years with 4 weeks' notice and was paid 8 x 1.3 = 10.40 weeks.All untaken leave is paid (s 5(2)).
    Resigned without giving the required noticeYour employer may withhold the pro-rata payment (s 5(4)). Treat it as at risk, not as certain to be lost.All untaken leave is paid. The notice rule affects only the 7 to 10 year payment (s 5(2), s 5(4)).
    Resigned due to illness or pressing necessityPaid 1.3 weeks per completed year (s 5(3)).All untaken leave is paid (s 5(2)).
    Employer ended your employmentPaid 1.3 weeks per completed year, unless it was for serious and wilful misconduct (s 5(3), s 5(4)).All untaken leave is paid (s 5(2)).
    Made redundantPaid 1.3 weeks per completed year (s 5(3)).All untaken leave is paid (s 5(2)).
    Dismissed for serious and wilful misconductNothing is payable (s 5(4)).All untaken leave is still paid (s 5(2)).
    RetiredPaid 1.3 weeks per completed year. The Act covers any termination, so retirement is included (s 5(3)).All untaken leave is paid (s 5(2)).
    DeathYour personal representative is paid 1.3 weeks per completed year (s 5(5)).Your personal representative is paid all untaken leave (s 5(2), s 5(5)).

    Before you rely on this

    • Awards and agreements: the Act does not apply if your long service leave comes from another Act, a Fair Work award or agreement, or a pre-modern instrument kept in force under the Fair Work transitional laws (s 16). SafeWork SA says agreement entitlements prevail over the SA Act. The SA Employment Tribunal can decide that a group of workers follows a particular award, agreement or scheme, but not to their disadvantage (s 9).
    • Resigning without notice between 7 and 10 years puts your pro-rata payment at risk. Your employer may withhold it, but does not have to (s 5(4)).
    • Part years never count. Leaving a few weeks before a work anniversary can cost you 1.3 weeks (s 5(7)).
    • Unpaid leave, unpaid parental leave and some employer-caused breaks pause your service and push your dates back (s 6(2)).
    • Community services workers moved to a portable scheme from 1 October 2025, and construction workers have their own portable scheme. Neither is covered by this calculator.
    • SafeWork SA says service before 1972 accrued at different rates. This calculator does not cover pre-1972 service.
    • Working for someone else while on long service leave can attract a $1,000 penalty for both you and the other employer (s 14).
    • We could not find an official long service leave calculator for South Australia. This site's figures are estimates.

    What counts as service

    Counts as service

    • Service under one or more contracts with the same employer (SafeWork SA).
    • Annual leave and long service leave (s 6(1)(e)).
    • Absence because of illness or injury (s 6(1)(d)).
    • Absence allowed by your contract of service (s 6(1)(c)).
    • Service with a related employer, such as one that took over your employer's business or a related corporation (s 3(1), s 3(3)).

    Does not count, but does not break your service

    • Other kinds of leave, including unpaid leave and unpaid or government-funded parental leave (s 6(2)).
    • Time stood down for slackness in trade (s 6(2)).
    • A break caused by an industrial dispute (s 6(2)).
    • A break of up to 2 months caused by your employer (s 6(2)).

    Breaks your service

    • Leave and stand-downs listed above pause your service but do not break it (s 6(1)).
    • A break your employer causes to avoid paying long service leave does not break your service (s 6(1)(b)).
    • A break your employer causes does not break your service if you return or are re-employed within 2 months (s 6(1)(i)).
    • Being re-employed under a court or SAET order does not break your service (s 6(1)(a)).
    • Any break not listed in s 6(1) does break your service, for example an employer-caused break longer than 2 months, or the clear end of a series of casual engagements (s 6(1)).
    • Time that does not count pushes your qualifying date back. SafeWork SA's example: 3 weeks of unpaid leave in 10 years means you need 10 years and 3 weeks for the full 13 weeks. In another SafeWork SA example, Lien's 10 weeks of unpaid leave left her two weeks short of 9 years, so she was paid 10.40 weeks instead of 11.70.

    Casual work: casual engagements are continuous if they form a series. SafeWork SA looks at how regular the work is, the gaps between engagements and the reasons for the gaps. The Act sets no minimum number of hours.

    Transfer of business: if a new employer takes over or acquires all or part of the business, your service with the old employer counts (s 3(1), s 3(3)), and your records move to the new employer (s 10(4)). SafeWork SA says that if the business is sold and you are rehired within 2 months, your entitlement keeps accruing.

    How your pay is worked out

    Long service leave is paid at your ordinary weekly rate of pay (s 3(2)). This leaves out overtime, shift premiums and penalty rates, and SafeWork SA says allowances are generally left out too.

    If your employer provided accommodation during your employment but not during your leave, its value is added (s 3(2)(c)). SafeWork SA says that if you are acting in a higher position when your leave starts, the higher rate applies.

    If, during the 3 years before you take or are paid your leave, you were paid by the hour, worked varying hours, or worked part-time or casually, your pay is based on your average weekly hours over those 3 years (156 weeks), multiplied by your hourly rate at that time (s 3(2)). SafeWork SA says the hours include overtime hours and the rate includes any casual loading, but the overtime, shift and penalty rates themselves are left out. There is no 12-month option and no 'whichever is higher' test.

    Weeks spent wholly on unpaid leave or on workers' compensation weekly payments are skipped, and earlier weeks are used instead (s 3(4)). Paid leave weeks count. Weeks where you were not rostered count as 0 hours.

    SafeWork SA's casual example: Steve worked 1,000, 1,440 and 980 hours over 3 years, a total of 3,420 hours. 3,420 / 156 = 21.923 hours a week, x $25 an hour = $548.08 a week of leave.

    If you worked full-time for the whole of the last 3 years, you are paid as a full-time worker, even if you were part-time earlier. SafeWork SA's example: Alex worked part-time for 5 of his 10 years, but full-time for the last 3, so he gets 13 weeks at his current full-time rate.

    If you are paid by commission or results, your weekly pay is your average weekly earnings over the 12 months before the relevant date: total income divided by 52 (s 3(2)(a)). SafeWork SA's example: Jack earned $110,000 in 12 months, so his weekly pay on leave is $2,115.38.

    The rate used is the rate when you take the leave, adjusted if your rate changes during it (s 8(1), s 8(3)). On termination it is the rate immediately before your job ends (s 8(4)).

    Taking your leave

    Minimum period
    Leave is taken in one continuous period unless you and your employer agree otherwise (s 7(2), s 7(4)). SafeWork SA says separate periods can be as short as 1 day by agreement. 13 weeks equals 91 calendar days, and your employer may not deduct more than 1.4 days for each work day of leave (SafeWork SA).
    Notice
    Your employer must give you at least 60 days' notice of the date your leave starts, unless you agree to shorter notice (s 7(3), s 7(4)).
    Public holidays
    Public holidays and weekends that fall during your leave count as leave days, so they do not make your leave longer (s 7(7)).
    Leave in advance
    You can take leave before you are entitled to it if you and your employer agree (s 7(4)(d)). If you then leave before the entitlement builds up, your employer may deduct the difference from your final pay (s 7(6)). SafeWork SA's example: Jack took 4 weeks in advance and left after 8 years. His pro-rata of 8 x 1.3 = 10.40 weeks less the 4 weeks taken left 6.40 weeks to be paid.
    When you are paid
    You are paid in advance, on your normal pay days, or as you and your employer agree (s 8(2)). When your job ends, payment is due immediately (s 8(4)).

    Cashing out

    You can cash out long service leave while still employed, but only by an individual agreement in writing signed by you and your employer (s 5(1a)). You must get a copy and your employer must keep one (s 10(2a)). It is paid at your ordinary weekly rate immediately before payment, without any accommodation value, and topped up if your rate changes within the period the leave would have covered (s 8(3a)). Your employer cannot make you cash it out.

    Records your employer must keep

    Your employer must keep long service leave records for the whole of your employment and for at least 3 years after it ends (s 10(2)(c)). If your hours vary, your employer must work out your average weekly hours every 12 months (s 10(3)). If the business changes hands, the records go to the new employer (s 10(4)).

    Who these rules cover

    • Full-time, part-time and casual workers
    • Private sector workers
    • Local government workers
    • Workers not covered by an award or agreement that provides long service leave
    • Workers who had no pre-modern award entitlement as at 1 January 2010

    Not covered

    • SA public sector employees
    • Commonwealth public sector employees
    • Construction industry workers (Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA), a portable scheme)
    • Community services workers (Portable Long Service Leave Act 2024 (SA), a portable scheme)
    • Workers whose long service leave comes from another Act
    • Workers whose long service leave comes from a Fair Work award or agreement, or a pre-modern award kept in force under the Fair Work transitional laws

    Recent changes

    • 1 October 2025: The portable long service leave scheme for community services workers started under the Portable Long Service Leave Act 2024 (SA). These workers are now covered by the portable scheme instead of the 1987 Act, and earlier service up to the scheme's designated day is credited.
    • 1 July 2017: The current version of the Long Service Leave Act 1987 took effect, including changes made by the Statutes Amendment (South Australian Employment Tribunal) Act 2016. The core entitlement rules did not change.

    Questions about long service leave in SA

    How much long service leave do I get after 10 years in SA?

    13 weeks (s 5(1)(a)). After that you earn 1.3 weeks for each further completed year (s 5(1)(b)).

    Do I get paid long service leave if I resign after 7 years in SA?

    Yes, if you gave the notice you were required to give. You are paid 1.3 weeks for each completed year of service (s 5(3)). If you resign without the required notice, your employer may withhold the payment (s 5(4)).

    Does a part year count towards long service leave in SA?

    No. Only completed years count (s 5(7)). If you leave after 12 years and 6 months, you are paid for 12 years: 15.60 weeks (SafeWork SA).

    How is long service leave worked out for casual workers in SA?

    Casual workers earn the same 1.3 weeks per year. Your weekly pay is your average weekly hours over the last 3 years (156 weeks), multiplied by your current hourly rate including casual loading (s 3(2)). Your casual engagements must form a continuous series (SafeWork SA).

    Can I cash out long service leave in SA?

    Yes, but only by a written agreement signed by you and your employer (s 5(1a)). Your employer cannot make you do it.

    Official sources

    Rules last reviewed 3 November 2026 against the Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA) and the regulator's guidance.