Turn your accrued unused annual leave into a payout figure for when you leave. The NES gives 4 weeks a year, paid out on termination at your base rate — plus 17.5% loading where it applies.
Use the accrued annual-leave balance from your payslip. NES = 4 weeks/year (≈2.923 hrs per 38-hour week).
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| NES entitlement | 4 weeks paid annual leave per year (5 for some shift workers) |
| Accrual | Progressive — ≈2.923 hours per 38 ordinary hours worked |
| On termination | All accrued unused annual leave must be paid out |
| Pay basis | Base rate for ordinary hours |
| Leave loading | 17.5% (if it applied) is paid out even if the award says otherwise |
Annual leave loading is not part of the NES — it comes from an award or agreement — but where it applied during employment, Fair Work says it is paid out on termination. Source: Fair Work Ombudsman — Final pay & annual leave.
Yes. Under the National Employment Standards, all accrued but unused annual leave must be paid out when your employment ends, at the same amount you'd have received had you taken it — your base rate for ordinary hours.
The NES gives 4 weeks of paid annual leave per year (5 weeks for certain shift workers). It accrues progressively — roughly 2.923 hours for every 38 ordinary hours worked — and carries over year to year.
If a 17.5% annual leave loading applied to you during employment (through an award or enterprise agreement), Fair Work states it must be paid out on your accrued leave when you leave — even if the award says loading isn't payable on termination.
At your base rate of pay for ordinary hours (capped at 38 hours a week under the NES). This excludes overtime and penalty rates, but includes leave loading where it applied.
Australian payslips show your accrued annual leave, usually in hours. Enter that figure and your base hourly rate to estimate the payout; the tool also shows the rough equivalent in weeks.