Australia Annual Leave Payout 2026: What You're Owed When You Leave
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When you leave a job in Australia, your employer must pay out all your accrued, unused annual leave. This guide shows how much you accrue, the rate it's paid at, and the leave-loading rule most people miss.
How much you accrue
The National Employment Standards give 4 weeks of paid annual leave per year (5 for some shift workers). It builds up progressively — about 2.923 hours per 38 ordinary hours worked — and rolls over each year. Your payslip shows the balance in hours.
Payout on termination
Every hour of accrued annual leave you haven't taken is paid out when you leave, at the same value as if you'd taken the leave — your base rate for ordinary hours.
The 17.5% leave-loading rule
Many awards and agreements add 17.5% annual leave loading to leave. If it applied to you, Fair Work says it must be paid out on termination — even where the award states loading isn't payable when you leave. That's an easy amount to lose if you don't ask.
Worked example
152 accrued hours (≈ 4 weeks) at $40/hour base rate:
- Base payout = 152 × $40 = $6,080
- With 17.5% loading = $6,080 × 1.175 = $7,144
What's excluded
The base rate excludes overtime and penalty rates. Leave loading is included only where it applied to you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get paid for unused annual leave when I leave in Australia?
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.
How much annual leave do you accrue in Australia?
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.
Is annual leave loading paid out on termination?
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.
What rate is annual leave paid out at?
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.
How do I find my accrued leave balance?
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.