🇦🇺 Australia

Holiday Pay Calculator Australia — Annual Leave & Payout

Calculate your leave balance, leave pay with loading, and termination payout. Covers full-time, part-time, shift workers, and casuals under the NES.

Full-time employees get 4 weeks (20 days) annual leave per year under the NES. Most awards include 17.5% leave loading. Casual employees get 25% loading instead.
Determines your annual leave entitlement
Leave accrues from your first day
Total annual leave days already used
$
Base salary for calculating cash value

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How to Use This Calculator

Tab "Leave Balance"

Select your employment type (full-time, part-time, shift worker, or casual), enter your start date, and leave already taken. The calculator shows your total accrued leave, remaining balance, cash value, and accrual rate per pay period. Part-time workers get pro-rata leave based on their ordinary hours.

Tab "Leave Pay"

Enter your annual salary, the number of leave days you are taking, and whether leave loading (17.5%) applies. The calculator shows your daily rate, loading amount, total leave pay, and estimated net after tax.

Tab "Payout on Leaving"

Calculate what you will receive when you leave your job. Enter your accrued leave balance (days), salary, whether leave loading applies, and the reason for termination. The calculator shows gross payout, loading, estimated tax, and net payout.

The Formulas

Annual leave entitlement:
Full-time: 4 weeks (20 days) per year
Shift workers: 5 weeks (25 days) per year (some awards)
Part-time: pro-rata based on hours (e.g. 20hrs/38hrs × 20 days)
Casual: nil (25% loading instead)

Daily rate:
Daily rate = Annual salary / 260 working days

Leave loading:
Loading = Base leave pay × 17.5%

Total leave pay:
Total = (Daily rate × Days) + Leave loading (if applicable)

Accrual rate:
Per day worked = 20 / 260 = 0.0769 days
Per fortnight = 0.769 days

Payout on termination:
Payout = Accrued days × Daily rate + Loading (if award requires it)
Tax: at marginal rate as part of final pay

Annual leave entitlements are set by the National Employment Standards (NES) under the Fair Work Act 2009. Individual awards and enterprise agreements may provide additional entitlements above the NES minimum. Leave loading of 17.5% is standard in most awards but not universally required — always check your specific award or agreement.

Example

Sarah — Marketing Manager in Brisbane, Salary $85,000

Sarah is full-time, started 2 years ago, and has taken 12 days of leave. She wants to take 2 weeks off and know her leave pay with loading.

Total leave accrued40 days (2 years × 20 days)
Leave taken12 days
Balance remaining28 days
Daily rate$327 ($85,000 / 260)
Leave pay for 10 days + 17.5% loading$3,842

Sarah's 10 days of leave pay at $327/day = $3,270 base, plus 17.5% loading of $572 = $3,842 total. She still has 18 days remaining after taking this leave.

Annual Leave Entitlements

Employment TypeAnnual LeaveLeave Loading
Full-time4 weeks (20 days)17.5% (most awards)
Part-timePro-rata (based on hours)17.5% (most awards)
Shift worker5 weeks (25 days)17.5% (most awards)
CasualNil25% casual loading instead
ScenarioLeave Payout Required?
ResignationYes — all accrued leave
RedundancyYes — all accrued leave
DismissalYes — all accrued leave
End of contractYes — all accrued leave
Cash out (while employed)Yes — if award allows, min 4 weeks must remain

Frequently Asked Questions

Your employer can refuse an annual leave request if the refusal is reasonable. Factors include the needs of the business, the amount of notice you gave, your leave balance, and whether replacement staff are available. However, your employer cannot unreasonably refuse leave. If you have excessive leave (more than 8 weeks), your employer may be able to direct you to take leave under some awards.
No. If a public holiday falls during your annual leave period, it is counted as a public holiday, not as annual leave. You are entitled to be paid for the public holiday separately, and your annual leave balance is not reduced for that day.
Annual leave (holiday pay) is paid time off for rest and recreation — 4 weeks per year for full-time employees. Personal/carer's leave (sick leave) is 10 days per year for illness or caring responsibilities. Personal leave does not get paid out on termination (unlike annual leave). They are separate entitlements that accrue independently.
You can cash out annual leave if your award or enterprise agreement allows it. Key requirements: you must retain at least 4 weeks of annual leave after the cash-out, it must be a written agreement each time, and you must be paid at least the full amount you would have received if you had taken the leave (including any leave loading). Your employer cannot force you to cash out leave.
Leave loading is taxed as ordinary income at your marginal tax rate. It is included in your normal pay when you take leave, so PAYG withholding applies as usual. On termination, leave loading paid as part of your final pay is also taxed at your marginal rate. There is no special tax treatment for leave loading — it is simply additional salary.

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