Annual Leave Calculator

Annual Leave in New South Wales

In New South Wales, annual leave entitlements are governed by the National Employment Standards (NES), which provide full-time employees with 4 weeks of paid annual leave per year. Part-time employees accrue leave on a pro-rata basis based on their hours worked.

Leave Loading

Many employees in NSW are entitled to annual leave loading of 17.5% on top of their base rate of pay when taking annual leave. This entitlement typically comes from awards or enterprise agreements.

Public Holidays

If a public holiday falls during your annual leave period, it is not counted as annual leave. Instead, you receive payment for the public holiday at your base rate of pay. View the complete list of New South Wales Public Holidays for 2025.

Unused Leave

Unused annual leave accumulates year to year and must be paid out when employment ends. Employers and employees can agree on cashing out annual leave, but employees must maintain a balance of at least 4 weeks after any cashing out.

NSW Annual Leave Calculator – Maximise Your Time Off in 2025

Planning your holidays in New South Wales? Whether you're looking to escape the city, book a coastal road trip, or just relax at home, our NSW Annual Leave Calculator is designed to help you understand your leave entitlements and make smarter decisions about when to take time off.

You've earned your time off – now let's help you use it wisely. We'll walk you through the basics of how annual leave works, who gets what, and most importantly, how to maximise your leave by aligning it with public holidays. Less admin, more beach.

Understanding Annual Leave in NSW

In New South Wales, your annual leave is governed by the National Employment Standards (NES), which apply across Australia. Here's what you need to know:

• Full-time employees are entitled to 4 weeks (152 hours) of annual leave per year.
• Part-time employees earn leave proportionally, based on their ordinary hours of work.
• Casual employees generally don't accrue paid leave but instead receive casual loading, often around 25% higher pay.
• Annual leave begins accruing from your first day on the job and builds up progressively with each pay cycle.

Annual Leave Accrual Formula

To work out how much leave you accrue each week:

Annual leave per week = (Ordinary weekly hours × 4) ÷ 52

For example, a full-time employee working 38 hours per week will earn about 2.923 hours of leave per week.

What About Leave Loading?

Some NSW employees, especially those covered under certain awards or enterprise agreements, are entitled to annual leave loading – an extra 17.5% paid on top of their base rate when they take leave. Not every employer offers this, so check your contract or speak to HR.

Example: If you earn $1,200 a week, taking one week of annual leave with leave loading would bump that to $1,410 for the week.

Who Gets Annual Leave in NSW?

Almost all permanent employees in NSW are entitled to annual leave under the Fair Work Act. Here's a quick guide:

• Full-time employees get 4 weeks of paid annual leave each year. That's the minimum under the law – some employers may offer more.
• Part-time employees earn a proportional amount based on the number of hours they work each week.
• Shift workers under certain awards may be entitled to 5 weeks of leave per year.
• Casual employees don't accrue annual leave but are paid a higher hourly rate in lieu of entitlements.

Keep in mind that enterprise agreements and industry awards can give you more than the minimum – so it pays to know what applies to you.

Planning Around Public Holidays

If you're looking to stretch your annual leave days as far as possible, the secret is to pair them with public holidays. You get more time off for fewer days of leave – smart, right?

Here are some of the best public holiday hacks for NSW workers in 2025:

Example Leave Scenarios in NSW

Let's look at how a couple of different employees might benefit from using our calculator:

Why Use Our NSW Annual Leave Calculator?

Our tool makes it easy to:

• Track how much leave you've earned
• Plan future holidays with precise forecasts
• Avoid under- or overestimating your remaining leave balance
• Calculate leave loading and projected payout
• Understand your legal rights under the Fair Work Act

We've designed the calculator to be fast, mobile-friendly, and completely aligned with official government guidelines.

Whether you're working full-time in Sydney or part-time in the Blue Mountains, our calculator is built for all NSW workers.