Annual Leave Accrual Calculator
Understanding Annual Leave in Australia
Annual leave is the paid time off you build up to rest, travel or step away from work — time that's yours to plan and use as you choose. Under the National Employment Standards (NES), full-time and part-time employees accrue four weeks of paid annual leave each year — five weeks for some shift workers — building up progressively from the first day of employment.
One distinction is worth clearing up before you start. Annual leave and personal/carer's leave are two separate entitlements under the Fair Work Act 2009, and they can't be used interchangeably:
- Annual leave is for planned time off and rest — holidays, personal breaks, or simply a day to yourself.
- Personal/carer's leave (which includes sick leave) is for when you're unwell or injured, or need to care for an immediate family or household member who is ill, injured or facing an emergency.
Each accrues separately, so time taken as one doesn't reduce the other. This calculator works out your annual leave balance. If you're after personal/carer's leave, there's a short guide further down the page.
Work out how much paid annual leave you've accrued under the National Employment Standards — for full-time and part-time employees. Enter your details and your balance updates instantly.
Calculate annual leave accrual
Based on Australian employment standards. Results update automatically as you type.
How is annual leave calculated?
Annual leave is based on your ordinary hours of work, not a fixed number of days. Under the National Employment Standards, full-time and part-time employees accrue four weeks of paid annual leave each year (five weeks for some shift workers), building up progressively from your first day of employment.
Full-time example (38 hrs/week):
38 × 4 = 152 hours per year — 20 days on a 5-day week. What you should know about annual leave
- It accrues progressively. Annual leave builds up gradually as you work your ordinary hours, from your first day of employment — you don't have to wait until the end of the year to use it.
- Unused leave carries over. Any annual leave you don't use rolls over from one year to the next; it doesn't reset or disappear at year's end.
- It's paid out when you leave. If you resign or your employment ends, accrued but unused annual leave is generally paid out to you.
- Casual employees don't accrue it. Annual leave applies to full-time and part-time employees. Casuals receive casual loading in place of paid leave entitlements.
Annual leave vs personal/carer's leave
Because the two are easy to confuse, here's a short guide to personal/carer's leave — the separate entitlement that sits alongside annual leave.
What is personal/carer's leave?
Personal/carer's leave — also called personal leave or sick/carer's leave — lets employees take paid time off to deal with their own illness or injury, or to care for or support an immediate family or household member who is ill, injured or facing an unexpected emergency. Unlike annual leave, it's there for unplanned circumstances rather than rest and holidays.
Personal leave entitlements
- It's paid leave. Full-time employees are entitled to 10 days of paid personal leave per year; part-time employees accrue pro-rata to the hours they work.
- It accrues and rolls over. Personal leave builds up progressively as you work, and unused leave rolls over to the following year.
- When it can be used — to recover from a personal illness or injury; to care for or support an immediate family or household member who is ill, injured or affected by an emergency; or to take a mental health day (treated as sick leave).
- Evidence. Employers can request evidence, such as a medical certificate (a carer's leave or sick leave certificate).
What about stress leave?
"Stress leave" isn't a separate legal category in Australia — time off for stress is taken as personal/carer's (sick) leave, which covers both physical and mental health conditions. A doctor can issue a medical certificate for a stress-related or mental health condition, and an employer may request one as evidence. It's available to full-time and part-time employees who have accrued paid personal leave.
Things to Remember
Separate from personal/carer's leave, employees may also be covered by Baby Priya's Law — the Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Act 2025, in effect from 7 November 2025. This law protects employer-funded paid parental leave: unless the employer and employee have expressly agreed otherwise, an employer cannot refuse or cancel that leave because an employee's child is stillborn or dies. It sits alongside, and does not affect, entitlements under personal/carer's leave.
Need time off for sick leave or carer's leave?
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This calculator provides a general estimate of annual leave entitlements under the National Employment Standards and is for information only. It isn't legal or financial advice. Your actual entitlements depend on your award, enterprise agreement or employment contract. For your specific situation, check your payslip or the Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au). MediLeave does not accept responsibility for decisions made based on this tool.
Frequently asked questions about our Health & Annual Leave Calculators
Is personal leave sick leave?
Sick leave is part of personal leave, not a separate thing. Under the Fair Work Act, the full entitlement is “personal/carer’s leave,” and it covers two situations from the same balance: taking time off for your own illness or injury (what most people call sick leave), and caring for or supporting an immediate family or household member who is ill, injured or facing an emergency (carer’s leave). Full-time employees accrue 10 days per year, and part-time employees accrue pro-rata based on their hours.
What is stress leave from work?
Stress leave” isn’t a separate category of leave under Australian law — it’s simply time off taken as paid personal/sick leave for a stress-related or mental health condition, such as stress, anxiety, depression or burnout. Mental illness is treated the same as physical illness, so these are legitimate reasons to take personal leave. A doctor can issue a medical certificate for the condition, and your employer may request one as evidence. It’s available to full-time and part-time employees who have accrued paid personal leave.
How to calculate annual leave?
Under the National Employment Standards, full-time and part-time employees are entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave each year (five weeks for some shift workers), calculated on ordinary hours rather than a fixed number of days. The formula is: ordinary weekly hours × 4 = your annual entitlement in hours. For example, a full-time employee on 38 hours a week accrues 38 × 4 = 152 hours per year (about 20 days on a five-day week). Leave builds up progressively from your first day, and part-time employees accrue pro-rata to the hours they work.
What's compassionate leave?
Compassionate leave is a workplace entitlement under the National Employment Standards (NES) in the Fair Work Act 2009. It lets you take time off when a member of your immediate family or household dies, or contracts or develops a life-threatening illness or injury. It also covers a stillbirth, or a miscarriage experienced by you or your spouse or de facto partner.
In Australia, you’re entitled to two days of compassionate leave for each “permissible occasion.” For more specific details on bereavement and compassionate leave, see our compassionate leave and bereavement leave guide.
