A worker who has completed 10 years of service is entitled to 13 weeks long service leave. A further 1.3 weeks leave (9.1 calendar days) is granted for each completed year of service thereafter.
To work out your entitlement you will need to know:
- your employment start date
- your projected long service leave date or termination date
- any periods of leave without pay
- any periods of long service leave already taken
- any absences due to a work related injury.
Remember to deduct any service that does not count towards long service leave. For example, if you took 3 weeks unpaid leave (excluding sick leave) during the 10 years of service, you would need to work 10 years and 3 weeks before being eligible for your full long service leave entitlement.
A worker is eligible for a pro-rata payment if they leave their employment between 7 and 10 years.
Part-time calculation
A part-time worker’s long service leave entitlement is based on the average of all hours worked, including overtime hours, in the 3 years (156 weeks) immediately prior to taking long service leave. Weeks on approved unpaid leave or weeks on workers' compensation are excluded from the calculation and substituted for a working week.
Same hours
If you worked fixed part-time hours, with no additional hours or overtime, over the previous 3 years then your calculation will be:
fixed part-time hours (per week) @ current 'base hourly rate of pay'
Put simply, you will be paid the same amount per week as you would if you were at work.
If you need assistance to calculate your long service leave entitlement, download our Long Service Leave calculation form for full-time and fixed part-time workers. The calculations in this worksheet should be used as a guide only. Your employer is required to keep accurate records of your entitlements.
Varied hours
If your part-time hours varied, even if for a few days or weeks (including any overtime) you will need to calculate your average hours.
total number of hours worked over the previous 3 years ÷ 156 (number of weeks in 3 years)
@
current ‘base hourly rate of pay’
If you have worked a mix of full-time and part-time hours during the last 3 years, see our Mix of full-time and part-time hours calculation page.
If you have varied hours and need assistance to calculate your long service leave entitlement, see our step-by-step guide below. The calculations in this worksheet should be used as a guide only. Your employer is required to keep accurate records of your entitlements.
Allowances
Long service leave is primarily concerned with remuneration for hours worked and payment is based on 'ordinary rate of pay' which excludes penalty rates, overtime and shift premiums. However, the Long Service Leave Act does not specifically mention allowances.
Allowances are generally paid to compensate a worker for expenses or other circumstances incurred for work purposes or in the course of their work, such as a uniform laundry allowance, locality allowance or a car allowance where the worker’s personal vehicle is used for work purposes.
As work-related expenses are not incurred whilst a worker is on leave, it is unlikely that an allowance needs to be paid.
If there is an allowance that you believe should be calculated as part of your 'ordinary rate of pay' please complete our long service leave form to receive a determination by one of our Inspectors.
Step-by-step guide for calculation of long service leave entitlement
Download our Long Service Leave calculation form to help work through this step-by-step guide.
Step 1:
Review worker’s time records for the last 156 weeks (3 years × 52 weeks).
Note down:
- the number of hours worked each week including overtime
- any calendar weeks where the worker was on unpaid leave or was receiving workers' compensation.
Step 2:
After working back the initial 156 weeks, keep working back one (1) week for each week where the worker did not work due to unpaid leave or was being paid through a workers' compensation claim.
Step 3:
Add up all the hours worked in the 156 worked weeks.
Step 4:
Divide this total number of hours by 156.
This will give you the number of hours to be paid per week of long service leave. Do not round this number up or down.
Step 5:
Multiply the number of hours per week by the workers current base hourly rate (including the casual loading).
This will give you the amount the worker needs to be paid per week of long service leave.
Questions about your long service leave?
If you have read all the long service leave information on our website and you still have questions or concerns about your entitlements, please follow the below options.
For employees and employers: If you have further questions about long service leave, please contact our Help Centre by calling 1300 365 255 or emailing help.safework@sa.gov.au
For employees only: If you are a worker and are in a disagreement with your employer regarding long service leave, please submit a Long Service Leave claim form.