Long Service Leave: Entitlements per State
Nov 16, 2023For a majority of West Australians, Long Service Leave (LSL) only comes around after 10 years of continuous service, unless specified otherwise by your Employer. However, the entitlement to LSL varies between Australian states and territories. Let's discuss!
LSL is effectively an entitlement or 'reward' for an employee's loyalty to a company for a specified period of time. Each state regulates its own set of entitlements that companies must adhere to, but this can become increasingly complex when companies are operating in more than 1 state or territory.
Here's a rundown of the entitlement to LSL per state and territory:
New South Wales: 8.67 weeks after 10 years of continuous service.
Australian Capital Territory: 6.0667 weeks after 7 years of continuous service.
Victoria: 6.1 weeks after 7 years of continuous service.
South Australia: 13 weeks after 10 years of continuous service.
Western Australia: 8.667 weeks after 10 years of continuous service.
Northern Territory: 13 weeks after 10 years of continuous service.
Queensland: 8.6667 weeks after 10 years of continuous service.
All permanent employees within Australia have access to the entitlements above - while only some states and territories recognise long-serving casual employees.
When thinking about LSL and your entitlements, you should also take into consideration:
- If you can access your LSL on a pro-rata basis. Some states and territories may allow employees to access their LSL after 5-7 years of continuous service. To find this information, you should check your contract of employment or company policies and procedures.
- Some states and territories may have schemes that provide workers in industries such as security, community services, and building and construction with access to portable LSL which allows an employee to take their accrued continuous service to another employer within the same industry..
IMPORTANT: Some industries in some States also have Portable LSL! Click here to read more...
If you have any questions about LSL and what you may be entitled to, please reach out to the Employii team at [email protected]
For more information on LSL, head to the Fair Work website here.
Author: Chelsea Finlay (HR Officer).
