South Australia Long Service Leave Calculator
Work out long service leave for an employee in South Australia under the Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA). Enter years of continuous service, ordinary weekly hours and pay, and the calculator returns accrued weeks, accrued hours and an estimated dollar value at this jurisdiction's own accrual rate of 1.3 weeks per year, reaching 13 weeks at the 10-year mark. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Your service details
SASouth Australia (SA)
Priced under the Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA). Work in another state?
Decimals are fine, e.g. 10.5. Exclude unpaid breaks that don't count as service.
Your normal weekly hours. Full-time is usually 38.
Your normal gross pay for one week.
- Accrued LSL
- 0 wks
- 0 hrs
- Estimated pay
- $0.00
- @ $0.00/wk
- Accrual rate
- 1.3 wk/yr
- South Australia
How this was worked out
Enter your state, years of continuous service, and pay to estimate your long service leave entitlement.
Set by legislation: Long service leave is governed by each state and territory's LSL Act and changes only when that Act is amended, figures here are the current standard statutory rates. SA and the NT accrue 13 weeks at 10 years (about 50% more than the 8.6667 weeks elsewhere); VIC and the ACT let you take leave from 7 years. Awards and industry portable-leave schemes (construction, cleaning, security) can differ. Always check the Act for your state.
For Australian businesses
Automate the tax busywork
Invoicing, GST tracking and BAS-ready summaries, done automatically, free to start.
Long service leave in South Australia
South Australia is one of the two most generous jurisdictions in the country. The Long Service Leave Act 1987 gives 13 weeks of paid leave after ten years of continuous service, where six of the eight jurisdictions give 8.6667 weeks for the same decade of work.
The South Australia entitlement at a glance
| Governing Act | Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA) |
|---|---|
| Accrual per year of continuous service | 1.3 weeks |
| Leave can be taken from | 10 years (13 weeks accrued) |
| Pro rata payout possible from | 7 years, on a qualifying termination only |
| Administered by | SafeWork SA, Long service leave |
Thirteen weeks, not two months
The six jurisdictions on the common rate express the entitlement as two months, which converts to 8.6667 weeks. South Australia instead sets 13 weeks outright, an accrual of 1.3 weeks for each year of continuous service. That is roughly 50 per cent more leave for identical service, and on a wage of $1,500 a week it is a difference of about $6,500 at the ten-year mark. Only the Northern Territory matches it.
How the figure is worked out
- Accrued weeks: years of continuous service × 1.3
- Accrued hours: accrued weeks × your ordinary weekly hours
- Estimated pay: accrued weeks × your ordinary weekly pay
Worked example. An employee with 10 years of continuous service in South Australia on $1,500 a week, a 38-hour week at about $39.47 an hour, accrues 10 × 1.3 = 13 weeks of long service leave, worth about $19,500.
How South Australia compares
Against New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, South Australia accrues about half as much again each year. Where it is not the most generous is timing: South Australia keeps the ten-year wait, while Victoria and the ACT let an employee take leave at seven.
On the accrual rate, South Australia matches NT. The full comparison across all eight jurisdictions, and a calculator that lets you switch between them, is on the national long service leave calculator.
Before you rely on this figure
This is an estimate built on the standard statutory accrual rate in the Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA), which changes only when that Act is amended rather than on a financial-year cycle. Three things can move the answer: an award or enterprise agreement with better terms than the Act, a break in service that does not count as continuous employment, and portable long service leave schemes, which run in industries such as building and construction and carry service between employers under their own rules. Where any of those apply, check the position with SafeWork SA, Long service leave before acting on a number.
Long service leave calculators for the other states
- New South Wales long service leave calculator — 0.86667 weeks a year, leave from 10 years
- Victoria long service leave calculator — 0.86667 weeks a year, leave from 7 years
- Queensland long service leave calculator — 0.86667 weeks a year, leave from 10 years
- Western Australia long service leave calculator — 0.86667 weeks a year, leave from 10 years
- Tasmania long service leave calculator — 0.86667 weeks a year, leave from 10 years
- Northern Territory long service leave calculator — 1.3 weeks a year, leave from 10 years
- Australian Capital Territory long service leave calculator — 0.86667 weeks a year, leave from 7 years
Frequently asked questions
Why is the South Australian figure thirteen weeks when most of the country uses 8.6667?
Because the Long Service Leave Act 1987 sets the entitlement directly in weeks rather than as two months of leave. Six jurisdictions express it as two months, which converts to 8.6667 weeks, or 0.86667 weeks per year of service. South Australia sets 13 weeks at ten years, an accrual of 1.3 weeks per year, and the Northern Territory is the only other jurisdiction on that rate.
What does a South Australian employee build up for each year worked?
About 1.3 weeks for every year of continuous service, reaching 13 weeks at ten years. The calculator above multiplies that rate by the years you enter and then by your ordinary weekly pay, so a $1,500 weekly wage at ten years comes to roughly $19,500 against about $13,000 for the same service in a state on the common rate.
Can leave be taken in South Australia before the ten-year point is reached?
The right to take the leave arrives at ten years of continuous service. Below that, a pro rata entitlement can be paid out from seven years, but only where the employment ends for a qualifying reason such as illness, incapacity, domestic necessity, retirement age, death, or employer-initiated termination other than for serious misconduct.
Sources & methodology
How we calculate this
This calculator applies the Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA) accrual rate of 1.3 weeks for each year of continuous service, reaching 13 weeks at 10 years, which is when leave can be taken in South Australia. Accrued weeks are multiplied by your ordinary weekly pay for the estimated dollar value. A pro rata entitlement can arise from 7 years, but only on a qualifying termination. Long service leave is set by statute rather than a financial-year table, and an award, an enterprise agreement or an industry portable-leave scheme can give better terms than the Act. Figures are computed in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent to a server.
Authoritative sources
Reviewed by Bishal Shrestha, Founder of OneBookPlus, 10+ years building tools with Australian tax-agent and BAS-agent practices. Page last reviewed and updated: .
Disclaimer: This tool provides estimates only and is not professional advice. For decisions that affect your tax, finances, or compliance position, consult a registered professional.
Automate your tax & accounting
OneBookPlus tracks GST as you invoice and prepares a BAS-ready summary you can check line by line before you lodge.
Related calculators
Annual Leave Calculator
Work out how much paid annual leave you've accrued under the NES. Enter your ordinary hours, the period worked, and leave already taken to see your balance in hours, days, and weeks.
CalculateRedundancy Pay Calculator
Work out your redundancy pay under the National Employment Standards. Enter your years of continuous service and weekly base pay to see the weeks owed and the gross amount.
CalculateEmployer Cost Calculator
Calculate the true cost of hiring an employee in Australia. Includes salary, super, payroll tax, workers comp, and leave provisions.
CalculateTimesheet Calculator
Add up your work hours from start and end times, deduct unpaid breaks, and get daily and weekly totals plus gross pay. Handles overnight shifts and any hourly rate.
Calculate