How Does Personal Leave Accrue in Australia?

Paid personal/carer's leave accrues progressively from a full-time or part-time employee's first day of work, based on their ordinary hours. Under the National Employment Standards, the yearly amount is equivalent to 10 days for a full-time employee and a pro-rata amount for a part-time employee.

Fair Work expresses the entitlement as 1/26 of the employee's ordinary hours of work in a year. For a full-time employee working 38 ordinary hours each week, that is generally 76 hours over a complete year. A part-time employee working 19 ordinary hours each week generally accrues 38 hours.

The balance builds gradually; it is not normally credited only after the employee completes 12 months. Unused paid leave carries over into the next year, allowing a balance to accumulate during continuous employment.

This page focuses on accrual mechanics. For why sick and carer's leave share one balance, see Difference Between Sick Leave and Personal Leave. For broader eligibility, read Sick Leave Entitlements in Australia.

This is general workplace information, not payroll or legal advice. Awards, enterprise agreements and contracts may provide more generous entitlements. Check the employee's actual ordinary hours, industrial instrument and payroll record for an individual calculation.

Key Points

• Full-time and part-time employees accrue paid personal/carer's leave progressively.
• Accrual starts on the first day of employment.
• The annual National Employment Standards amount is 1/26 of ordinary hours.
• For a standard 38-hour full-time week, that is generally 76 hours per year.
• Part-time employees accrue a pro-rata amount based on ordinary hours.
• The spread of ordinary hours across days does not change the annual hours accrued.
• Accrual continues during paid leave and community service leave.
• It generally does not continue during unpaid leave unless an award or agreement provides otherwise.
• Unused leave carries over; casual employees generally do not accrue the paid entitlement.

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The National Employment Standards Formula

The Fair Work paid sick and carer's leave page states that yearly entitlement is based on ordinary hours and can be calculated as 1/26 of those hours. This produces the familiar 10-day equivalent for full-time work without making every employee's “day” identical.

Ordinary hours are the hours an employee is employed to work at their ordinary rate, as determined by the National Employment Standards, award, agreement or contract. Overtime is generally not added to the accrual calculation.

Payroll systems commonly record leave in hours because hours deal more accurately with part-time patterns, compressed weeks and part-day absences.

Full-Time Example

A full-time employee with 38 ordinary hours per week has 1,976 ordinary hours in a 52-week year. Dividing by 26 gives 76 hours of paid personal/carer's leave over that year. If the employee usually works 7.6 hours across five days, 76 hours resembles 10 working days.

If another full-time employee works the same 38 ordinary hours over four longer days, they still accrue 76 hours over the year. The balance does not become 10 of their 9.5-hour rostered days.

How the hours are deducted for an absence depends on the ordinary hours the employee would have worked during that period.

Part-Time Example

A part-time employee working 19 ordinary hours each week has half the ordinary hours of the 38-hour full-time example. Their yearly accrual is generally 38 hours. If those hours are spread differently across the week, the yearly total remains based on ordinary hours.

When part-time hours permanently change, future accrual should change with them. The existing balance does not usually disappear; payroll should apply the new rate prospectively while preserving accrued hours.

Employees with variable patterns should check the award, agreement and payroll calculation. A simple “days” display may hide the actual hourly method.

Accrual Is Progressive

Leave starts building from day one and accumulates during the year. An employee does not generally need to wait for their first anniversary to access what has accrued, although they cannot take paid leave beyond the available balance unless an employer or industrial instrument allows leave in advance.

The progressive rate can be approximated over each pay period. Payroll software may display small differences from manual estimates due to exact ordinary hours, pay-cycle length and rounding, but the overall statutory entitlement must be met.

If a new employee becomes ill early in employment, they may only have a small paid balance. They can discuss unpaid leave, annual leave if accrued, leave in advance or another arrangement; approval is not automatic.

Probation Does Not Delay Accrual

Full-time and part-time employees accrue paid personal/carer's leave from their first day even when the contract includes a probation period. Probation may affect review of ongoing employment, but it does not postpone minimum leave accumulation until the probation end date.

A new employee can use the amount already accrued for a qualifying absence. They must still provide notice and reasonable evidence when requested. If the available hours do not cover the whole absence, the remainder needs another lawful arrangement.

Payroll systems that show zero until a later update should be checked against the underlying ledger. A display delay does not change the National Employment Standards accrual date.

When Does Personal Leave Continue to Accrue?

Fair Work explains that paid sick and carer's leave continues accumulating while the employee is on paid leave, including annual leave and paid personal/carer's leave. It also continues during community service leave such as jury duty.

The current Fair Work fact sheet says it generally does not accrue during unpaid leave, except community service leave, unless an award or agreement provides for accrual.

Parental leave, unpaid personal leave and other unpaid periods can therefore affect the timing of accrual. Check the particular entitlement rather than assuming every authorised absence counts as service in the same way.

Ordinary Hours vs Overtime

Accrual is based on ordinary hours, not every hour actually worked. Regular overtime does not automatically enlarge the annual personal leave entitlement. An employee's award or agreement helps identify the boundary between ordinary and overtime hours.

When paid leave is taken, the employee is generally paid for the ordinary hours they would have worked, not overtime. The Fair Work payment guidance explains the base-rate and ordinary-hours rule.

This distinction matters for employees with frequent overtime, penalties or shift loadings. Accrued hours and the amount paid for leave are related but separate calculations.

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Does the Balance Reset Each Year?

No. Unused paid personal/carer's leave carries over from year to year. The anniversary marks another year of progressive accrual; it is not a deadline to use the balance. A payroll display that appears to reset should be queried promptly.

The accumulating balance can support a later longer illness, surgery recovery or caring responsibility. The specific rollover rules are covered in Does Personal Leave Roll Over Each Year?.

Carryover occurs within continuing employment. A balance does not generally transfer to a different employer and is not normally paid out when employment ends.

What Happens When Ordinary Hours Change?

If an employee moves from full-time to part-time, the existing accrued hours should remain, while future accrual reflects the new ordinary hours. The reverse applies when a part-time employee becomes full-time: future accrual rises from the effective change.

The value of an hour of leave when later taken is based on the applicable base pay rate at that time, not necessarily the rate when it accrued. Ask payroll to confirm how a system displays hours, days and any change in work pattern.

A temporary roster variation is not always a contractual change in ordinary hours. Industrial and payroll advice may be needed where hours fluctuate or employment status is disputed.

Casual Employees

Casual employees generally do not accrue paid personal/carer's leave under the National Employment Standards. The casual loading commonly compensates for certain entitlements casuals do not receive, but it is not a leave bank.

A casual may still be entitled to 2 days unpaid carer's leave per qualifying occasion and should follow notice and evidence requirements. Read Do Casual Employees Get Paid Sick Leave? for the narrow casual position.

If a casual becomes full-time or part-time, paid leave generally starts accruing under the new employment type from the effective change. It does not ordinarily create retrospective accrual for the casual period.

Taking Leave in Hours or Part-Days

Personal leave can be deducted for the ordinary hours the employee is absent, including a part-day where the requirements are met. This aligns the deduction with the hourly accrual model.

An employee who becomes unwell halfway through an ordinary shift may use leave for the remaining ordinary hours, subject to notice, evidence and available balance. The planned guide personal leave in hours or part-days explains examples.

Do not let a system's “day” label obscure the hours. Ask payroll how partial absences are converted and recorded.

Checking and Correcting a Balance

1. Confirm employment type and ordinary weekly hours.
2. Check the start date and any permanent hours changes.
3. Review periods of paid and unpaid leave.
4. Compare payslips and the payroll leave ledger.
5. Check the applicable award or enterprise agreement for extra entitlement.
6. Ask payroll for the accrual formula and rounding method in writing.
7. Raise discrepancies promptly and retain employment records.

Fair Work's leave calculator can assist with estimates, but unusual rosters and industrial instruments may need individual advice.

Why Manual Estimates Can Differ From Payroll

A rough weekly calculation may not match a payslip to the decimal because payroll can accrue by day, hour or pay cycle and round displayed figures. Public holidays, a mid-cycle start, ordinary-hours changes and unpaid periods can also affect the comparison.

Ask for the calculation over a meaningful period rather than focusing on one rounded line. The useful questions are which ordinary hours were used, when changes took effect, which periods counted as service and whether carried leave was preserved.

If the annual result remains below the applicable entitlement after accounting for these factors, request correction in writing. Keep the explanation with payslips so later carryover can be audited.

Accrual, Use and Final Pay Are Different

Accruing leave creates a balance that can be used for qualifying absences while employment continues. It is not an ordinary cash account. The Fair Work final pay guidance says sick and carer's leave is not paid out when employment ends.

Limited cashing-out arrangements can exist under specified awards or registered agreements and strict conditions, but that is different from a termination payout. The focused page Does Sick Leave Get Paid Out? explains the distinction.

Employees should use personal leave only for genuine permitted reasons and should never manufacture an absence simply because a balance may not be paid out.

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Using Dociva

Dociva currently accepts online medical certificate requests for sick leave, carer's leave, study and multi-day absences. An Australian registered medical practitioner independently determines whether the submitted current circumstances support evidence.

A request does not guarantee a certificate. Dociva does not calculate leave accrual, correct payroll, approve paid leave or backdate certificate issue dates. Employees should direct balance questions to payroll, HR, Fair Work, a union or an employment adviser.

Review the available Dociva services before applying. Dociva provides standard and extended telehealth consultations when broader clinical assessment is needed, while urgent symptoms require urgent or emergency care.

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