Accrued annual leave balance calculator (Australia)

Annual leave under the Fair Work Act builds up progressively through the year of service. This works out how many hours you have accrued by a date, after any leave you have already taken.

Australia. Fair Work Act 2009, National Employment Standards — 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year, 5 for a defined shiftworker. Rules checked 15 September 2026.

Ordinary hours you work each week

Your normal hours, not counting overtime. A standard full-time week is 38 hours.

Days you work each week (optional)

Add this to also see the answer in days rather than hours.

I am a shiftworker as defined by my award or agreement (5 weeks instead of 4)

I am employed as a casual

When this period of service started

Leave builds up from your first day of service.

Work out the balance at this date

Balance already showing at that start date (optional)

Only use this if you are counting from part-way through your service, for example the balance on a payslip.

Days in that period that do not count as service (optional)

Unpaid leave, such as unpaid parental leave or unauthorised absence, generally does not build up annual leave. Enter the number of days yourself — nothing is assumed.

Annual leave hours already taken (optional)

Enter your ordinary weekly hours and your dates to see how much annual leave has built up, with the full workings.

What to do next

How progressive accrual works

Section 87(2) of the Fair Work Act 2009 says annual leave accrues progressively during a year of service according to the employee's ordinary hours of work, and accumulates from year to year. There is no waiting period: leave starts building from the first day, and unused leave carries over rather than expiring.

The balance is worked out day by day. A full-time employee on 38 ordinary hours a week accrues 38 × 4 = 152 hours a year, or 152 ÷ 365 = 0.4164 hours for each day of service.

How many hours of annual leave do you get per year?

Four weeks of your own ordinary hours, whatever those hours are. Multiply your weekly ordinary hours by four:

38-hour week → 152 hours a year (190 for an eligible shiftworker)
30-hour week → 120 hours a year
20-hour week → 80 hours a year
15-hour week → 60 hours a year

Overtime is not counted, and casual employees do not accrue annual leave (section 86). Use the calculator above to see the balance built up to a particular date rather than the yearly figure.

Worked examples

Six months, full-time

Starting 1 January 2026 on 38 hours a week, by 30 June 2026 that is 181 days of service: 152 × 181 / 365 = 75.38 hours accrued.

Same again, with 16 hours taken

75.38 − 16 = 59.38 hours left. Leave taken reduces the balance; it does not reduce what you accrue.

A period with unpaid leave

Unpaid leave generally does not count as service. Entering 14 excluded days on the same six-month period gives 152 × 167 / 365 = 69.55 hours. Nothing is excluded unless you enter it yourself.

Accrued is not the same as approved

An accrued balance tells you what has built up. It does not decide whether you can take it: leave must be agreed with your employer, and many employers allow leave in advance of accrual. Equally, a balance you have accrued cannot simply be refused indefinitely — an employer must not unreasonably refuse a request.

How to read your balance

How do I turn hours into days?: Divide the hours by the length of your ordinary working day. A 75.38-hour balance for someone on 7.6-hour days is just under 10 days; for someone on 4-hour days it is nearly 19 days. Days are not comparable between people — hours are.
Why does my payslip show a different figure?: Payroll systems usually accrue in whole pay periods rather than day by day, and some include an opening balance or leave already booked but not yet taken. A small difference is normal; a large one is worth asking payroll about.
My balance is negative. What does that mean?: Your employer has let you take leave before you accrued it. That is their decision to make, and the balance simply rebuilds as you keep working. Enter it as a negative opening balance to see where you stand.
What happens to the balance when I leave the job?: It is paid out. Section 90(2) of the Fair Work Act requires the amount that would have been payable had the leave been taken, and the Fair Work Ombudsman says annual leave loading is included on termination even where an award, agreement or contract says otherwise.

Limits of this tool

Casual employees do not accrue paid annual leave under the National Employment Standards.
It uses one figure for ordinary weekly hours. If your hours changed, work out each period separately and add the results, or use the opening balance field.
Periods that do not count as service, such as unpaid leave, must be entered by you — they are never assumed.
Long service leave, personal/carer's leave and parental leave are not covered.
This is time off, not money. Pay is a separate calculation.

Other Australia tools

Official sources

Rules checked 15 September 2026. General information, not legal advice.