How sick leave accrual works
Your entitlement is measured in hours, not days. Under the National Employment Standards you accrue 1/26 of your ordinary hours of work in a year. A full-time employee on 38 hours a week therefore accrues 76 hours a year, which is 10 days of 7.6 hours. A part-time employee accrues the same fraction of their own ordinary hours, so the entitlement is pro-rata, not 10 days of pay.
The hours figure is what matters when working patterns differ. Take two people who both work 38 hours a week: one over 5 days and one over 4 days. Both accrue the same 76 hours a year. The 5-day worker has ten 7.6-hour days; the 4-day worker has eight 9.5-hour days. Same hours, fewer and longer days.
Accrual is progressive from your first day of employment, with no waiting period. It continues while you are on paid leave — annual leave, personal leave, long service leave — and on community service leave. It does not accrue on unpaid leave, except community service leave or where an award or agreement says otherwise. Unused balance carries over to the next year, indefinitely.
Sick leave vs carer's leave vs compassionate leave
Sick leave and carer's leave are the same balance. You use it when you are unfit for work because of personal illness or injury, including stress and pregnancy-related illness, and when you need to care for or support an immediate family or household member who is sick, injured or affected by an unexpected emergency. There is no separate carer's balance to track.
| Leave | What you get | Comes out of your personal balance? |
|---|---|---|
| Sick leave | As much as you have accrued | Yes |
| Carer's leave | As much as you have accrued; 2 days unpaid per occasion if you have no paid balance left for that occasion | Yes, for the paid part |
| Compassionate leave | 2 days per occasion, paid at base rate for full-time and part-time employees, unpaid for casuals | No — a separate entitlement |
How sick leave is paid
Sick leave is paid at your base rate of pay for the ordinary hours you would have worked in the leave period. The base rate excludes incentive payments and bonuses, loadings, allowances, overtime and penalty rates, and any other separately identifiable amounts. There is no leave loading on sick leave.
Unused sick leave is not normally paid out when you leave a job. Unlike annual leave and long service leave, there is generally no payout of an unused personal/carer's balance on termination. That is why the dollar figure above is labelled as the value of your balance if taken as paid leave, never as a payout.
Notice and medical certificates
You must notify your employer as soon as possible that you are taking leave — this may be after the leave has started — and tell them how long you expect to be away. Your employer may ask for evidence that would satisfy a reasonable person, for example a medical certificate or statutory declaration. There are no strict rules on evidence type, and awards and agreements can set specific evidence terms. If notice or evidence is not given when required, you may not be entitled to be paid for the leave.
Casual employees
Casual employees do not get paid personal/carer's leave under the NES. Instead, casuals are entitled to 2 days of unpaid carer's leave per occasion and 2 days of unpaid compassionate leave per occasion. Select "Casual" above and the calculator shows the unpaid entitlements only. Whether someone is a casual or part-time employee is a legal classification this calculator cannot decide — check with the Fair Work Ombudsman if you are unsure.
Worked examples
Full-time, 1 year. A full-time employee on 38 hours a week at $35 an hour, with 1 year of service and 3 days (22.8 hours) already taken: accrued 76.00 hours = 10.00 days; balance 53.20 hours = 7.00 days = $1,862.00 if taken as paid leave.
Part-time, 1 year. A part-time employee on 20 hours a week over 4 days (5-hour days) at $30 an hour, with 1 year of service and nothing taken: accrued 40.00 hours = 8.00 of their days; balance 40.00 hours = $1,200.00. Pro-rata means 40 hours, not 10 days of pay.
Frequently asked questions
How many sick days do you get in Australia?
Full-time employees get 10 days of paid personal/carer's leave a year, measured in hours: 76 hours a year for someone on 38 ordinary hours a week. Part-time employees get the same entitlement pro-rata to their ordinary hours.
Is sick leave the same as personal leave and carer's leave?
Yes. Sick leave and carer's leave are one combined entitlement called personal/carer's leave. Carer's leave is deducted from the same balance as sick leave; there is no separate carer's balance.
Does unused sick leave carry over?
Yes. Unused personal/carer's leave carries over to the next year, indefinitely. There is no use-it-or-lose-it rule, so a balance can grow larger than one year's accrual.
Does sick leave accrue from day one?
Yes. Personal/carer's leave accrues progressively from your first day of employment, based on your ordinary hours worked. There is no qualifying or waiting period.
Do casuals get paid sick leave?
No. Casual employees do not get paid personal/carer's leave under the National Employment Standards. They are entitled to 2 days of unpaid carer's leave per occasion and 2 days of unpaid compassionate leave per occasion.
What rate is sick leave paid at?
Sick leave is paid at your base rate of pay for the ordinary hours you would have worked. The base rate excludes incentive payments and bonuses, loadings, allowances, overtime and penalty rates, and any other separately identifiable amounts.
Is unused sick leave paid out when I resign or am terminated?
Usually no. Employers don't usually have to pay out unused sick/carer's leave when employment ends. The dollar figure in this calculator is the value of your balance if taken as paid leave, not a payout.
Can my employer ask for a medical certificate for one day?
Your employer may ask for evidence that would satisfy a reasonable person, such as a medical certificate or statutory declaration. There are no strict rules on evidence type, and your award or agreement may set specific evidence terms.
Can I cash out sick leave?
Generally no. Cashing out personal/carer's leave is only possible under specific award or agreement terms. This calculator does not offer a cash-out calculation.
Does sick leave accrue while I'm on annual leave?
Yes. Personal/carer's leave accrues while you are on paid leave, including annual leave, personal leave and long service leave, and on community service leave. It does not accrue on unpaid leave, except community service leave or where an award or agreement says otherwise.