All About Employee Leave & PTO in Australia
Learn what you need to know about leave requirements in Australia and how Justworks EOR can help you streamline hiring.
How an EOR Can Help with Employee Leave & PTO
When recruiting in Australia, it's crucial to understand the regulations surrounding protected leave and annual paid holidays. If you're considering hiring in Australia, partnering with Justworks EOR can offer customized guidance and support for HR responsibilities saving you significant time, resources, and energy. With Justworks, you can feel confident your company's leave policies meet the expectations of Australian employees.
Employee Leave & PTO Expectations in Australia
Employees in Australia are entitled to sick leave, maternity and parental leave, vacation leave, and statutory holidays off.
Personal Leave
Employees are entitled to various types of personal leave, including:
Carers leave: Employees are entitled to two days of unpaid carers leave to care for an immediate family member during an illness.
Compassionate leave: Compassionate leave applies in cases of a family member’s death, emergencies, or life-threatening illness or injury. Employees are entitled to two days.
Family or domestic violence leave: All employees in Australia are entitled to five days of unpaid leave per year if they are affected by domestic violence.
Sick Leave
All full-time employees in Australia are entitled to 10 days of paid sick leave. Any unused leave rolls over to the next year. Employees can also take extended unpaid sick leave for up to three months. Employers can request that employees provide a note from a healthcare provider before approving sick leave.
Vacation Leave
All employees who work full-time in Australia are entitled to four weeks of annual leave per year compensated at the employee’s base salary.
Parental Leave
Both paternity and maternity leave fall under parental leave. Employees can take 12 weeks off within a year of giving birth or adoption or 30 days of flexible parental leave taken within 24 months of birth or adoption. To be eligible, employees must have:
Worked at least 10 of the last 13 months
Worked at least 330 hours in the 10 months
Meet certain residency requirements
Earn a taxable income of at least $150,000 AUD or less
Public Holidays in Australia
All employees in Australia receive paid time off for seven national holidays. Some territories receive additional days off.
Public holidays in Australia:
New Year’s Day: January 1
Australia Day: January 26 (or the following Monday)
Good Friday: Friday before Easter Sunday
Easter Monday: Monday after Easter
Anzac Day: April 25
Christmas Day: December 25
Boxing Day: December 26
Ready to Hire Confidently in Australia?
Build your global team seamlessly with local expertise who can help you understand the local labor market while saving you the time and hassle of hiring in Australia.
