Annual leave pay
When employees take annual leave they get paid the amount that they would have been paid for ordinary hours, if they were working. This includes:
- their ordinary hourly rate (including any applicable all-purpose allowances)
- first aid allowance
- other wages payable under the employee’s contract of employment.
Annual leave pay doesn’t include:
- overtime
- shift rates
- weekend penalty rates
- special allowances
- payments for expenses that would normally have been reimbursed if the employee was working.
Example
Robbie gets paid leading hand allowance.
The leading hand allowance is an all-purpose allowance.
When Robbie takes annual leave, she gets paid this allowance.
Annual leave loading
In addition to annual leave pay dayworkers get paid the higher of:
- 17.5% annual leave loading calculated on their annual leave pay
- the weekend penalty rates the employee normally gets.
Shiftworkers get paid the higher of:
- 17.5% annual leave loading calculated on their annual leave pay
- shiftwork rates, including relevant weekend penalty rates, that the employee normally gets.
Example
James is a part-time dayworker, who works on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, James gets paid 150% of his ordinary hourly rate.
James takes annual leave on Saturday. He gets paid for his ordinary hours on that day at 150% of the ordinary hourly rate.
James gets paid the Saturday rate because it’s higher than his annual leave pay plus 17.5% annual leave loading.
References
What to do next
- Find out about Leave
- Use our Pay and Conditions Tool to calculate your annual leave or sick and carer’s leave
- Get help with leave
- Find out about Other workplace relations help