Long service leave for ACT teachers

Long service leave for ACT teachers sits in clause E25 of the Teaching Staff Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026, with eligibility rules taken from the ACT Public Sector Management Standards. The headline is the same as most public services: 3 months for each 10 years. The ACT details that matter are that it is counted in months, it never caps out, and casual service counts.

What ACT long service leave is worth

3 months for each 10 years of eligible employment, measured in months, cumulative with no cap, and available to casuals. Eligibility follows the ACT Public Sector Management Standards.

How ACT long service leave builds up

• Rate: 3 months (13 weeks) per 10 years of eligible employment.
• Measured in months: each month of eligible service adds a slice, rather than all of it landing on your tenth anniversary.
• Cumulative, no cap: unused leave keeps building, so a 30-year teacher who never took any would have about 9 months.
• Casuals included: relief teaching for the Education Directorate can count toward eligible employment.
• When you can take it: the qualifying period and minimum blocks are set by the PSM Standards. Check those with your business manager or the AEU ACT before you plan a term off.

What 13 weeks is worth

ACT teachers are paid fortnightly at annual salary x 12/313, which works out to annual salary x 6/313 for a week. Using current rates:

Moving in or out of the ACT

There is no national portability scheme for school teachers' long service leave. If you come from another state's education department, ask the Education Directorate in writing whether your earlier service will be recognised before you resign interstate. Catholic schools in the ACT and NSW use an interstate portability form, but that only applies within the Catholic system. Read teacher long service leave across Australia for how each state handles it.