Teacher long service leave in Australia: what you get in every state

Long service leave for teachers by state (October 2026)

Long service leave (LSL) is not set nationally. Each state rests it on its own legislation or industrial instrument, so the rules differ in amount, how often it accrues after the first block, and when you can dip in early. The table shows government school teachers. Catholic and independent schools follow their own agreements, which often mirror the state rules but don't have to.

How much is your long service leave worth?

LSL is paid at your ordinary salary when you take it, not the salary you earned while accruing it. That matters in 2026. NSW teachers got a 3% rise from 9 October 2026, and Victorian teachers are due a large rise once the VGSA 2026 is approved by the Fair Work Commission. Timing your leave after a pay rise lifts its dollar value.

Taking leave early: pro-rata access from 7 years

You don't have to wait the full 10 years in most systems. NSW, VIC, QLD and WA all let you use a pro-rata amount once you reach 7 years. In WA, pro-rata leave can only be taken as leave, not cashed out, and you can clear it in blocks as short as one day by agreement (Award cl 38(13)).

• NSW: pro-rata extended leave after 7 years. After 7 years you have about 30.8 working days banked (7 × 4.4 days).
• VIC: pro-rata after 7 years. You can also be paid out pro-rata LSL on leaving after 7 years.
• QLD: accessible after 7 years. At 1.3 weeks a year, that is about 9.1 weeks.
• WA: pro-rata from 7 years for your first entitlement. If you are within 7 years of your super preservation age, WA lets you access 6.5 days per completed year in your first accrual period, or 9.28 days in later periods (cl 38(14)).

Half pay, full pay or double pay

Taking LSL at half pay doubles the time off. Taking it at double pay halves the time off but pays the full amount faster. Neither changes the total dollars, but each affects tax withholding and, in some cases, super.

What counts as continuous service

The 10-year clock runs on continuous service. Paid leave normally counts. Long stretches of unpaid leave usually don't break continuity, but they don't add to your LSL either. In WA, any leave without pay or unpaid parental leave longer than two weeks is excluded from the calculation but doesn't break service (cl 38(4)). Part-time teachers accrue at the same rate as full-time but are paid pro rata, so a year at 0.6 FTE builds a full year of service but 60% of the dollar value.

Moving states: does your LSL come with you?

There is no national portability scheme for school teachers. Recognition of prior interstate service for LSL is employer-specific. WA recognises immediately preceding Commonwealth or WA public sector service if the gap is no more than four weeks (cl 38(19)). The NSW and ACT Catholic systems have an interstate portability form. Community-sector portable LSL schemes in VIC, QLD and the ACT cover some early childhood educators, not state school teachers.

Long service leave in Catholic and independent schools

Catholic systemic schools usually copy their state government's LSL terms into their enterprise agreement. Independent schools fall back on their own agreement or the state's general long service leave legislation, which can be less generous than the teaching-service rules. If you work in a non-government school, look up the LSL clause in your agreement and compare it with the table above.

Tax on long service leave

LSL you take as leave is taxed as ordinary salary. Unused LSL paid out when you resign or retire is an 'unused long service leave' payment. For most teachers today it is taxed much like salary, but older service periods and genuine redundancy or early retirement can change the treatment. Your payroll team applies the ATO's rules; ask a registered tax agent if you are retiring with a large balance.