Teacher sick leave in Australia: how many days you get in each state

Sick leave days by state (October 2026)

How sick leave builds up over a career

Because sick leave is cumulative, the days you don't use pile up. A NSW teacher who takes 5 sick days a year banks 10 days a year. After 10 years that is 100 days, or about 20 school weeks of paid cover for a serious illness or surgery. That buffer is one of the less visible benefits of a permanent teaching job.

Carer's leave and family leave

Caring for a sick family member usually draws on your sick leave balance. WA lets you use sick leave credits to care for a family member, and if you have none left you can ask to use long service leave or leave without pay (cl 41 and related clauses). Tasmania's 2025 agreement reportedly doubles carer's leave to 20 days and adds 5 'personal impact days' for critical incidents and vicarious trauma. NT adds 2 days of emergency leave and 5 days of compassionate leave.

• Family and domestic violence leave: paid leave is now standard. Tasmania lists 20 days rising to 25 under its 2025 agreement; VIC's proposed 2026 agreement (awaiting Fair Work approval) extends 10 paid days to casuals.
• Reproductive health leave: offered in QLD and new in TAS (5 days, reported).
• Pregnancy loss leave: TAS reports 10 paid days under its 2025 agreement.
• Cultural leave for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff: up to 3 paid days in QLD; up to 5 days in TAS.

Evidence: when you need a medical certificate

Rules on evidence are set by each department. WA's award asks for evidence that would 'satisfy a reasonable person' and lets the employer ask for written evidence if that bar isn't met (cl 41(1)(h)-(j)). In practice most departments let you take short absences on a statutory declaration or self-certification, then require a medical certificate for longer absences or patterns of single days. Check your department's leave policy and your school's local procedure for calling in sick.

What happens when sick leave runs out

If you exhaust your balance you can apply for sick leave without pay. In WA, approved sick leave without pay of up to 13 weeks still counts as continuous service for long service leave (cl 38(4)(b)). You may also be able to use annual or long service leave, or apply for leave without pay. If the illness is work-related, workers' compensation applies instead, and absences on workers' compensation count as service in WA.

Sick leave, partner leave and long service leave

Your sick leave balance does more than cover illness. In some systems it funds partner leave after a birth. South Australia's agreement lets a non-casual employee use up to five working days of accrued sick leave as paid partner leave within 3 months of a birth, adoption or surrogacy (cl 4.8). WA now gives non-primary carers up to 1 week of paid partner leave under its 2023 General Agreement, and its award lets partners top that up from other leave credits, including sick leave. That makes a healthy balance worth protecting early in your career.

• Sick leave keeps your LSL clock running. In WA, paid sick leave and up to 13 weeks of approved sick leave without pay count as continuous service for long service leave (cl 38(4)).
• Workers' compensation is separate. If your illness or injury is work-related, lodge a claim. Time on workers' compensation counts as service in WA and shouldn't eat into your sick leave.

Part-time teachers and sick leave

Part-time teachers get sick leave pro rata to their fraction. A 0.6 FTE teacher in NSW gets the equivalent of 9 days' worth of hours a year. You are only paid for days you would normally have worked, so being sick on a non-working day doesn't use your balance. See part-time teaching and job share for how pro rata pay and leave work.

Casual relief teachers: no sick leave, but a loading

Casual and relief teachers don't get paid sick leave. Instead their daily rate includes a loading. NSW casuals get a 5% loading in lieu of sick and other leave. Victorian CRTs get a 22% loading, WA casuals 20%, and the ACT, NT and QLD build in 25%. If you are relief teaching and get sick, you simply don't work that day. See casual relief teacher pay across Australia.