Sick Leave in Australia: How Much You Accrue
If you want to know how much sick leave accrued per week, the National Employment Standards give a full-time employee 10 days of paid personal/carer's leave per year, and it builds up progressively as you work ordinary hours. The thing people get wrong is looking for a fixed weekly figure, when the balance depends on your hours, your employment type and what you have already taken.
Part-time employees get the same entitlement pro rata, and casual employees do not get paid personal leave at all. This guide shows how to check your own balance and what each side must record.
How much sick leave accrued per week: step by step
- Confirm your employment type on your contract or payslip, because full-time, part-time and casual employees are treated differently for paid personal leave.
- Check whether an award or enterprise agreement applies, since it can add to the NES but cannot give you less than the 10 days a year.
- Find your ordinary weekly hours on the roster or contract, because the entitlement builds up in line with the hours you actually work.
- Start from 10 days a year for full-time work, and reduce it in proportion if you work fewer than the 38 ordinary hours of a full-time week.
- Look at the leave balance printed on your latest payslip, which should show what has accrued and what you have taken.
- Remember that unused personal leave carries over from year to year, so last year's untaken days still count towards today's balance.
- If the balance looks wrong, ask payroll for a leave statement showing the accrual and the days deducted, and compare it to your roster.
There is no single weekly number to quote, so treat any figure you see online as indicative and check your own payslip balance.
Is personal leave the same as sick leave
Yes. The NES uses the name personal/carer's leave for what most workplaces call sick leave and carer's leave. One balance covers both uses.
| Term | Meaning | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Personal leave | Paid leave for your own illness or injury | This is what most people call sick leave |
| Carer's leave | Paid leave to care for an immediate family or household member who is sick or injured, or in an unexpected emergency | It comes out of the same balance of 10 days a year |
| Compassionate leave | 2 days per occasion when a close family member dies or has a life-threatening illness or injury, unpaid for casuals | It is a separate entitlement and does not reduce personal leave |
| Family and domestic violence leave | 10 days paid per 12 months, including for casuals | It is separate from personal leave |
| Annual leave | 4 weeks paid per year for full-time employees | It is for rest and holidays, so sick days should not be taken from it without your agreement |
A worker who wakes up with the flu on a Monday morning should be able to tell their supervisor which balance the day comes from.
Sick leave for casual and permanent employees
What shows on your payslip depends on whether you are permanent or casual. These points apply to most people in the national system.
- Full-time employees accrue paid personal leave towards 10 days a year, and the balance carries over if it is not used.
- Part-time employees accrue paid personal leave pro rata to their ordinary hours, so a shorter week means a smaller yearly entitlement.
- Casual employees receive no paid personal leave, because their higher hourly pay includes a 25% loading in most awards.
- Casuals can still refuse work when they are genuinely unwell, and they may be entitled to unpaid carer's leave under the NES.
- A casual who converts to permanent after 6 months, or 12 months with a small business, starts to accrue paid personal leave from the conversion.
- Labour hire workers are employed by the provider, so the provider records and pays their personal leave, not the host site.
How much sick leave accrued per week in NSW and other states
Personal leave sits in the national system, so the NES applies to most private-sector employees in every state. Differences come from awards and state law.
- Most private-sector employees in NSW are covered by the NES, so the 10 days a year for full-time work applies in Sydney.
- NSW state public sector employees and some local government employees are covered by the state system, so check their award or policy.
- Victoria, Queensland and the other states follow the same NES entitlement for national-system employees, with state rules applying only to state-system workers.
- An award or enterprise agreement may allow more than the NES minimum, so read yours for any extra days or notice rules.
- Paid leave for a long illness may come from long service leave rules, which differ between NSW and Victoria, so look at those separately.
- Workers compensation, not personal leave, usually applies when an injury happens at work, so ask your employer about icare in NSW.
Sick leave for employers and workers
Both sides have duties. Use these lists as a quick check before a dispute starts.
- Employers must record accrued and taken personal leave for every employee, and show the balance on the payslip.
- Employers can ask for reasonable evidence, such as a medical certificate or statutory declaration, but should apply the rule consistently.
- Employers should not pressure a sick employee to work, because a PCBU must manage health and safety risks so far as reasonably practicable.
- Workers should tell their employer as soon as practicable that they cannot attend, and say how long they expect to be away.
- Workers should keep a copy of any certificate, since a payroll query is much easier to settle with a document.
- Workers can contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94 if a leave balance or payment looks wrong.
Sick leave documents and records
| Document | Who keeps it | For how long |
|---|---|---|
| Payslip showing the leave balance | Employer issues it; employee keeps a copy | Issued within 1 working day of payday |
| Time and wage records, including leave taken | Employer | 7 years |
| Medical certificate or statutory declaration | Employee gives it; employer files it | Keep with the leave record |
| Leave request or notification message | Employee and employer | Keep while you are employed |
| Award or enterprise agreement | Employer makes it available | Current version only |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Expecting casuals to be paid for a sick day, when the 25% loading is paid instead of paid personal leave.
- Deducting a sick day from annual leave without the employee's agreement, when personal leave should be used first if the balance covers it.
- Resetting the balance to zero on 1 July, when unused personal leave carries over from year to year.
- Calculating part-time accrual on full-time hours, which overstates the balance and leads to disputes at termination.
- Ignoring an award that gives more than the 10 days a year minimum, especially for shift or site-based workers.
- Refusing a reasonable medical certificate, or demanding one for every single day without a written policy.
When to get help with sick leave
- Contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94 if your leave balance is wrong or your sick leave was not paid.
- Apply to the Fair Work Commission if you were dismissed for taking genuine sick leave, noting the 21 day time limit for unfair dismissal.
- Ask the ATO if the question is about super on leave payments, because the rate is 12% of ordinary time earnings for 2026-27.
- Contact SafeWork NSW if you were made to work while unwell in unsafe conditions, or if a workplace hazard caused the illness.
- Speak to an employment lawyer or your labour hire provider if you have a long-term illness and need to understand your rights.
Sick leave FAQ
How much sick leave accrued per week?
There is no fixed weekly figure. A full-time employee gets 10 days of paid personal/carer's leave a year, which builds up as they work ordinary hours. Part-time employees get a pro rata amount. The leave balance on your payslip shows the exact amount.
Is personal leave the same as sick leave?
Yes. The NES calls it personal/carer's leave, and one balance covers your own illness or injury and caring for family or household members. Your payslip or contract may use the words sick leave or sick and carer's leave for the same entitlement.
Do casual employees get paid sick leave?
No. Casual employees do not get paid personal leave under the NES, because the 25% casual loading is paid instead. They can usually take unpaid time off when unwell or caring for someone, and some awards add rights, so check yours.
Does unused sick leave carry over?
Yes. Unused paid personal leave carries over from year to year and keeps building, so you do not lose it on 1 July. Unlike annual leave, it is not paid out when employment ends, so check your award for any difference.
Sick leave and your next step
This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice, so check the Fair Work Ombudsman, the ATO or an employment lawyer for your situation. For leave that you take for rest and holidays, read our guide to annual leave in Australia.
If you want steady work with leave entitlements explained from day one, we can help. Visit our recruitment page to register with TQN Personnel.