How much annual leave do my employees receive?
Your full-time employees get 4 weeks of paid annual leave for every year that they work for your business. Part-time employees get a pro rata amount of annual leave, which means a proportionate amount based on their hours of work. Casual employees don’t get paid annual leave.
Shiftworkers are entitled to an extra week of annual leave per year. Under the Restaurants Award, a shiftworker is an employee who regularly works on Sundays and public holidays, in a business that has shifts rostered for 24 hours a day for 7 hours per shift.
Find out how annual leave accumulates in the Calculating annual leave section.
Can I require employees to take annual leave?
Under the Cleaning Award, you can require your employees to take annual leave when your client closes or reduces their business so they do not need your businesses services. See clause 29.6 of the Cleaning Award and Contact us if you have any futher questions about your obligations in these circumstances.
Can annual leave be taken in advance?
You can allow your employees to take all or part of their annual leave before the leave has accrued. If you do this you should keep accurate and detailed records and advise your employee:
- that any leave they take in advance is owed to the business
- that if they leave before accruing the amount of leave to repay the business, then the equivalent amount in wages will be deducted from any money due to the employee on termination.
Can annual leave be cashed out?
Your employees cannot cash out their annual leave or personal leave entitlements under the Cleaning Award.
How do public holidays affect annual leave?
Remember that the entitlement to paid public holidays is separate to annual leave. This means that if a public holiday falls during a period of annual leave your employee must be paid for the public holiday separately. This day must not be subtracted from their annual leave balance.
How does workers’ compensation affect annual leave?
An employee is not entitled to accrue or take annual leave or personal leave when on workers’ compensation. However, employees may accrue annual leave if it is allowed under the workers' compensation legislation in the state or territory that they are employed. You should contact your relevant workers' compensation agency for more information.