Important information about accruing paid sick and carer's leave

On 13 August 2020, the High Court of Australia handed down a decision clarifying how paid personal/carer's leave is accrued and taken under the National Employment Standards (NES).

In the decision, the High Court clarified that:

• the entitlement to 10 days of personal/carer's leave under the NES is calculated based on an employee's ordinary hours of work, not working days
• 10 days of personal/carer's leave is calculated as 1/26 of an employee's ordinary hours of work in a year.

The High Court's decision overturns a decision made by the Full Federal Court of Australia in August 2019. In that decision, the Full Federal Court held that personal/carer's leave accrues in working days, not hours. 

Updated tools & information

Use the updated Fair Work Leave Calculator to calculate personal/carer's leave entitlements for you or your employees.

Fair Work has also updated the information on their Paid sick and carer's leave and Payment for sick and carer's leave pages, as well as the Fair Work Information Statement.

For more information:

For more information on the High Court decision, go to High Court decision: accrual of personal/carer's leave.