Leave entitlements

The leave you've earned,
state by state.

Long service, sick, carer's, bereavement and parental leave for public-school teachers — the headline entitlements from each EA, in plain English, with a link back to the source of truth.

Empty classroom at golden hour representing rest and time off
NSW DoE — Crown Employees (Teachers) Award

New South Wales

Long service leave

Accrues from day one. Access 2 months (at full pay) after 7 years continuous service; pro-rata on resignation after 5 years. Full entitlement 3 months at 10 years.

Personal / sick / carer's

15 days paid personal/carer's leave per year (sick + carer's combined), accruing and unlimited accumulation.

Bereavement / compassionate

Up to 3 days paid per occasion for death of an immediate family or household member. Additional at principal's discretion.

Parental & partner leave

14 weeks paid parental leave (birth or adoption), plus up to 12 months unpaid. Partner leave: 2 weeks paid.

Other leave
  • Special leave: study, jury, defence reserves, cultural / NAIDOC
  • Extended leave without pay for up to 12 months for approved purposes
  • Miscarriage / pregnancy loss: 5 days paid
Rural & remote add-ons

Rural teachers in eligible incentive schools access additional Rural Teacher Incentive climate/travel leave concessions and up to 5 extra days paid leave in some remote transfer categories. Country teachers in 'compactable' locations may also accrue extra vacation blocks.

Source: NSW DoE — Leave

Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2026

Victoria

Long service leave

Accrues at 1.3 weeks per year of service. Access after 7 years continuous service (pro-rata on ending employment after 7 years).

Personal / sick / carer's

15 days paid personal leave per year (sick / carer's). Accumulates without cap.

Bereavement / compassionate

3 days paid compassionate leave per occasion for death or life-threatening illness of an immediate family/household member.

Parental & partner leave

14 weeks paid parental leave, up to 52 weeks combined paid + unpaid. Partner leave: up to 4 weeks paid.

Other leave
  • Family violence leave: 20 days paid per year
  • Cultural & ceremonial leave for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander staff
  • Infertility treatment: up to 5 days paid per year
Rural & remote add-ons

Limited rural-specific leave — small-school and remote teachers may access additional travel time inside compassionate/bereavement leave and priority transfer leave after minimum tenure in a rural incentive school.

Source: VIC DE — Leave

DoE State School Teachers' Certified Agreement 2022

Queensland

Long service leave

1.3 weeks per year of service. Accessible pro-rata after 7 years; full entitlement (8.67 weeks) at 10 years. Paid out on resignation after 7 years.

Personal / sick / carer's

10 days paid sick leave per year, cumulative. Additional carer's leave from sick balance.

Bereavement / compassionate

2 days paid per occasion for death of an immediate family/household member (extendable in remote/interstate cases).

Parental & partner leave

14 weeks paid maternity/adoption leave, plus option to take at half pay over 28 weeks. Partner leave: 2 weeks paid.

Other leave
  • Domestic & family violence leave: 10 days paid
  • Cultural leave for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander teachers
  • Special leave for study, sport, emergency services
Rural & remote add-ons

Remote-area teachers receive additional Remote Area Incentive leave: 5 extra days paid vacation leave per year in Band 7+ locations, plus subsidised return travel (Remote Area Travel Concession) once per year, and additional bereavement travel time.

Source: QLD DoE — Leave procedure

School Education Act Employees' General Agreement 2023

Western Australia

Long service leave

13 weeks paid after 10 years continuous service; a further 13 weeks per 7 years thereafter. Pro-rata after 7 years on termination.

Personal / sick / carer's

Up to 13 days paid personal leave per year (sick + carer's), portable across WA public sector.

Bereavement / compassionate

Up to 5 days paid per occasion (2 days standard, more if travel required, especially remote).

Parental & partner leave

14 weeks paid parental leave, up to 24 months combined paid + unpaid. Partner leave: 2 weeks paid.

Other leave
  • District allowance leave travel for country teachers (concessional fares)
  • Cultural/ceremonial leave up to 10 days
  • Family & domestic violence leave: 10 days paid
Rural & remote add-ons

Country teachers receive Country Teaching Program benefits: additional annual leave loading, up to 3 extra days paid leave per year in remote incentive schools, and District Allowance Leave Travel — paid return airfares/rail fares for the teacher and dependants once a year.

Source: WA DoE — Leave

SA Public Sector Salaried EA

South Australia

Long service leave

90 days (roughly 13 weeks) paid after 10 years continuous service; pro-rata after 7 years on termination.

Personal / sick / carer's

10 days paid sick leave per year (accruing), plus 10 days special (carer's) leave available annually.

Bereavement / compassionate

Up to 3 days paid compassionate leave per occasion.

Parental & partner leave

14 weeks paid maternity/adoption leave (option: 28 weeks half pay). Partner leave: 1 week paid.

Other leave
  • Special leave with pay for emergencies, study, cultural obligations
  • Family & domestic violence leave: 15 days paid
  • Country incentive leave for remote-service teachers
Rural & remote add-ons

Country Incentive Zone teachers receive up to 5 additional paid leave days per year, plus a Country Travel Concession (paid return travel to Adelaide once per year for the teacher and dependants) in eligible remote locations.

Source: SA DfE — Leave & absence

Teachers (Tasmanian Public Sector) Award

Tasmania

Long service leave

Accrues from day one. Pro-rata access after 7 years; 6.5 weeks at 10 years, and 13 weeks at 15 years.

Personal / sick / carer's

20 days paid personal leave per year (sick + carer's combined) — one of the more generous entitlements nationally.

Bereavement / compassionate

3 days paid compassionate leave per occasion (extendable with travel).

Parental & partner leave

14 weeks paid parental leave, extending options with half-pay arrangements. Partner leave: 2 weeks paid.

Other leave
  • State service leave portability across TAS government agencies
  • Special leave for study, sport, community and cultural obligations
  • Family violence leave: 20 days paid
Rural & remote add-ons

Isolated-school teachers may access additional travel time within compassionate and personal leave, plus recognition of remote service toward accelerated long service leave accrual in designated isolated locations.

Source: TAS DECYP — Teacher conditions

ACT Public Sector Education Directorate EA

Australian Capital Territory

Long service leave

Access at 7 years pro-rata; 3 months paid at 10 years, plus 3 additional months per further 5 years of service.

Personal / sick / carer's

18 days paid personal leave per year (sick / carer's), accumulating.

Bereavement / compassionate

3 days paid compassionate leave per occasion; additional at agency head's discretion.

Parental & partner leave

18 weeks paid parental leave (one of the most generous public-sector schemes). Partner leave: 3 weeks paid.

Other leave
  • Family & domestic violence leave: 20 days paid
  • Cultural / ceremonial leave up to 5 days paid for First Nations staff
  • Purchased leave (up to 8 weeks/year additional via salary sacrifice)
Rural & remote add-ons

The ACT has no remote schools, so no rural-specific leave applies — standard entitlements only.

Source: ACT ED — Employment conditions

NTPS Teacher and Assistant Teacher 2021–2025 EA

Northern Territory

Long service leave

13 weeks paid after 10 years continuous service; further 13 weeks each 5 years thereafter. Pro-rata after 7 years.

Personal / sick / carer's

15 days paid personal leave per year (sick + carer's).

Bereavement / compassionate

5 days paid compassionate leave per occasion (recognising remote/interstate travel).

Parental & partner leave

14 weeks paid parental leave; enhanced remote-community provisions. Partner leave: 2 weeks paid.

Other leave
  • Recreation leave: 6 weeks per year (rather than the standard 4) reflecting NT conditions
  • Remote leave travel entitlement: paid fares to a nominated destination annually or biennially
  • Cultural leave for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander staff
Rural & remote add-ons

Remote teachers receive substantial additional leave: 6 weeks recreation leave per year (vs 4 elsewhere), a Remote Leave Travel entitlement (paid airfares annually or biennially to a nominated destination for the teacher and dependants), plus up to 5 additional paid special leave days per year in very remote schools and extended bereavement travel time.

Source: NT DoE — Teacher careers

Heads up: figures above are indicative of the current public-sector EA in each state. Catholic and independent sector agreements are broadly similar but negotiated separately — always check your own agreement and HR portal for the definitive numbers, particularly before resigning or planning parental leave.