Australian employees have no legal right to sabbatical leave. A sabbatical is agreed with your employer, usually by combining long service leave, annual leave, purchased leave and unpaid leave.
That makes a sabbatical a funding problem more than a leave type. The paid pieces keep your wages, super and service running. The unpaid weeks stop all three, and what they do to your long service leave depends on the state you work in. This guide sets out each piece, the state rules, and a costed 6-month example.
Key takeaways
- No right to a sabbatical. It is not one of the National Employment Standards; it exists only by policy, agreement or contract.
- Build it from leave you already have: long service leave and annual leave first, then purchased leave or a deferred salary scheme if offered, then unpaid leave.
- Unpaid weeks cost more than wages. No annual leave or sick leave accrues, no super guarantee is paid, and they do not count as NES service.
- Your long service leave clock depends on the state. Victoria counts up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave; NSW, QLD, WA, TAS, ACT and NT do not count it.
Is sabbatical leave an entitlement?
No. The NES in s 61(2) of the Fair Work Act lists 12 minimum standards, from maximum weekly hours to the Fair Work Information Statement, and none of them is a sabbatical, career break or study leave. The Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC), which runs the defined benefit schemes for Commonwealth public servants, says the same thing in plain words: there are no specific rules or legislation for sabbatical leave.
Sabbaticals exist where an employer offers them. Two public sector schemes show the common model, where you take a lower salary for some years and are paid during the break:
- Commonwealth agencies. CSC describes sabbatical leave as a flexible working arrangement offered by some agencies, where you may opt to receive 80% of your ordinary salary over four years in exchange for a full year of paid leave in the fifth year.
- Victorian government schools. The Teaching Service scheme has a work period of 1 to 4 years on salary reduced by 20%, followed straight away by a sabbatical leave period paid from the accrued salary. Over a 4-year work period, the 20% held back adds up to 80% of one year's salary.
In the private sector, a sabbatical is usually whatever you and your employer agree. Check your enterprise agreement and workplace policies before you ask, because some employers have a written scheme.
Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) s 61(2) (AustLII, retrieved 7 October 2026). CSC, Sabbatical leave (read 11 October 2026): "Sabbatical leave is a flexible working arrangement offered by some agencies, where you may opt to receive 80% of your ordinary salary over four years in exchange for a full year of paid leave in the fifth year." "There are no specific rules or legislation for sabbatical leave, so we must apply the rules as they fit best." Victorian Department of Education, Sabbatical Leave, Teaching Service: Overview (reviewed 27 February 2025, read 11 October 2026): "a work period during which the employee will receive their annual salary reduced by 20%, and 2. a sabbatical leave period during which the employee will be placed on leave and will receive the accrued salary owing"; "The duration of the work period may be for a minimum of 1 year up to a maximum of 4 years."
Ways to fund a sabbatical
Each piece of a sabbatical has a different effect on your pay, your super and your service. Use the paid pieces first if you want the clock and the super to keep running.
| Piece | Paid? | Super guarantee | Counts as NES service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long service leave | Yes, ordinary pay | Yes, 12% | Yes | Only once you are entitled, or earlier where your state or employer allows |
| Annual leave | Yes, base rate (plus any loading) | Yes, 12% | Yes | Rolls over, no minimum or maximum block; by agreement |
| Purchased leave | Yes, but salary is reduced across the year | Depends on the scheme | Yes (paid leave) | Award and agreement-free employees can agree to it; others need a scheme |
| Deferred salary scheme | Yes, from salary held back in earlier years | Depends on the scheme | Yes (paid leave) | Offered by some public sector employers, for example 80% pay for four years |
| Unpaid leave | No | No | No, but continuity is not broken | Only if your employer agrees |
Annual leave is the most flexible piece. Full-time and part-time employees get 4 weeks a year, unused leave rolls over, it can be taken as soon as it accrues, and there is no minimum or maximum block. Your employer must not unreasonably refuse a request to take it, which matters when you ask to add several years of banked leave to a sabbatical. The annual leave calculator values your balance.
Purchased leave spreads the cost. On a 48/52 arrangement you are paid 48/52, or 92.31%, of your salary across the year in exchange for 4 extra weeks off. The purchased leave calculator works out the pay cut for any number of weeks.
Sabbatical vs long service leave
They are not the same thing. Long service leave is a statutory entitlement with a set number of weeks in each state; a sabbatical is a break you negotiate. Long service leave is often the paid core of a sabbatical, so it helps to know how much you have:
| State or territory | Long service leave |
|---|---|
| VIC, ACT | 6.0667 weeks after 7 years |
| NSW, QLD, WA, TAS | 8.6667 weeks after 10 years |
| SA, NT | 13 weeks after 10 years |
Some Acts make long service leave easier to stretch into a sabbatical:
- NSW lets long service leave be taken in advance, wholly or partly, if you and your employer agree. It can be paid in full when the leave starts, on your normal pay days, or in another agreed way, and the employer must give at least one month's notice of the start date.
- WA lets an employee ask to take long service leave for twice as long at half pay.
- Commonwealth employees can be granted long service leave on half salary for up to twice the period.
Your own entitlement, by state and years of service, is on the long service leave calculator. Commonwealth staff can use the Commonwealth employees LSL calculator.
State and territory LSL Acts, entitlement weeks checked 30 September 2026. Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW) (in force from 1 July 2025, retrieved 5 October 2026): s 4(3A) "If the employer and the worker so agree, a period of long service leave of not less than 1 day may be given by the employer, and taken by the worker, wholly or partly in advance"; s 4(7) payment "(a) in full when the worker commences the period of leave, or (b) at the same time as the worker's ordinary pay would have been paid ... or (c) in any other way agreed"; s 4(10) "at least one month's notice of the date". Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA) s 9(1C) (consolidation 04-m0-00, read 11 October 2026): leave "twice as long ... at a rate of pay equal to half the employee's ordinary pay". Long Service Leave (Commonwealth Employees) Act 1976 s 16(3) (Compilation No. 21, retrieved 6 October 2026): "the approving authority may, at the request of the employee, grant to him or her long service leave on half salary for a period not exceeding twice that first-mentioned period."
What unpaid sabbatical weeks do to your service
Under the Fair Work Act, unpaid leave does not count as service, but it does not break your continuous service either. So the unpaid weeks of a sabbatical are a gap in the count, not a restart: no annual leave or personal leave accrues for them, and they are left out of the length of service used for redundancy pay. The full explanation of excluded periods, with an example, is in leave without pay.
Some career sites say annual leave and super keep accruing during a sabbatical. For the unpaid weeks, the NES and super guarantee rules say they do not.
Your long service leave clock, state by state
Long service leave is set by state and territory Acts, and they treat unpaid leave differently. In most of them, approved unpaid weeks pause the clock: they do not break your service, but they are not counted, so your next milestone moves out by the length of the unpaid break. Victoria is the exception.
| State | Unpaid sabbatical weeks for long service leave | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Do not break service, do not count | Long Service Leave Act 1955 s 4(11)(a1)(vi); NSW IR FAQ 14 |
| VIC | Count, up to 52 weeks for each period of unpaid leave | Long Service Leave Act 2018 s 13(1)(b), (c) |
| QLD | Do not break continuity, but are not service unless the Act, an industrial instrument or the commission provides otherwise | Industrial Relations Act 2016 s 134(3)(b), (9) |
| WA | Unpaid leave of a kind in s 6(1), which includes any other form of leave provided as part of your employment, is not counted | Long Service Leave Act 1958 s 6(1)(i), s 6A(2)(a) |
| SA | Do not affect continuity; SafeWork SA says (of casuals) that unpaid leave will not count as service | Long Service Leave Act 1987 s 6(1)(f); SafeWork SA |
| TAS | An absence by leave of the employer does not break continuity but is not counted | Long Service Leave Act 1976 s 5(1)(j), 5(2) |
| ACT | An absence with the employer's leave does not break continuity but is not taken into account | Long Service Leave Act 1976 s 2G(2)(c), 2G(5) |
| NT | No long service leave accumulates for unpaid leave | NT Government guidance |
NSW: Long Service Leave Act 1955 s 4(11)(a1)(vi), an absence "arising from the absence of the worker for any cause by leave of the employer"; NSW Industrial Relations FAQ 14 (retrieved 5 October 2026): absences that do not break service but do not count include "The employer agrees to a period of unpaid leave for the worker". VIC: Long Service Leave Act 2018 s 13(1) counts "(b) if a period of unpaid leave is less than or is 52 weeks, that period; (c) if a period of unpaid leave is more than 52 weeks, the initial 52 weeks" (checked 14 September 2026). QLD: Industrial Relations Act 2016 (current as at 1 January 2026) s 134(3)(b) continuity is not broken by an absence "on unpaid leave approved by the employer"; s 134(9) that period "is not service under this part unless - (a) this Act or an applicable industrial instrument provides otherwise; or (b) the commission directs otherwise." WA: Long Service Leave Act 1958 s 6(1)(i) "any other form of leave provided as part of the employee's employment"; s 6A(2)(a) "a period is not counted if it is any of the following - (a) leave referred to in section 6(1) for which the employee has not received payment". SA: Long Service Leave Act 1987 s 6(1)(f) "absence of the worker from work on any other kind of leave"; SafeWork SA, Accruing leave (modified 10 September 2026): "If you return to the same employer, this period of leave will not break service but will not count as service." TAS: Long Service Leave Act 1976 s 5(1)(j) "any other absence of the employee from work by leave of the employer"; s 5(2) such absences "shall not be counted as part of the period of his employment". ACT: Long Service Leave Act 1976 s 2G(2)(c) "a period ... when the employee is absent with the employer's leave"; s 2G(5) the period of the interruption "must not be taken into account in working out the total period of service." NT: NT Government, Long service leave (modified 26 February 2025): "You don't accumulate long service leave for: part years of completed service; absences taken for workers compensation; taking unpaid leave." QLD, WA, TAS and ACT read 11 October 2026.
Super during a sabbatical
The super guarantee (12%) is paid on long service leave and annual leave you take while employed. It attaches to qualifying earnings actually paid, so no super guarantee arises for the unpaid weeks. That is our reading of s 17A of the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act. Purchased leave and deferred salary schemes depend on how the scheme pays you, so ask your payroll team.
CSC's defined benefit members are a special case. For CSS and PSS members on the 80% arrangement, CSC uses the full 100% contracted salary as the super salary, contributions continue through all five years, and the fifth year is not treated as leave without pay for super purposes. Why super is paid on annual leave is covered in superannuation on annual leave.
Worked example: a 6-month sabbatical
NSW: Priya takes 26 weeks after 10 years
Priya works full-time, 38 hours a week, on ordinary pay of $1,500.00 a week. She started on 1 February 2017 and takes a 26-week sabbatical from 1 February 2027, the day she completes 10 years. She uses all her long service leave and 4 weeks of banked annual leave, and her employer agrees to unpaid leave for the rest.
| Item | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Long service leave | 2 months = 8 2/3 weeks × $1,500.00 | $13,000.00 |
| Annual leave | 4 weeks × $1,500.00 | $6,000.00 (plus any loading) |
| Unpaid weeks | 26 - 8.6667 - 4 | 13.3333 weeks, $20,000.00 not paid |
| Super guarantee paid | 12% × $19,000.00 | $2,280.00 |
| Super guarantee forgone | 12% × $20,000.00 | $2,400.00 |
| Annual leave not accrued | 152 hours × 13.3333 ÷ 52 | 38.97 hours |
| Personal leave not accrued | 76 hours × 13.3333 ÷ 52 | 19.49 hours |
| Next LSL instalment (1 month at 15 years) | 13.3333 unpaid weeks (about 93 days) not counted | Moves from 1 February 2032 to about 4 May 2032 |
NSW's Act defines a month as 4 and one-third weeks, which is where 2 months = 8 2/3 weeks comes from.
The same plan in Victoria
The 13.3333 unpaid weeks are under 52, so they count for long service leave. At the Victorian rate of 1/60th of service they add 13.3333 ÷ 60 = 0.2222 weeks of long service leave, and Priya's next milestone does not move. The NES effects are the same as in NSW: no annual or personal leave accrues for the unpaid weeks, and no super guarantee is paid on them.
The same plan in the Northern Territory
The NT gives 13 weeks of long service leave at 10 years, so a 26-week sabbatical could be 13 weeks of paid long service leave, 4 weeks of annual leave and only 9 weeks unpaid. No long service leave accumulates during those 9 unpaid weeks.
Buying the time instead
An award and agreement-free employee on $78,000.00 a year ($1,500.00 a week) who agrees to buy 4 extra weeks on a 48/52 arrangement is paid $72,000.00 for the year, in exchange for 4 extra paid weeks off. Whether super is calculated on the full or the reduced salary depends on the scheme.
Asking for a sabbatical
Because nothing in the NES gives you a sabbatical, the request is a negotiation, and the agreement is all you have to rely on. Put these in writing before you go:
- Dates, including the first and last day of each type of leave.
- The order of leave: which weeks are long service leave, annual leave, purchased leave and unpaid leave.
- How the leave is paid: in a lump sum at the start or on normal pay days, where your Act or agreement allows a choice.
- Your role on return: the job, hours and pay you come back to.
- How the unpaid weeks are treated for long service leave, using the state table above, and whether any employer scheme counts them.
If long service leave is part of the plan in NSW, allow for the employer's one month's notice of the start date. Longer breaks that are only unpaid are covered in leave without pay, and how a sabbatical fits among every other leave type is in types of leave in Australia.
Sabbatical leave: questions
Is sabbatical leave a legal entitlement in Australia?
No. It is not one of the National Employment Standards, and it exists only where an employer policy, enterprise agreement or contract creates it, or where you and your employer agree.
Will I get paid on a sabbatical?
Only for the paid leave you use, such as long service leave, annual leave or purchased leave, or under a deferred salary scheme. The rest is unpaid.
Who is eligible for sabbatical leave?
Whoever your employer's policy or agreement says. Without a scheme, it is up to you and your employer to agree.
Can I take 12 months leave without pay?
Only if your employer agrees. The Fair Work Ombudsman says an employee can take unpaid leave under the NES if their employer agrees (Unpaid leave, updated 23 October 2025, read 11 October 2026). See leave without pay.
Is a sabbatical the same as long service leave?
No. Long service leave is a statutory entitlement with set weeks in each state; a sabbatical is a negotiated break that often uses long service leave as its paid core.
Does a sabbatical affect continuous service?
Unpaid weeks do not break continuous service, but they do not count towards it under the NES. For long service leave it depends on the state: Victoria counts up to 52 weeks; NSW, QLD, WA, TAS, ACT and NT do not; and SafeWork SA says unpaid leave does not count as service.
Do I keep accruing annual leave and super on a sabbatical?
On paid weeks, yes. On unpaid weeks, no: no annual or personal leave accrues and no super guarantee is paid.
Can I take long service leave early for a sabbatical?
In NSW, yes, if you and your employer agree: the Act allows leave to be taken wholly or partly in advance. In other states, check your Act and your employer's policy.
Author & reviewer
Sarah has spent over a decade advising Australian SMBs on Fair Work, NES compliance, and payroll. Based in Sydney, she has worked across hospitality, retail and professional services.