Annual Leave Loading Calculator.
Work out the 17.5% loading on your annual leave, check whether your award actually gives it to you, and see what is left after tax. Casual 25% loading included.
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| Component | Formula | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | - | $35.00 |
| Weekly base | 35.00 × 38h | $1330.00 |
| 4 weeks base | 1330.00 × 4 | $5320.00 |
| 17.5% loading | 5320.00 × 0.175 | $930.00 |
Disclaimer: This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. Results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation or your circumstances. This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. We do not recommend taking actions based solely on these results. The calculator makes assumptions and results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation, modern awards, or your personal circumstances. You use this information at your own risk. We can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. For official guidance, visit Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au). Fair Work Ombudsman.
How leave loading is calculated
Annual leave loading is an extra percentage paid on top of your ordinary pay when you take annual leave. The standard rate in most modern awards is 17.5%.
The formula. Ordinary hours x base hourly rate = leave pay. Leave pay x 0.175 = loading. Leave pay x 1.175 = total paid for that leave.
Loading is calculated on ordinary hours at your base rate. Overtime and most allowances sit outside that, so they do not inflate the loading.
17.5% loading on 4 weeks by salary
| Annual salary | Ordinary hourly rate | 4 weeks (152 hrs) | 17.5% loading |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $30.35 | $4,613 | $807 |
| $70,000 | $35.41 | $5,382 | $942 |
| $80,000 | $40.47 | $6,151 | $1,077 |
| $90,000 | $45.53 | $6,921 | $1,211 |
| $100,000 | $50.59 | $7,690 | $1,346 |
| $120,000 | $60.71 | $9,228 | $1,615 |
Ordinary hourly rate derived as salary / 52 / 38. Gross figures, before tax. Your award may set a different ordinary-hours week.
Loading is not in the National Employment Standards
This is the part people get wrong. The NES gives every permanent employee four weeks of paid annual leave, but it says nothing at all about loading. Leave loading comes from your modern award or enterprise agreement.
That means three different outcomes are all normal:
- Your award provides a flat 17.5%.
- Your award provides the greater of 17.5% or the shift penalties you would have earned. Common in shift-work awards, and you get one or the other, not both.
- Your award provides no loading at all.
If you are award-free on a common law contract, you get loading only if your contract says so.
Casual loading is a different thing
Casual employees do not accrue paid annual leave, so there is no leave to load. They receive a casual loading instead, usually 25%, paid on every hour worked as compensation for the absence of paid leave, notice and redundancy pay. Switch the calculator to the Casual 25% tab to see the implied base rate inside a loaded casual rate. See casual vs permanent for the full comparison.
How leave loading is taxed
As ordinary income at your marginal rate. There is no concessional treatment while you are employed, and the old tax-free threshold for leave loading no longer exists.
On termination, loading is taxed on the same basis as the leave it attaches to, so it follows the annual leave rows of ATO Schedule 7 rather than having its own rules. See the annual leave payout calculator for that treatment.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the NES guarantees loading. It does not. Your award does, or it does not.
- Adding loading to shift penalties. Most shift awards pay the greater of the two, not the sum.
- Calculating loading on your total package. It applies to ordinary hours at base rate.
- Expecting casual loading and leave loading together. The 25% casual loading exists precisely because there is no paid leave.
Related calculators
- Leave loading explained, the full guide to how it works and where it comes from.
- Annual leave calculator for accrual and balance.
- Leave accrual calculator to see how your balance builds up.
- Annual leave payout calculator for what your balance is worth on termination.
- Cashing out annual leave and how to find your modern award.
Leave loading questions.
What people ask before booking annual leave.
How do you calculate 17.5% annual leave loading?
Am I entitled to annual leave loading?
Do casuals get annual leave loading?
Is leave loading paid out when I resign?
How is annual leave loading taxed?
Why is leave loading 17.5%?
Do I get leave loading and shift penalties at the same time?
Does leave loading count towards superannuation?
Where these figures come from.
The 17.5% rate is the standard annual leave loading in Australian modern awards. It is an award entitlement, not a National Employment Standards one, so the calculator states the standard rate and directs you to confirm the loading clause in your own award or enterprise agreement.
Payout treatment follows section 90(2) of the Fair Work Act 2009, which requires unused annual leave to be paid at the rate the employee would have received had they taken the leave. Tax figures use the FY2026-27 resident marginal rates with the Medicare levy at 2%, without low-income thresholds or exemptions.