A: Full-time workers
Full-time workers are entitled to be paid at their ‘ordinary weekly rate of pay’. Ordinary weekly rate of pay means a worker’s weekly wage at the time of taking the leave excluding penalty rates and overtime.
This calculation will generally be 38 hours multiplied by the worker’s current base hourly rate of pay.
The calculations above is based on the worker having been employed full-time for at least the last three years of their service. If not, refer to the payment for part-time and casual workers.
Part-time & casual workers
Part-time and casual workers are entitled to be paid at their ‘ordinary weekly rate of pay’, which is determined by:
- averaging the number of all hours worked (including overtime hours) per week in the three (3) years (or 156-week period) immediately before taking leave, and
- multiplying that result by the workers current base hourly rate of pay. For a casual, the base hourly rate includes the casual loading.
When averaging hours for part-time and casual workers, all hours worked are counted. This includes overtime.
The 156-week averaging period does not have to be consecutive and does not include weeks where the worker:
- was on unpaid leave for the whole of the week (including for reasons of illness or injury), or
- was absent from work on account of work injury (within the meaning of the Return to Work Act 2014).
For example, if worker has taken two separate periods of 4 weeks unpaid leave in the preceding 3 years, you would need to count back 164 weeks in order to determine the 156-week averaging period (156 + 8 weeks).
However, where a worker is granted leave in accordance with their employment contract (e.g. Christmas shutdown or holiday periods for employment associated with educational facilities), the weeks of absence count towards service and are included in the 156 week averaging period.