Long service leave for casual employees in South Australia
SafeWork SA says a casual worker may qualify for long service leave and accrues it at a rate no different from other workers'. A casual's service generally stays continuous between engagements unless there is a long gap or a clear end, and sick absences count towards that service whether they were paid or unpaid.
- By Book Keeping Pros
- Sources checked 15 Oct 2026
The rules in South Australia
| What it is | Value | When it applies | Where it is set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casual workers can be entitled to long service leave | Yes | As published on 20 September 2026 | Who is entitled: employment status |
| Casual workers accrue long service leave at the same rate as other workers | Yes | As published on 20 September 2026 | Accrual: employment status does not affect the rate |
| A casual worker's service generally stays continuous between engagements unless there is a long gap or a clear end | Yes | As published on 20 September 2026 | Casual employees: continuity between engagements |
| Paid or unpaid sick absences count towards a casual worker's service | Yes | As published on 20 September 2026 | Leave that counts towards continuity of service and accrual: illness or injury |
| Years of hours a casual worker's leave is averaged over | 3 years | As published on 22 April 2022 | Casual worker calculation |
Each rule is read from the source and provision shown; the sources are listed below. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
What it means for your books
- Because continuity turns on a long gap or a clear end, the books need the dates of each engagement and a record of how any engagement finished, so a clear end can be told apart from a quiet spell between shifts. Whether a particular gap broke service is a question for SafeWork SA or your accountant.
- Unpaid sick days may not show up in pay records, yet SafeWork SA counts them towards a casual's service. A dated log of sick absences, paid or unpaid, keeps the service record whole.
- A casual's leave is averaged over the years of hours in the table, so the hours from each engagement, short ones included, are kept for that whole span rather than just the latest shifts.
General information
Sources
- Long service leave: who is entitled to long service leave
SafeWork SA (Government of South Australia). Page last updated 20 September 2026, released 20 September 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
© Government of South Australia, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Long service leave: accruing leave
SafeWork SA (Government of South Australia). Page modified 20 September 2026, released 20 September 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Government of South Australia, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Long service leave: calculating long service leave
SafeWork SA (Government of South Australia). Page last updated 22 April 2022, released 22 April 2022. Checked 16 October 2026.
© Government of South Australia, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
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