Long service leave for casual employees in Victoria
Victoria's Act covers casual and seasonal employees, and a break between casual engagements of up to the weeks in the table keeps employment continuous with no other condition. A longer break can keep it continuous too, if the employer and employee agreed to it before it started, or if the casual work is regular and systematic and re-engagement is expected.
- By Book Keeping Pros
- Sources checked 15 Oct 2026
The rules in Victoria
| What it is | Value | When it applies | Where it is set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casual and seasonal employees are covered by the Act | Yes | As published on 12 December 2025 | s 3(1): definition of employee |
| Longest break between casual engagements that keeps employment continuous with no other condition | 12 weeks | As published on 12 December 2025 | FAQ: Are casual, seasonal and specified term employees entitled to long service leave? continuous employment |
| A longer break keeps casual employment continuous if both agree before it starts | Yes | As published on 12 December 2025 | s 12(3)(a): absence agreed before it starts |
| A longer break keeps regular, systematic casual work continuous where re-engagement is expected | Yes | As published on 12 December 2025 | s 12(3)(d): regular and systematic employment |
| Longest parental leave that keeps a casual or seasonal employee's employment continuous | 104 weeks | As published on 12 December 2025 | s 12(2)(d): parental leave of a casual or seasonal employee |
| A casual hourly rate can be loaded to make up for not giving long service leave | No | As published on 12 December 2025 | FAQ: Are casual, seasonal and specified term employees entitled to long service leave? casual hourly rate |
| Weekly hours used for leave pay when none are set or set hours changed | The greatest of the weekly hours averaged over three periods before the leave | As published on 12 December 2025 | s 16(2): normal weekly hours |
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
- The start and end dates of each casual engagement show how long each gap ran, which is what Victoria compares with the weeks in the table. For a longer gap, the books need to show which of the table's other grounds applied.
- Where the business and a casual agreed to a longer break before it began, a dated note or email of that agreement shows the timing. Rosters over the months and years show whether the work was regular and systematic. Whether a particular break kept employment continuous is a question for Workforce Inspectorate Victoria or your accountant.
- Parental leave keeps a casual or seasonal employee's employment continuous up to the weeks in the table, so the dates that leave began and ended belong in the employee's record.
- When no weekly hours are set or set hours have changed, leave pay uses the greatest of the weekly hours averaged over the periods the table refers to, so weekly hours worked are kept far enough back to cover them. A loaded casual rate cannot make up for not giving the leave, so the books keep tracking leave for a casual paid a loaded rate.
General information
Sources
- Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic), Authorised Version No. 006
Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel Victoria. Authorised Version No. 006, as at 12 December 2025, released 12 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.
© State of Victoria (Government Printer) Licence: Victorian Legislation copyright notice: copyright, State of Victoria.
- Long service leave
Workforce Inspectorate Victoria. Page updated 12 December 2025, released 12 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.
© State Government of Victoria, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.
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