Sick Pay Calculator

How the sick pay calculator works

1. 1

   Enter your ordinary hours per week

   Personal leave accrues proportionally to your ordinary hours compared with a full-time 38-hour week, so part-time employees accrue a proportional share of the full 10-day annual entitlement.

2. 2

   Enter the months you have worked

   If you have not completed a full year of service, set the number of months so the calculator can show your accrued balance to date rather than the full annual figure.

3. 3

   Enter any existing balance and leave already taken

   Personal leave accumulates and carries over year to year if unused, so enter any existing balance plus hours already taken during the period to get an accurate available balance.

4. 4

   Enter your base hourly pay rate

   Paid personal leave is paid at your base rate of pay for the hours you would have worked, so the calculator multiplies your payable hours by this rate to estimate the pay due.

The NES personal (sick and carer's) leave formula

Annual entitlement hours = 10 days x full-time day hours x (your ordinary hours / full-time ordinary hours) Accrued hours = annual entitlement hours x (months worked / 12) Sick pay = hours taken (up to available balance) x base hourly rate

• •The National Employment Standards set 10 days a year as the minimum personal leave entitlement for full-time employees, covering both personal illness/injury and caring for an immediate family or household member.
• •Unlike annual leave, personal leave accrues progressively through the year rather than being available as a lump sum from day one, and unused leave carries over indefinitely.
• •Casual employees are not entitled to paid personal leave under the NES, though they may be entitled to unpaid carer's leave.
• •This calculator estimates statutory minimum entitlement; some awards, agreements or contracts provide more generous personal leave.

Worked example: full-time employee, 6 months of service, 7.6 hours taken

A full-time employee working 38 ordinary hours a week has completed 6 months of service with no existing balance, takes 7.6 hours (one day) of sick leave, and is paid a base rate of $30 an hour.

Ordinary hours per week

38

Annual entitlement hours

76 hours

Months worked

6

Accrued hours to date

38 hours

Hours of leave taken

7.6 hours

Base hourly rate

$30.00

Sick pay due

$228.00

The employee has an available balance of 38 hours, of which 7.6 hours are taken and paid at $228.00, leaving 30.4 hours remaining.

NES personal (sick and carer's) leave entitlement

Minimum entitlement under the National Employment Standards. Casual employees are not entitled to paid personal leave.

Source: Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Ombudsman

What personal leave covers, and what this calculator assumes

Personal leave covers both illness and caring responsibilities

The same 10-day annual entitlement covers an employee's own illness or injury and time needed to care for or support an immediate family or household member who is sick, injured, or facing an unexpected emergency.

Leave accrues progressively, not as a day-one lump sum

Unlike annual leave in some contexts, personal leave builds up gradually through the year based on hours worked, and any unused balance carries over to the following year without limit.

Casual employees are treated differently

Casual employees do not accrue paid personal leave under the NES, reflecting the casual loading paid instead, though they may be entitled to unpaid carer's leave in defined circumstances.

Evidence requirements are separate from the calculation

Employers can require reasonable evidence (such as a medical certificate) to support personal leave taken, particularly for longer absences. This calculator estimates the accrual and pay, not the evidence rules.

Frequently asked questions

How much sick leave do I get in Australia?

Full-time employees accrue 10 days of paid personal (sick and carer's) leave a year under the National Employment Standards, progressively through the year rather than all at once. Part-time employees accrue the same 10-day entitlement pro rata to their ordinary hours, and unused leave carries over indefinitely.

Can I use sick leave to care for a family member?

Yes. The same personal leave entitlement covers both your own illness or injury and carer's leave to support an immediate family or household member who is sick, injured, or facing an unexpected emergency. It is not a separate, smaller allowance -- it draws from the same 10-day balance.

Do casual employees get paid sick leave?

No. Casual employees are not entitled to paid personal leave under the National Employment Standards, reflecting the casual loading paid on top of their hourly rate instead. They may still be entitled to unpaid carer's leave in specific circumstances.

Does unused sick leave expire at the end of the year?

No. Unlike some other leave types, accrued but unused personal leave carries over from year to year without any cap or expiry under the NES. Your available balance keeps growing if you do not use it, unless an applicable award or agreement says otherwise.

Can my employer ask for a medical certificate?

Yes, employers can require reasonable evidence to support personal leave, such as a medical certificate or statutory declaration, particularly for longer absences or where a pattern raises concern. The specific evidence rules depend on the employer's policy and the applicable award or agreement, and are separate from the accrual and pay calculation shown here.