Wanting to escape the “winter blues” for some sunshine? Not sure if you have enough annual leave?…there’s an easy way to find out!

Annual leave (which is also known as holiday pay) allows an employee to take time off work and still be paid their normal wages or salary.

The National Employment Standards (NES) set out the entitlement to annual leave, however your entitlement can be altered by awards or registered agreements, but only to offer you more annual leave, never less than the NES.

All full time staff are entitled to four weeks annual leave, and part time employees are entitled to a pro-rata amount of annual leave based on the number of hours they ordinarily work, only casual employees have no entitlement (Note: shift workers may receive up to 5 weeks of annual leave).

While your entitlement to annual leave is usually shown on your payslip, you can also request an updated figure from your payroll office, or use the leave entitlement calculator made available by the Fair Work Ombudsman, you can find the calculator here.

Remember to keep in mind any future leave you require, and planned workplace closures…but if you manage to escape to the sunshine…I’d love to hear some warm stories!

Regards