Personal and carer's leave¶

Personal/carer's leave is paid leave for two situations. The first is when an employee is unwell or hurt themselves — this is often called sick leave. The second is when they need to care for or support a member of their immediate family or household who is sick, injured, or has an unexpected emergency — this is carer's leave.

Fair Work treats these as one combined entitlement under the National Employment Standards (the NES). It is sometimes called personal/carer's leave because the same pool of days covers both.

In one line

Personal/carer's leave is paid sick and carer's leave — the NES gives full-time employees 10 days a year, pro rata for part-time. Casuals get unpaid carer's leave.

Why this matters¶

Everyone gets sick or has a family member who needs care at some point. This leave lets an employee take that time without losing pay. As an employer, you need to know how many days someone is entitled to, and that sick and carer's leave come from the same balance.

What you will learn¶

What personal and carer's leave covers
The NES minimum for full-time and part-time employees
What casual employees are entitled to

Understanding the concept¶

Under the NES, Fair Work sets the minimum paid sick and carer's leave at 10 days per year for a full-time employee. A part-time employee gets this pro rata — in proportion to the hours they work.

Sick leave and carer's leave share the same 10 days. So if an employee uses some days because they are unwell, that leaves fewer days in the same balance for caring duties, and the other way around. Fair Work explains that this paid leave, like annual leave, builds up over the year and carries over if it is not used.

Casual employees do not get paid sick and carer's leave. But Fair Work says casuals are entitled to unpaid carer's leave — 2 days for each occasion when an immediate family or household member needs care because of illness, injury, or an unexpected emergency. Casuals are also entitled to compassionate leave (also called bereavement leave) on the same 2-day basis, though for casuals it is unpaid.

There is also unpaid carer's leave for other employees: when someone has used up their paid balance, they can take 2 days of unpaid carer's leave per occasion.

For accountants & bookkeepers

Paid personal/carer's leave accrues progressively based on ordinary hours and accumulates from year to year, but unlike annual leave it is not paid out when employment ends. Fair Work may require evidence, such as a medical certificate, for an employee to be paid for the leave. Award or agreement terms can improve on the NES minimum but cannot reduce it.

Example¶

A full-time employee builds up 10 days of paid sick and carer's leave over the year. They use 3 days when they have the flu. Later, their child is unwell and they take 2 days of carer's leave to look after them. Both come out of the same balance, so they have used 5 of their 10 days, with 5 still available. A part-time colleague builds up the same entitlement pro rata to the hours they work.

A casual worker at the same business does not get paid sick leave. If their partner has an unexpected emergency, the casual can still take up to 2 days of unpaid carer's leave for that occasion.

Common mistakes¶

Treating sick leave and carer's leave as two separate balances — they share one.
Giving casuals paid sick leave — casuals get unpaid carer's and compassionate leave.
Forgetting part-time leave is pro rata, not a flat 10 days of full-time hours.
Assuming this leave is paid out at the end of employment — it is not.

How this works in myaccountant¶

In the app — myaccountant tracks each employee's personal/carer's leave balance and accrues it with every pay run. When an employee takes sick or carer's leave, you record it on the pay run and it appears on their payslip, and the balance reduces accordingly.

Key points¶

Personal/carer's leave is paid sick leave and carer's leave combined.
The NES minimum is 10 days a year for full-time employees.
Part-time employees get the same 10 days worked out pro rata.
Sick leave and carer's leave come from the same balance.
Casual employees get unpaid carer's leave and compassionate leave, not paid sick leave.
Paid personal/carer's leave builds up and carries over, but is not paid out at the end.

Learn next¶

General information only — not tax, super or financial advice.

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