The Northern Territory rules
| Full entitlement | 10 years → 13 weeks, accrued at 1.3 weeks per completed year — equal-highest in the country, but only whole years count |
|---|---|
| Pro-rata | From 7 years, only for: reaching retirement age; your employer ending employment for a reason other than serious misconduct (e.g. redundancy); or resigning due to illness, incapacity or pressing need. Ordinary resignation before 10 years gets nothing. |
| Pay basis | The Act's 'rate of pay' basis (remuneration for ordinary weekly hours, excluding overtime). Note: the NT Government's employee guidance doesn't spell out the pay basis in plain terms — if the dollars matter, confirm against the Act or with the Fair Work Ombudsman. |
Worked example
Ten completed years at $1,500 a week = 13 weeks = $19,500. But 9 years and 11 months still counts as 9 years — the NT's whole-years rule makes the final months before an anniversary unusually valuable.
Other states differ — sometimes by thousands of dollars. Compare with the all-states calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my NT estimate not change between 9.2 and 9.9 years?
The NT counts completed years only. Your entitlement steps up on each service anniversary rather than accruing smoothly.
Is NT long service leave really 13 weeks?
Yes — 1.3 weeks per year like South Australia. The catch is the whole-years counting and the narrow pro-rata gate before 10 years.
Source: NT Government employee guidance — Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT) (checked 1 November 2026). General private-sector rules; portable industry schemes and public-sector arrangements differ.