Continuous service

Continuous service refers to the length of time an employee has been continuously employed by the same company. This includes the time from the day they started working until the present, without any significant gaps or breaks in employment. It's important for calculating entitlements like annual leave, sick leave, long service leave and redundancy pay, as these often depend on the length of service.

What counts as continuous service

Under the Fair Work Act, paid leave, such as annual and personal/carer's leave, counts as service. Most unpaid leave, such as unpaid parental leave, does not count as service but does not break continuity either, while community service leave and a stand down period do count. Casual service counts for some purposes, such as unfair dismissal, if the casual worked on a regular and systematic basis. For example, an employee who takes 12 months of unpaid parental leave keeps their earlier service, but that year is not counted when you calculate their redundancy pay.

Read our guide to redundancy pay.