How to maximise your annual leave in Australia in 2025

Already planning your time off next year? Aligning your annual leave with public holidays is an easy way to maximise your time away.

Most full-time workers in Australia have 20 days of annual leave, and by aligning those days with public holidays, you can stretch them into extended breaks without using much leave.

Of course, some states and territories are lucky enough to get more public holidays than others (Victoria, we're looking at you).

As we approach 2025, here's a guide to hack your annual leave so you can make the most of your holidays.

January 2025 

• The holiday: Australia Day (January 27)
• Where: Everywhere 
• Potential break: Nine days (January 25 - February 2) 

Australia Day in 2025 falls on a Monday, making it a natural long weekend. However, you can turn this into a nine-day break by taking annual leave on the following four days: January 28, 29, 30, and 31. This extended break is a great way to enjoy the summer weather without crowds the and expense of the Christmas period while not using up too much of your leave.

April 2025 

• The holidays: Good Friday (April 18), Easter Monday (April 21), and Anzac Day (April 25) 
• Where: Everywhere 
• Potential break: 16 days (April 12 - April 27) 

For Australians, the Easter and Anzac Day alignment in 2025 is the holy grail of leave hacking opportunities. By taking annual leave on April 14 to 17 and April 22 to 24, you can enjoy a 16-day holiday while only using seven days of leave. Alternatively, if you're not looking for such an extended break, you can take just the four days between Easter Monday and Anzac Day for a 10-day break using only four days of leave. This is one of the best times of the year to plan a long trip or enjoy an immersive holiday experience.

June 2025 

• The holiday: King's Birthday (June 9) 
• Where: ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS, VIC 
• Potential break: Nine days (June 7 - June 15) 

The King's Birthday falls on a Monday in most states (sorry Queensland and Western Australia), creating a long weekend on June 9. By taking four additional days of annual leave on June 10, 11, 12, and 13, you can stretch this into a nine-day break from June 7 to June 15. This early winter holiday is ideal for those looking to escape to warmer destinations or catch the start of the Australian ski season.

October 2025 

• The holiday: Labour Day (October 6) 
• Where: ACT, NSW, SA 
• Potential break: Nine days (October 4 - October 12) 

You've made it through three quarters of the year at this point, and Labour Day provides another chance for a long spring holiday. By taking leave on October 7, 8, 9, and 10, you can turn this into a nine-day break. This is perfect for those who want to enjoy the spring weather or take a mid-year recharge before the end-of-year rush.

December 2025 / January 2026 

• The holidays: Christmas Day (December 25), Boxing Day (December 26), New Year's Day (January 1) 
• Where: Everywhere 
• Potential break: 16 days (December 20 - January 4) 

It's the most wonderful time of the year... for leave hackers. For those looking to end 2025 with an extended break, the Christmas and New Year period is ideal. By taking annual leave on December 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31, and January 2, you can enjoy a whopping 16 days off. This extended holiday gives you plenty of time for rest, family gatherings, or travel, and only uses seven days of annual leave.

State-specific holidays  

NSW

• N/A 

ACT

• Monday March 10 - Canberra Day 
• Monday June 2 - Reconciliation Day 

NT 

• Monday May 5 - May Day 
• Monday August 4 - Picnic Day 
• Wednesday December 24 - Christmas Eve (from 7pm to midnight) 
• Wednesday December 31 - New Year's Eve (from 7pm to midnight) 

Queensland

• Monday May 5 - Labour Day 
• Wednesday August 13 - Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only) 
• Wednesday December 24 - Christmas Eve (from 6pm to midnight) 

South Australia

• Monday March 10 - Adelaide Cup Day 
• Wednesday December 24 - Christmas Eve (from 7pm to midnight) 
• Wednesday December 31 - New Year's Eve (from 7pm to midnight) 

Tasmania

• Monday February 10 - Royal Hobart Regatta (only observed in certain areas of the state) 
• Monday March 10 - Eight Hours Day 
• Tuesday April 22 - Easter Tuesday (generally Tasmanian Public Service only) 
• Monday November 3 - Recreation Day (areas of the state that don't observe Royal Hobart Regatta) 

Victoria

• Monday March 10 - Labour Day 
• Subject to AFL schedule (date TBC) - Friday before AFL Grand Final 
• Tuesday November 4 - Melbourne Cup 

Western Australia

• Monday March 3 - Labour Day 
• Monday September 29 - King's Birthday (some regional areas in WA hold the King's Birthday public holiday on a different date) 

Five common questions about leave answered 

1. Can employers force employees to take annual leave? 

In short, yes. There are a couple of situations in which an employer can compel a worker to take annual leave, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman, such as during a shutdown (e.g. over the Christmas break) or if someone has accumulated excess leave. The latter will be determined by the particular award someone is on, but as one example, a plumber covered by the plumbing award could be told to take annual leave if they have eight weeks or more accrued.

2. Will you keep accruing annual leave while you're on annual leave? 

Yes. You could be sitting in a café in Florence using annual leave and still be (slowly) building up your annual leave balance while you're away. It also continues to accrue while you're on sick or carers leave, long service leave or even when you're on certain kinds of unpaid leave (such as jury duty).

3. Can you use sick leave for a mental health day? 

You can certainly take a day off (or more) for your mental health, but unless your employer offers dedicated mental health days, it will generally need to be taken as sick leave or personal leave.

4. Can sick leave be taken while on annual leave? 

It's not a situation anyone will want to find themselves in, but imagine travelling overseas for a much-needed holiday only to be struck down with the flu. Burning through your precious annual leave while you're cooped up in bed doesn't sound much fun, so the good news is that it's possible to use your sick leave instead of your annual leave in that situation.

5. Can you take leave without pay or leave at half pay? 

It is possible, but taking leave at half pay or without pay may come down to an employers' discretion or the award someone is on. For example, the Fair Work Ombudsman says that some awards do allow employees to take leave at half pay.

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