Carer's leave and sick leave feel like two things. In Australia they draw on one balance. Here is how the
entitlement works, who you are allowed to care for, and what happens once the paid balance runs out.
Last updated June 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Heads up: this guide reflects Australia's National Employment Standards. Leave rules differ in your country. Check your local regulator (Fair Work) before you act.
One balance, two uses.
The National Employment Standards combine sick leave and carer's leave into a single entitlement: paid
personal and carer's leave. A full-time employee gets 10 paid days a year, pro-rated for part-time. The same
balance covers your own illness and time spent caring for someone close to you.
Sick leave vs carer's leave, side by side
Question
Sick leave
Carer's leave
Who is unwell
You
An immediate family or household member
Which balance
Paid personal and carer's leave
The same balance
Paid days a year
10 full-time, pro-rata part-time
Drawn from the same 10 days
When paid runs out
Unpaid leave for genuine illness
2 days unpaid carer's leave per occasion
Casuals
No paid accrual
2 days unpaid carer's leave per occasion
Who you can take carer's leave for
Carer's leave covers an immediate family or household member who needs care or support because of illness,
injury, or an unexpected emergency.¹ Immediate family includes:
Immediate family
A spouse or de facto partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling, and the same relatives of the employee's spouse or de facto partner.
Household member
Anyone who lives with the employee. A friend who does not live with you and is not a partner falls outside the definition.
A note on compassionate leave
Compassionate leave is separate again. An employee gets 2 days of compassionate leave for each occasion a
member of their immediate family or household dies or suffers a life-threatening illness or injury. Paid for
full-time and part-time employees, unpaid for casuals. Do not draw compassionate leave from the personal and
carer's balance.
No. Both draw on one balance, paid personal and carer's leave. You use sick leave for your own illness and carer's leave to support an immediate family or household member.
How much unpaid carer's leave is there?
Every employee, including casuals, gets 2 days of unpaid carer's leave for each occasion a family or household member needs care. Full-time and part-time employees use paid leave first, then the unpaid days.
Can you ask for evidence of carer's leave?
Yes. The same reasonable-evidence rule applies. A medical certificate for the family member or a statutory declaration both count. See the medical certificate guide.
Track one balance, cleanly.
Absence records sick and carer's leave against the NES balance, pro-rates by hire date, and shows how much
each person has used. Free for teams of 5.
Fair Work Ombudsman, sick and carer's leave and compassionate leave under the National Employment Standards. One combined paid balance of 10 days full-time, 2 days unpaid carer's leave per occasion for all employees including casuals, and the immediate family and household definition.
General information only, current as at June 2026, and not a substitute for legal advice. Awards, agreements,
and contracts sometimes provide more. For your situation, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94 or a
qualified employment lawyer.
