Pay, leave and stand downs

Published 27 March 2020 | Updated 25 November 2021

Find information about pay and leave entitlements and stand downs during coronavirus.

On this page:

In this section:

Pay and entitlement changes during coronavirus

To help manage the impact of coronavirus, there have been changes to some employees’ pay and leave entitlements. These include the introduction of:

These changes don’t affect every workplace. Employers and employees can still access their existing pay and leave entitlements and conditions under the National Employment Standards (NES), applicable award, enterprise agreement, contract or workplace policy.

In this section, read more about:

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Stand downs during coronavirus

Employers may be able to stand employees down without pay during a sudden workplace closure that is outside the employer’s control. For example, they may be able to stand down employees when:

  • the business has closed because of an enforceable government direction (which means the employee can't be usefully employed, even from another location)
  • there's a stoppage of work due to lack of supply for which the employer can't be held responsible.

Employers should first discuss and communicate with employees about a stand down.

Find out more at Stand downs.

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Border closures: pay and leave options

During the coronavirus outbreak, some Australian state and territory borders may be temporarily closed to slow the spread of coronavirus.

While a border closure is in place, some residents of affected states or territories may not be able to attend work as usual.

If you’re an employer or employee affected by the border closure, the information on the following pages will help you understand your entitlements and obligations and help you make alternative arrangements.

Importantly, if you can’t attend work because of an enforceable government direction, including where this limits travel (or crossing state borders), you should contact your employer immediately to discuss your leave or flexible working options.

For all employers and employees:

For the latest coronavirus news, updates and advice from government agencies across Australia visit Australia.gov.au external-icon.png.

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Pay and leave tools

We have tools to help you calculate pay and leave entitlements:

  • Find my award – check what award you’re covered by
  • Pay and Conditions Tool – get minimum rates of pay for your award or calculate leave entitlements
  • Email updates – sign up and get updates when things change for pay and leave in your award or industry.

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