Construction is one of the few industries where long service leave follows the worker, not the employer — through state portable schemes. If you employ, you pay a levy; if you are a tradie, your years across different bosses add up. Here is how it works and what it costs.
What "portable" means
In most industries long service leave only builds up with one employer. In construction, portable LSL schemes record your industry service across every employer and project — so a chippy who has worked for ten different builders still builds towards long service leave. Office and clerical roles are excluded even at a construction business; on-site trades and direct supervisors are covered.
The schemes and what they cost (employers pay)
Each state and territory runs its own scheme — there is no single national one:
- VIC — LeavePlus (formerly CoINVEST): a 2.7% levy on covered workers' gross ordinary wages; 7 years of service gives 9.1 weeks' leave, then +1.3 weeks a year.
- ACT — ACT Leave: a 2.75% levy on gross ordinary wages; 13 weeks after 10 years, then +1.3 weeks a year (no levy on apprentices if the training contract is lodged).
- QLD — QLeave: funded by a project levy on building work costing $150,000 or more (ex GST) — paid by the principal or developer at approval, not as a percentage of wages.
- NT — NT Build, WA — MyLeave and the others: levy-funded; confirm the current rate with the scheme.
The levy is an employer cost — it is not deducted from the worker's wages. You register, lodge regular returns of workers' days and wages, and the scheme pays the leave directly when the worker qualifies.
Moving between states — recognition, not transfer
Each scheme keeps its own records and fund, so your service is not transferred when you move states. Instead, the schemes have reciprocal agreements that recognise interstate service, so you can combine your days across schemes to hit the threshold — but each scheme separately calculates and pays its own share. Practical tips: register with the scheme in every state you work, keep your periodic statements, and if you leave construction for 12+ months check each scheme's rules (some allow a pro-rata cash-out short of the full threshold).
Common mistakes
- Employers: not registering or not lodging returns; deducting the levy from wages (it is an employer cost); forgetting the apprentice rules.
- Workers: not keeping statements; assuming service transfers between states (it is recognised, not moved).
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