With the end of the year in sight, the countdown to a proper break is officially on. If you’re running on fumes, now’s the time to lock in your leave and plot your 2027 Annual Leave Master Plan.
Pair your leave with public holidays and you can turn 20 days of annual leave into 48 days off (weekends included). And so you don’t have to wait until next year, we’ve added a bonus plan for this Christmas and New Year that stretches seven days of leave into more than two weeks off.
A word of advice: Public holidays vary state to state, so check the notes below to see how many days you can take advantage of.
Bonus: The 2026 Christmas and New Year’s break
Before 2027 even arrives, there’s one more break to grab. Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year and Boxing Day lands on a Saturday, so every state and territory gets a public holiday on Monday, December 28. Add New Year’s Day on Friday, January 1, and seven days of leave buys you 16 straight days of out-of-office messages.
When: Saturday, December 19 – Sunday, January 3
Annual leave days: 7
Total days away: 16
1. The Australia Day long weekend
Kick off the year with a classic summer long weekend. Australia Day falls on a Tuesday in 2027, so taking just the Monday off creates a four-day break.
When: Saturday, January 23 – Tuesday, 26 January
Annual leave days: 1
Total days away: 4
2. The Easter extravaganza
Easter comes early, with Good Friday on March 26 and Easter Monday on March 29. By using the short weeks either side of the long weekend, you can score over two weeks off for just eight days of leave.
When: Saturday, March 20 – Sunday, April 4
Annual leave days: 8
Total days away: 16
3. The Anzac Day long weekend
Anzac Day falls on a Sunday in 2027, but unlike 2026, most of the country gets a long weekend. Monday, April 26 is a public holiday in NSW, the ACT, QLD, the NT and WA, which gives you a free long weekend.
If you live in one of those states, take annual leave from Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 and you’ll turn four days of leave into nine days. Queenslanders and Territorians do even better, because Labour Day (QLD) and May Day (NT) fall on Monday, May 3 stretching the break to 10 days.
When: Saturday, April 24 – Sunday, May 2 (or Monday, May 3 in QLD and the NT)
Annual leave days: 4
Total days away: 9 (10 in QLD and the NT)
4. The winter getaway
Beat the mid-year slump by building a getaway around the King’s Birthday long weekend on Monday, June 14 (NSW, Vic, SA, Tas, ACT and NT). Just four days of leave turns into nine days away, plenty of time to hit the slopes or swap winter for a week of northern sunshine.
When: Saturday, 12 June – Sunday, 20 June
Annual leave days: 4
Total days away: 9
5. The Christmas special
By the time December rolls around again, you’ll be ready for a super-sized break. Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on the weekend in 2027, so you get extra public holidays on Monday, December 27 and Tuesday, December 28.
New Year’s Day falls on a Saturday, with an additional public holiday on Monday, January 2028. That’s three weekday public holidays, so three days of leave gets you 10 days away.
When: Saturday, December 25 – Monday, January 3
Annual leave days: 3
Total days away: 10
2027 Master Plan summary
Holiday | Dates (inclusive) | Annual leave required | Total days away |
|---|---|---|---|
Australia Day | Sat, Jan 23 – Tue, Jan 26 | 1 | 4 |
Anzac Day | Saturday, April 24 – Sunday, May 2(or Monday, May 3 in QLD and the NT) | 4 | 9 (10 in QLD and the NT) |
Easter | Sat, Mar 20 – Sun, Apr 4 | 8 | 16 |
Winter break | Sat, Jun 12 – Sun, Jun 20 | 4 | 9 |
Christmas & New Year 2027-2028 | Sat, Dec, 25 2027 – Mon, Jan 3 2028 | 3 | 10 |
2027 TOTAL | 20 | 48 |
Take advantage of state-based holidays
If you don’t want to get away on the major national holidays, there are a few more public holidays you can use to lengthen your leave.
- QLD: The King’s Birthday public holiday falls on Monday, October 4. Take Tuesday 5 – Fri 8 October for 9 days away.
- WA: In 2027, WA Day falls on Monday, June 7. Get 9 days off if you take Tuesday 8 – Friday June 11.
- VIC: Take advantage of the Melbourne Cup public holiday on Tuesday November 2 by taking Friday 29 October and Monday 1 November as leave for a 5-day break. VIC: In 2027, Labour Day falls on Monday, March 8. Get 9 days off if you take Tuesday 9 – Friday March 12.
- ACT: Canberra Day falls on Monday, March 8, so snag 9 days away by taking Tuesday 9 – Friday 12 March.
- SA: Get 9 days off over the Adelaide Cup Day public holiday on Monday, March 8 by taking Tuesday 9 – Friday 12 March.
- TAS: Eight Hours Day falls on Monday, March 8 in 2027. Take Tuesday 9 – Friday 12 March for 9 days off.
Other ways to boost your leave balance
If you’ve already burnt through your leave, there are other ways to find extra time away from the desk:
- Birthday leave: Some organisations now offer a free day off for your birthday. If your company doesn’t, it might be time to ask.
- Wellness leave: No need to chuck a sickie. Many employers now offer wellness leave (for some that means 3 days for lifestyle and cultural leave), while others offer ‘Life Leave’ (5 days) to help employees switch off.
- Time in Lieu: If you’ve been putting in overtime, check your contract for time-in-lieu clauses to reclaim those extra hours.
