Hack your work calendar next year and take strategic advantage of public holidays to maximise your annual leave in 2026, turning 20 days into 53 days away from the office. Here’s your cheat sheet per state to achieve maximum holidays using less leave.
According to the latest Roy Morgan data, 9.7 million full-time Australian workers have accrued a whopping 209 million collective days of annual leave. With one in five banking more than five weeks’ leave, this group represents a potential 1.5 million new holidaymakers for travel advisors.
Corporate Traveller has identified five windows to maximise your annual leave in 2026: Christmas–New Year, Australia Day, Easter, King’s Birthday long weekend and each state and territory’s Labour Day (or equivalent) holiday.
Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley said: “Public holidays in 2026 are well spaced for extended getaways. By locking in leave requests now, employees can secure the best fares and accommodation and employers can plan resourcing well in advance. Everybody wins.”
National holidays
Christmas–New Year: 16 days off with just 7 days’ annual leave
With public holidays on Thursday 25 December 2025, Friday 26 December 2025 and 1 January 2026, employees who lock in seven days of annual leave (22–24 December, 29–31 December, and 2 January) can enjoy a 16-day break from Saturday 20 December 2025 through Sunday 4 January 2026.
Australia Day: 9 days off with just 4 days’ annual leave
With the public holiday on Monday 26 January, employees who take four annual leave days from Tuesday 27 January to Friday 30 January will gain nine uninterrupted days off from Saturday 24 January to Sunday 1 February.
Easter: 10 days off with just 4 days’ annual leave
Good Friday is 3 April and Easter Monday is 6 April, enabling workers to use four leave days from Tuesday 7 April to Friday 10 April and enjoy a 10-day break from 3–12 April. Tasmanian public-service employees also have Easter Tuesday as a public holiday, so they only need three annual leave days.
Mid-year long weekend hacks
Many states celebrate the King’s Birthday on Monday 8 June (except Queensland on 5 October and WA on 28 September). Four leave days either side of those Mondays convert each long weekend into nine consecutive days off.
Labour Day holidays allow us to repeat the hack: 2 March in WA, 9 March in Victoria and Tasmania, 4 May in Queensland and the NT (called May Day), and 5 October in NSW, the ACT and SA.
State by state
WA is the clear winner in 2026 with 71 days off for just 31 days’ leave. Find out how far your annual leave will get you, depending on where you live. Here’s how to maximise your annual leave – state by state.
NSW: 53 days off for 23 days’ leave
While NSW doesn’t have extra state holidays, the five national holiday clusters (Christmas/New Year, Australia Day, Easter, King’s Birthday and Labour Day) still let full-timers turn 23 annual leave days into 53 consecutive days away from the office.
Victoria: 60 days off for 24 days’ leave
Add AFL Grand Final Eve (date TBC) and Melbourne Cup Day (Tuesday 3 November) to the national hacks and Victorians can lock in up to 60 days off. One extra leave day (Monday 2 November) builds a four-day Cup mini-break, taking the total annual leave tally to 24 days.
Queensland: 58 days off for 25 days’ leave
Queenslanders follow the core hacks, and then those in Brisbane can use the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) Wednesday 12 August to add on a five-day winter escape with two extra leave days. The result is 58 days away, using 25 leave days.
WA: 71 days off for 31 days’ leave
The state gets both WA Day (Monday 1 June) and the only Monday-in-lieu for ANZAC Day (Monday 27 April). Pair those with the King’s Birthday holiday (Monday 28 September) and the national clusters, and West Aussies can take 71 days off for 31 leave days.
SA: 62 days off for 27 days’ leave
SA’s Adelaide Cup Day (Monday 9 March) joins the national calendar, upping the total to 62 days away with only 27 annual leave days.
Tasmania: 50 days off for 19 days’ leave
Thanks to Royal Hobart Regatta (Monday 9 February) or Recreation Day (Monday 2 November), Eight Hours Day (Monday 9 March) plus the Easter Tuesday holiday for public service employees (Tuesday 7 April), Tasmanians can enjoy 50 days out of the office for a just 19 leave days.
ACT: 55 days off for 23 days’ leave
ACT employees automatically gain two extra-long weekends from Canberra Day (Monday 9 March) and Reconciliation Day (Monday 1 June). Add those onto the national clusters and that’s 55 days away on the standard 23 leave days.
NT: 50 days off for 19 days’ leave
Two public holiday Mondays, May Day (Monday 4 May) and Picnic Day (Monday 3 August, combined with the national clusters gives Territorians 50 days off while using only 19 leave days.
