Portable Long Service Leave: The Entitlement Most Tradies Forget Exists

Most industries don’t let you take long service leave with you when you change employers — construction is a genuine exception, and a lot of tradies don’t realise it’s happening in the background every time they clock on.

The short version (TL;DR)

• Construction has its own portable long service leave schemes, run separately in every state — CoINVEST (now LeavePlus) in Victoria, QLeave in Queensland, and equivalents in NSW, WA, SA and Tasmania.
• Unlike normal long service leave, this entitlement follows you between different employers in the industry, not just one company.
• Employers contribute a set percentage of your ordinary pay (around 2.7% in Victoria) into the scheme every quarter — it’s not deducted from your wages.
• You typically become eligible to claim once you’ve accumulated around 7 years (roughly 1,820 days) of recorded service in the industry.
• Service is portable between states under an interstate reciprocal agreement — work done in another state covered by the scheme can still count.
• This is a genuinely valuable, easy-to-forget-about entitlement, since it accrues quietly regardless of how many different employers you work for.

Why construction gets its own version of long service leave

Normal long service leave in most industries requires years of continuous service with one employer — which doesn’t reflect how construction actually works, where moving between employers and even between states over a career is common and often unavoidable (project-based work, contracts ending, chasing better opportunities). Portable long service leave schemes were set up specifically to make sure construction workers don’t lose this entitlement just because the industry’s employment pattern doesn’t look like a typical 9-to-5 career.

How it actually works

• Your employer contributes on your behalf — a set percentage of your ordinary pay, paid quarterly into the relevant state scheme. This is an employer cost, not something taken out of your pay.
• The scheme keeps a centralised record of your accrued service, regardless of how many different employers you’ve worked for within the industry.
• You become eligible once you hit the required threshold — commonly around 7 years of recorded service (approximately 1,820 days in Victoria’s scheme).
• Interstate work generally still counts — under a reciprocal agreement between the states, service in one state’s scheme can be recognised if you move and continue working in the industry elsewhere.

What this means practically

Because this accrues automatically in the background, it’s easy to genuinely forget it exists — especially early in a career when 7 years feels a long way off. But it’s a real, meaningful entitlement, and knowing it exists means you can actually check your accrued service with the relevant state scheme rather than assuming you’ve lost it every time you change employer or move states for work.

Which scheme covers you

Each state runs its own scheme under a different name — CoINVEST/LeavePlus in Victoria, QLeave in Queensland, and separate equivalents in NSW, WA, SA and Tasmania. The specific contribution rates, eligible trades, and exact accrual thresholds vary by state, so check your own state’s scheme directly to confirm your situation rather than assuming the Victorian figures above apply everywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Do I lose my long service leave every time I change employer?
No — that’s the entire point of the portable scheme. Your service is tracked centrally by the state scheme, not tied to any single employer, so changing jobs within the industry doesn’t reset your accrued entitlement.

Does my employer take this out of my pay?
No — employer contributions to the scheme are an additional cost paid on top of your wages, not deducted from your pay.

How do I check how much I’ve accrued?
Contact your relevant state scheme directly (CoINVEST/LeavePlus in Victoria, QLeave in Queensland, or your state’s equivalent) — they hold the centralised record of your accrued service.

Does work in a different state still count?
Generally yes, under interstate reciprocal agreements between the state schemes — though it’s worth confirming directly with the relevant schemes if you’ve worked across state lines.

This guide is general information only. Portable long service leave rules, contribution rates and eligibility thresholds vary by state and can change; confirm your specific entitlement with your relevant state scheme directly.

Sources:
CoINVEST/LeavePlus — How the scheme works
Victorian Chamber of Commerce — Understanding portable long service leave in Victoria