Leaving a permanent job: what should be in your final pay?

Published by SESAY · 2026-10-07 · General Australian payroll guidance

What to understand first

Final pay can contain several different entitlements. Start with wages for work performed and unused annual leave, then assess any applicable notice, redundancy or long service leave. The reason for leaving and the governing employment rules matter; not every exit includes every payment.

Practical checks

• Confirm your last employment date and final hours.
• Ask for a breakdown of each entitlement and deduction.
• Compare leave balances with the calculation, including relevant loading.
• Check the applicable payment deadline rather than assuming the next regular payday.

Fictional example

Fictional employee Ava resigns with 38 hours of annual leave and 20 unpaid work hours. Assuming a $40 hourly rate and no other components, those two gross items are $1,520 and $800, totalling $2,320 before tax. This is not a complete entitlement calculation: loading, other earnings and any long service leave must be assessed separately.

Your next step

Keep your final payslip, employment terms and leave balance information. If something appears missing, ask payroll to explain the source rule and calculation in writing. Do not compare only the bank deposit with gross entitlements because withholding changes the net amount. Unresolved entitlement issues can be raised with Fair Work or the relevant regulator.

How SESAY can help

SESAY can help employers organise final-pay workpapers and review inputs so employees receive a clearer explanation of their exit payment.

Official sources

• Fair Work — Final pay

Sources researched 2026-10-07. Examples are fictional and use stated assumptions. Confirm current rules and your circumstances before acting. This is general information, not individual tax or legal advice. SESAY is independent of the regulators linked here.