How to TRIPLE your annual leave in 2022

Firstly, after the past two years, you deserve to TRIPLE your annual leave in 2022. Depending on which Australian state you live in, you can do just that – if you plan it right.

The average full time working Australian is entitled to four weeks (20 days) of annual leave a year. But, you can turn that into nearly sixty days of sweet sweet holiday time.

Read on to find out which dates to request leave so you can maximise your time off for free.

January:

• Turn 4 days of annual leave into a 9 day holiday. Put in a request from Saturday 22 to Sunday 30 January. That includes two weekends, Australia Day, and four annual leave days.

February (TAS only):

• TAS (not for everywhere in the state). Take your sweetheart away for a long weekend, thanks to the Royal Hobart Regatta holiday falling on Valentine’s Day. You have from Saturday 12 to Monday 14 February. There is no need to take any annual leave days – unless you want nine days off? Request from 12 to 20 February and you’ll only use four days annual leave.

March (VIC, WA, SA, TAS & ACT only):

• VIC, no annual leave days are needed for this long weekend. Saturday 5 to Monday 7 March is a Labour Day long weekend. But, you could always turn it into 9 days off if you take off until Sunday 13 March.

• WA, SA, TAS & ACT: no annual leave days are needed for this long weekend. Saturday 12 to Monday 14 March is a long weekend. Again, you could always turn it into 9 days off if you take off until Sunday 20 March. Monday is the public holiday but each state has a different name for it. WA is Labour Day, SA is Adelaide Cup Day, Tasmania is Eight Hours Day, and ACT is Canberra Day.

April:

• Double your holiday time and take off from Saturday 9 April to Sunday 1 May. That includes four weekends, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Anzac Day. All up, you’ll need to take 12 annual leave days but you get 23 days off in a row. QLD and NT, you can take an extra day off with your Labour Day falling on Tuesday 2 May.

May (ACT only):

• ACT, 28 to 30 May is another three day weekend for you as Reconciliation Day falls on Monday 30 May.

June (NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, NT, ACT, & WA only):

• WA, Saturday 4 to Monday 6 June is Western Australian Day long weekend. No annual leave days are needed (unless you choose to extend it). To turn it into 9 days off if you’ll need to take off until Sunday 12 June.

• NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, NT, ACT. Do you fancy a long weekend or a nine day holiday to escape winter? Saturday 11 June to Monday 13 June is the Queens Birthday long weekend. There is no need to use any time off. But, you could use four annual leave days and make it a 9 day holiday. Request leave up to Sunday 19 June if you choose to do that.

July (NT only):

• NT, Saturday 30 July to Monday 1 August is a long weekend for you. Take advantage of that Picnic Day Public Holiday on Monday for three days off. Or, use four days annual leave and take off until Sunday August 7.

August (Brisbane QLD only):

• This one is specifically for you folk in Brisbane, QLD. Wednesday 10 August is the Royal QLD show (Ekka) public holiday. You could take a weekend plus two annual leave days before or after Ekka for a five day weekend. Request 6 to 10 August or 10 to 14 August for those five days. Or instead, you could take four annual leave days for nine days off from 6 to 14 August.

September (WA only):

• WA, take advantage of another long weekend from Saturday 24 to Monday 26 September courtesy of the Queen’s Birthday.

October (NSW, QLD, SA, ACT, VIC & TAS only):

• VIC, this date is yet to be confirmed. But, keep in mind the AFL Grand Final Friday will most likely fall on 30 September. Giving you a three day weekend. Or, take the celebrations one step further by using four annual leave days. If you request from 24 September to 2 October, that gives you nine days for the price of four.

• NSW, ACT, SA & QLD. Time for another long weekend or extended holiday? Saturday 1 to Monday 3 October includes the Labour Day holiday on Monday (if you’re in NSW, ACT or SA). It is the Queens Birthday Monday if you’re in QLD. Or, you could keep it rolling through to Sunday 9 October by trading four annual leave days for nine days off.

• TAS, Thursday 20 October is a public holiday for the Royal Hobart Show. You may as well take an annual leave day on the 21st and turn it into a four day weekend through to 23 October.

November (VIC only):

• VIC, you can triple your annual leave. Take a four day weekend for one annual leave day. Book yourself off from Saturday 29 October to Tuesday 1 November and take advantage of Melbourne Cup Day. Monday would be the annual leave day.

December (triple your annual leave this month):

• Lastly, this holiday is the easiest triple your annual leave trade of all. Would you like 10 days off for only 3 days annual leave? Request Saturday 24 December to Monday 2 January to take advantage of two weekends and three public holidays for Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Furthermore, there is a spate of other public holidays around the country that are specific to smaller areas. Make sure you check with your local government to see if you can squeeze out any extra days off.