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Maximise Your Annual Leave in 2022 | Main Region

Our annual leave hacks: best time to take a holiday in 2023

Everyone deserves a break from work and with some clever preparation, you can maximise your annual leave in 2023 and more than double your paid time off.

We look at how to achieve the maximum possible downtime by taking advantage of public holidays and weekends. With these annual leave hacks for 2023, you’ll return to work recharged and ready to perform at your best.

Annual leave and public holidays

Four weeks of paid annual leave is standard, but it can disappear quickly. To make the most of your paid time off, align it to weekends and public holidays. By strategically approaching your standard 20 days of annual leave, you’ll unlock more rejuvenating and purposeful time off. What’s more, by cleverly pegging your selected dates to Australian public holidays, you’ll double your time off without resorting to unpaid leave.

Here are some of the best dates to book.

Maximise your annual leave 2023

Christmas 2022 and New Year’s 2023 – book three days and get 10

This year, Christmas day is on a Sunday. The Boxing Day public holiday is on Monday, 26 December with a Christmas Day public holiday on Tuesday, 27 December. The New Year’s Day public holiday falls on Monday, 2 January, 2023.

Book three days annual leave: Take three days’ annual leave on Wednesday, 28 December, Thursday, 29 December and Friday, 30 December before New Year's Eve.

Your 10-day break: You’ll enjoy a 10-day break, from Saturday, 24 December, 2022 through to Monday, 2 January, 2023.

Australia Day 2023 – book four days and get nine

In 2023, the Australia Day public holiday falls on a Thursday.

Book four days annual leave: Take annual leave from 23-25 January and then 27 January on the Friday.

Your nine-day break: For four days annual leave, you’ll enjoy a nine-day break, from Saturday, 21 January all the way through to Sunday, 29 January.

Easter 2023 – book four days and get 10

In 2023, Good Friday falls a little earlier than last year on 7 April, with Easter Monday following on 10 April

Book four days annual leave: Take annual leave from 3-6 April.

Your 10-day break: You’ll enjoy a 10-day break from Saturday, 1 April through to Monday, 10 April.

Anzac Day 2023 – book four days and get nine

ANZAC Day takes place on 25 April, which in 2023 will fall on a Tuesday.

Book four days annual leave: Book annual leave on 24 April as well as from 26-28 April.

Your nine-day break: This gives you a total of nine days off from 22-30 April.

Labour Day 2023 – book four days and get nine

Labour Day falls on different dates in individual states and territories. Check official announcements for all public holidays in your location.

Book four days annual leave and get a nine-day break: By taking four days of annual leave the week Labour Day falls in your state or territory, you'll benefit from a nine-day break.

Kings’s Birthday 2023 – book four days and get nine

In 2023 the King’s Birthday public holiday falls on 12 June in every state and territory except Queensland and Western Australia. It always falls on a Monday.

Book four days annual leave and get a nine-day break: Like Labour Day, by setting up your annual leave around the public holiday, you'll enjoy nine days off. Or you could use one day of leave on the previous Friday to have a four-day weekend.

Christmas 2023 and New Year’s 2024 – book three days and get 10

Christmas Day falls on a Monday in 2023 with the Boxing Day public holiday following on Tuesday, 26 December. The New Year’s Day public holiday falls on Monday, 1 January 2024.

Book three days annual leave: Take three days’ annual leave from 27-29 December.

Your 10-day break: This will bring your total days off to 10, letting you enjoy and extended break over the summer, from Saturday, 23 December through to Tuesday, 2 January.

What annual leave am I entitled to and how much annual leave can I accrue?

Annual leave is a longstanding entitlement in Australian workplaces. In Australia, annual leave entitlements are part of Australia’s National Employment Standards.

According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, full-time workers in Australia are due four weeks paid annual leave. Part-time employees receive the equivalent based on their hours of work. For example, if a part-time employee works two and a half days per week, they receive 10 days (half) annual leave.

In Australia, the first official annual leave entitlement dates back to 1906. It became more widespread under federal awards between the 1930s and 1970s and has been ingrained in Australian work culture ever since.

Why take annual leave, exactly?

Many professionals tend to horde their annual leave. Perhaps you, too, have several days or weeks of annual leave accrued. But it’s important to remember that taking regular, consistent breaks throughout the year helps manage your overall stress and can mean you avoid taking a one-way trip to burnout.

The World Health Organisation recognises burnout as an “’occupational phenomenon”. Burnout syndrome, it states, is the result of chronic workplace stress unsuccessfully managed. Symptoms include:

Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
Mental distance from work
More negative feelings or cynicism regarding one’s job
Decreased professional efficacy

It’s well-known that it often takes over-worked employees some days to really hit their stride in the holiday zone. Therefore, when you cleverly maximise your annual leave, you’ll help avoid burnout. You can read more tips on how to avoid burnout here.

Your annual leave plan 2023

With the above annual leave plan in place, you’ll enjoy some proper downtime. No matter how you like to unwind, by making the most of your annual leave, the potential to rest, relax and reset looks very promising.