Victoria’s new Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme allows employees to build up long service based on length of service to their industry, not length of service to one employer.
As of 1 July 2019, Victorian workers in the community services sector, contract cleaning industry and security industry now have portable long service leave benefits under the Long Service Benefits Portability Act 2018.
From 1 January 2020, additional community service roles will be included in the portability scheme and this information can be found under the Long Service Benefits Portability Regulations 2019.
As of 1 July 2019, if you are an employer who has employees covered by the Portable Long Service Leave Scheme, you must register online at the Portable Long Service Leave Authority. Employers will then need to register their employees through quarterly return reporting which will commence October 2019.
Quarterly returns will need to be submitted to the Portable Long Service Leave Authority from October 2019 and then January, April, July and October every year. These Quarterly returns must include all information in regards to the workers who have worked for the business during the quarter, the days that were worked and the pay they received.
The Quarterly Return calculates the contribution to be made by the employer and this will be based on the employee’s ordinary pay multiplied by the industry levy. The Portable Long Service Leave Benefits Authority has determined the levy to be 1.65% for community services, 1.8% for the contract cleaning industry and 1.8% for the security industry.
Workers in the Contract Cleaning and Security Industry are able to request their work history from 1 July 2018 – 30 June 2019 to be added to their balance.
When the employee seeks to take Long Service Leave, they will receive the payment from the Authority and will be on unpaid leave with the business.
The industries and the employees this new scheme covers are listed throughout the Act and if you have any queries in relation to your business and if your employees are entitled to be paid their long service leave entitlements into a portable scheme, please contact us on 1300 760 050 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Written by Laura Quinlan, HR Consultant