How To Turn 16 Days Of Annual Leave Into 42 Days Off In 2027
Travel and Entertainment Editor | Urban List, WA
Benjamin Fitzgerald
Contributor | Urban List Adelaide
Friends, what if we told you that, through a couple of handy little tricks in the calendar, you could use 16 days of annual leave and magically turn them into 42 days off next year? Yep, we're talking 42 out of 365 days living it up wherever the wind takes you. That's 11.5 per cent of the year...
That's right, we're talking about how to maximise your annual leave in Australia in 2027. We’ve done the work for you and peeked ahead at the 2027 calendar to see how you can gain some sneaky extra leave, meaning you can head off on those overdue trips away without burning through your entire annual leave allowance.
The exact dates vary slightly between states and territories, but with a few clever calendar tricks, you can turn 16 days of annual leave into up to 42 days off. Read on for how to maximise your annual leave in 2027.
Image credit: Renée Ardon-Coppinger | Supplied
How To Maximise Your Annual Leave Days In 2027
January 2027
Book one annual leave day on Monday, January 25 for four days off, using the Tuesday January 26 public holiday.
- Days off: Saturday 23 January to Tuesday 26 January
- Days of leave taken: One
March 2027
Book four annual leave days from Tuesday, March 30 – Friday, April 2 to score a 10-day break over the Easter break, with Good Friday and Easter Monday doing the vacay heavy lifting.
- Days off: Friday 26 March – Sunday 4 April
- Days of leave taken: Four
April 2027
Anzac Day falls on a Sunday in 2027, meaning NSW, Queensland, WA, the ACT and the Northern Territory get an additional public holiday on Monday, April 26.
If you're in one of those states or territories, book four annual leave days from Tuesday, April 27 – Friday, April 30, and get nine days off from your labour of love.
- Days off: Saturday 24 April – Sunday 2 May
- Days of leave taken: Four
Note: Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania don't get an additional public holiday on Monday, April 26 when Anzac Day falls on a Sunday.
Image credit: Renée Ardon-Coppinger | Supplied
June 2027
For NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory, the King's Birthday falls on Monday, June 14. Book four annual leave days from Tuesday, June 15 – Friday, June 18 for nine days off.
- Days off: Saturday 12 June – Sunday 20 June
- Days of leave taken: Four
In WA and Queensland, the King's Birthday falls later in the year, so you'll need to shift this leave-saving trick accordingly:
- WA: Book Tuesday, September 28 – Friday, October 1 for nine days off from Saturday, September 25 – Sunday, October 3.
- Queensland: Book Tuesday, October 5 – Friday, October 8 for nine days off from Saturday, October 2 – Sunday, October 10.
December 2027
Book three days of annual leave from Wednesday, December 29 – Friday, December 31 to get a whopping 10-day break over Christmas and New Year.
- Days off: Saturday 25 December – Monday 3 January 2028
- Days of leave taken: Three
If you follow the above strategy, you'll use 16 days of annual leave to score 42 days off throughout 2027. That's 42 days of freedom for just 16 days of annual leave—or roughly 11.5 per cent of the entire year. Not bad right?
Now that's decided, where to go with all those precious days off?
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Image credit: Urban List | Supplied