Managing Your Service

Your portable long service leave matters. You’ve earned it through years of hard work. Checking your service record regularly means you can ensure you’re building the service you deserve – and can claim your entitlement when you need it.

This page explains what can affect your record and how to fix any issues. Whether your service has become inactive, you’re missing service, or you’ve had a break, we’re here to help you keep your record up to date.

Missing service

Your portable long service leave is valuable. It gives you the break you deserve after years of hard work. That’s why it’s important to check your service is recorded.

Missing service happens when your employer hasn’t reported your work to LeavePlus as required.

How to check if you’re missing service

Check quarterly: Log in to the LeavePlus portal each quarter to make sure your employer has reported your service. Quarterly returns are due on the 14th day after each quarter ends (for example, April to June service is due by 14 July).

Check annually: Your annual Statement of Service is available in October. It shows all your service to date, including a breakdown of what each employer reported for the previous financial year. Review it to make sure everything is correct.

How to recover missing service

From current employer
If your current employer isn’t showing up in the portal, you can request that they complete a Worker Service Confirmation form to update your record. If you’re not comfortable talking to your employer, log in to the LeavePlus portal and complete the Missing Service form.

From previous employers
You can complete a Missing Service form for each employer that hasn’t reported your service.

Note: If you’re missing both apprentice and worker service with the same employer, you must submit separate requests.

What you need to provide

For all requests, you’ll need:

your LeavePlus registration number
your personal details
employer details.

Plus, proof of service depending on your work type:

Service type	What it is	Proof required
Apprentice	Service while you were employed under an approved apprenticeship training contract covered by the LeavePlus scheme	Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) extract or Certificate of Completion
Worker	Service while you were employed doing covered construction work	Payslips, PAYG Summary, Income Statement, or Individual Tax Return for each financial year
Trainee	Service while you were employed under an approved traineeship training contract covered by the LeavePlus scheme	VRQA extract and payslips plus PAYG Summary, Income Statement, or Individual Tax Return for each financial year

Important requirements

Payslips must include your full name, employer’s trading name, and employer’s ABN/ACN.
Your documentation must cover the entire period of missing service.
If your documents don’t meet these requirements, we can’t investigate and you’ll need to submit a new request.

Where to get documents

VRQA extracts and certificates: Call VRQA on 1300 722 603 (Monday to Friday, 10am–4:30pm).
Income Statements and Tax Returns: Access through your MyGov account.

Inactive service

If you haven’t worked in the Victorian construction industry for 4 years, LeavePlus will send you an Inactive Service Notice.

You may have inactive service because:

You left the construction industry or moved to a non-covered role (like site supervisor, project manager, or sales).
Service is missing from your record.
You worked interstate.

What happens to your service record:

Your record stays active for 4 years.
If you return within 4 years, you can keep building on your existing service.
If you return after 4 years, your record becomes inactive and any new service starts from zero.

Can you still claim?

You need 7 years (1,820 days) of continuous service to claim a long service leave benefit.

If you already have 7 years of service: You can claim your long service leave benefit anytime – it never expires, even if your service record becomes inactive.
If you have less than 7 years: You can’t claim a benefit if your record becomes inactive before reaching 7 years.

Check your service

Break in service

A break in service happens when you stop doing construction work for 4 years or more (or 2 years or more before 1 December 1997).

What happens when service is broken

If you have a break in service:

Your previous service becomes inactive.
Service recorded before and after the break will not be recognised as continuous.
Any future service starts from zero and won’t build on what you had before.

This means you’ll need to start again to reach the 7 years needed before you can be paid a long service leave benefit.

Approved break in service

You may be able to get an approved break in service, which lets you continue building on your previous service.

You can apply for an approved break if you were:

Off work due to a work injury and receiving WorkCover (or income protection) payments.
Off work due to illness or injury on medical advice.
Doing construction work interstate.
Working as a sub-contractor in Victoria.

How to apply for an ‘Approved Break in Service’

What you need to provide:

your LeavePlus registration number
your personal details
business details (if you were a working sub-contractor).

Plus, proof covering the dates of your break:

Break type	Proof required
WorkCover	Certificates of Capacity for the full period you were off work
Medical incapacity	Doctor’s letter or certificate stating the absence was necessary, the reason, and the dates of absence
Interstate work	Statement of Service from the interstate long service leave scheme
Working sub-contractor	Full copies of individual tax returns

Important: If you don’t provide adequate proof, we can’t investigate your request, and your previous service may not count towards your long service leave entitlement.

Workers