The ultimate 2026 Australian holiday hack: How to turn 19 days of annual leave into 41 days off

Are you an Aussie full-timer dreaming of more time off without burning through your annual leave balance? You need to master the art of leave maximisation. 

Leave maximisation is where you strategically book your annual leave around public holidays and weekends, which can help to multiply your time off. 

The good news is that in 2026, the calendar has aligned perfectly and with some savvy planning you can score up to 41 days of holiday off by taking 19 days of annual leave. 

Here we will detail the three essential holiday hacks, showing you exactly which days to book and how many total days you’ll get for each block.

It’s worth noting that this plan only focuses on national holidays so always check your state or territory’s specific public holiday dates as you may be able to score even more. 

Hack 1: The New Year Recovery (Late Dec 2025 – Early Jan 2026)

By using the cluster of Christmas, Boxing Day and New Years you can get a massive 16 day break - perfect for that beach holiday up or down the coast or a short-haul  international getaway. 

Hack 2: The Autumn Mega-Break (Easter)

There are two options up for grabs over the Easter period: a shorter 10 day vacay (4 days annual leave) , a 16 day mega-break for 8 days annual leave.    

Hack 3: King's Birthday Winter Escape

Most states observe the King’s Birthday on Monday 8 June (with the exception of QLD & WA) so use this long weekend to book in 4 days leave and you’ll get a 9 day mid-year break. Great for a ski trip or a short flight to warmer weather. 

Bonus Long Weekends 

Whether you combine an extra day for a 4 day weekend or take the 4 days following the public weekend to create another 9 day break there are several state, territory and national public holidays that can also be used for leave maximisation. 

Note: Be sure to check for your specific state based and regional public holidays in addition to the list & confirm dates with your state or territory’s website. 

• Australia Day (26 Jan). Falls on a Monday so take off Friday 23 January for a 4 day break. 
• Labour Day/ 8 Hour Day / May Day is observed on a Monday in every state or territory but depending on where you live it could fall in March, May or October. WA (2 Mar), VIC (9 Mar), TAS, (9 Mar), QLD (4 May), NT (4 May ), NSW (5 Oct), ACT (5 Oct), and SA (5 Oct). Take off the preceding Friday to make it an extra long weekend break. 
• Anzac Day (Apr 25). Anzac Day falls on Sat 25 April. If you live in WA you’ll get Mon 27 off so take off Friday 24 April for a 4 day break. Other states and territories are observing Anzac day on Saturday 25 April. 
• Reconciliation Day (1 Jun). If you live in the ACT, you could combine the reconciliation day holiday with the King’s Birthday (June 8) and you’d get an 11 day break for just days of 4 annual leave (2-5 Jun).
• Western Australia Day (1 Jun). West Australians could take off Friday 27 May for a 4 day break. 
• Melbourne Cup Day (3 Nov). Victorians could take off Monday 2 Nov to make the Cup a bumper 4 day weekend celebration. 

Next steps 

With public holidays falling this favourably, savvy maximisers will be booking flights and submitting leave requests now. Get in early to secure your extended time off and make 2026 your biggest year of travel yet. 

Mozo travel tip: Getting travel insurance as soon as you make your bookings can help cover you in case of cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances.  

Money maximising tip: To make sure that your money doesn’t get eaten up in foreign currency conversion fees and poor exchange rates, shop around for a good travel money debit or credit card before you go.