How many hours can you work per week on a working holiday visa?

How many hours can you work each week?

No weekly maximum applies under the visa rules:

• Full-time work (typically 38 hours per week) is allowed
• Overtime hours are allowed
• Multiple jobs are allowed
• No weekly hour cap from the Department of Home Affairs

The only practical limits come from:

• Fair Work rules on rest breaks and reasonable additional hours
• Your award or enterprise agreement (which may cap ordinary hours)
• Your own physical and mental capacity

What is the 6-month employer limit (condition 8547)?

Visa condition 8547 applies to all working holiday visa holders:

• You can work for the same employer for a maximum of 6 months
• The 6 months is counted in calendar months from your start date (not by hours worked)
• The condition is mandatory unless an exemption applies
• The condition resets when a new working holiday visa is granted

Breach of condition 8547 can lead to visa cancellation. The condition has been part of working holiday visa terms for many years.

Which sectors are exempt from the 6-month limit?

You can work beyond 6 months with the same employer without permission if the work is in:

• Plant and animal cultivation (agriculture, horticulture)
• Fishing and pearling
• Tree farming and felling
• Mining
• Construction
• Tourism and hospitality (in any location)
• Health, aged care, and disability care
• Childcare
• Food processing
• Natural disaster recovery work
• Different locations of the same employer (no single location exceeding 6 months)

These exemptions cover most of the industries that working holiday makers commonly work in.

How do you work beyond 6 months in a non-exempt sector?

If your role does not fall within an exemption, you can request written permission from the Department of Home Affairs:

1. Submit a written request before the 6 months ends
2. Demonstrate operational need or other compelling reasons
3. Continue working while the request is assessed
4. Receive a written decision

Permission is granted at the Department's discretion and is not guaranteed.

What other visa requirements apply?

You still need to meet other visa conditions:

• Hold a valid working holiday visa (subclass 417 or 462)
• Your primary purpose for being in Australia must still be a holiday (work is secondary)
• All tax obligations apply (provide your TFN, lodge your tax return)
• Super entitlements still apply for all paid work

How does the 88-day rule fit in?

The 88-day specified work requirement for a second working holiday visa is separate from condition 8547:

• 88 days of specified work in a regional area during your first visa
• Specified work includes agriculture, fishing, mining, construction in eligible areas, tourism/hospitality in remote areas, and disaster recovery
• This is about visa eligibility for extension, not employer duration
• Many specified-work industries are also exempt from the 6-month rule

For a third working holiday visa, the requirement is 6 months (179 days) of specified work during the second visa.

What does this mean for super?

Your superannuation entitlement is based on your earnings, not hours:

• Earn any wages → super must be paid at 12% on top
• The previous $450/month threshold was removed in 2022
• More hours generally means more earnings, which means more super
• See how much super your employer should pay for the calculation

If you are working long hours and unsure whether your super is being paid correctly, send us your payslips and we will check.