88 Days Calculator: Specified Work Tracker
Log your jobs and see how many of your 88 days (second visa) or 179 days (third visa) of specified work you have done — counted the way the Department of Home Affairs describes it.
Rules last checked against Home Affairs: 7 October 2026. By Borja Pérez.
Quick answer: To qualify for a second Working Holiday visa you need 88 days of specified work in an eligible regional area, and 179 days for a third. The days are calendar days, full-time work counts every day and part-time counts as a proportion, and you cannot finish in less than three calendar months (six for 179 days).
- Your postcode must be on the eligible list for your visa and industry.
- The work must normally be paid under Australian law and awards.
- UK passport holders applying for a second or third 417 visa from 1 July 2024 do not need specified work.
- Source: Home Affairs, specified work (417).
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This is an estimate, not a decision. Only the Department of Home Affairs decides whether your work counts. This tracker is general information, not migration advice. Always check your situation against the official subclass 417 or subclass 462 specified work pages before you apply.
How the 88 days are counted
- They are calendar days. Three months means 88 days and six months means 179, including weekends or equivalent rest days.
- Full-time counts every calendar day of your period of work. “Full-time” is the normal hours for that job in that industry — not a fixed number. Home Affairs’ own examples accept 5 to 9 hour days and 12-hour shifts.
- Part-time counts as a proportion. In the official example, 5 days a fortnight for 122 calendar days counts as half: 61 days.
- One day per calendar day, maximum. Overtime and second jobs on the same day never create extra days.
- Unpaid days don’t count — for example, days you were stood down without pay because of bad weather. Paid public holidays and paid leave do count.
- You can split it up. The days don’t have to be continuous or with one employer, but you can’t finish in less than three calendar months (six for 179 days).
- Piece rates count, full-time or part-time, even when hours vary with weather or crop ripening. Keep your piecework agreement.
- The work must be paid under Australian law and awards. The exception is volunteer recovery work in declared bushfire or natural disaster areas, where each day you actually worked counts as one day.
What work counts, and where
The postcode where you physically worked must be on the eligible list for your visa and industry.
| Industry | Subclass 417 | Subclass 462 |
|---|---|---|
| Plant and animal cultivation; construction | Regional Australia | Northern or regional Australia |
| Fishing and pearling; tree farming and felling | Regional Australia | Northern Australia only |
| Mining | Regional Australia | Does not count |
| Tourism and hospitality | Northern, Remote or Very Remote Australia, plus postcodes 4406, 4416, 4498 and 7215 | Same as 417 |
| Bushfire recovery (work after 31 July 2019) | Declared bushfire areas | Same as 417 |
| Natural disaster recovery (work after 31 December 2021) | Declared disaster areas | Same as 417 |
| Critical COVID-19 work in healthcare (after 31 January 2020) | Anywhere in Australia | Same as 417 |
Source: Department of Home Affairs — specified work (subclass 417) and specified subclass 462 work. The calculator above checks your postcode against those tables (last updated by Home Affairs on 24 September 2026, checked by us on 7 October 2026). They change from time to time, so confirm on the official page before you apply.
Third visa, bridging visas and UK passports
- For a third visa you need 179 days, and the work must be from 1 July 2019 onwards.
- Work done on a bridging visa only counts if you applied for your second visa while your first one was still valid.
- UK passport holders applying for a second or third subclass 417 visa from 1 July 2024 don’t need specified work. This doesn’t apply to the subclass 462.
What evidence to keep
For second and third visas, Home Affairs lists evidence such as payslips, Australian bank statements covering the period, piecework agreements (showing the piece rate and how it is measured), group certificates, payment summaries, tax returns, employer references and a signed agreement covering lawful deductions. On the subclass 462 pages, payslips and bank statements are grouped as “evidence of payment”. Your evidence should cover every period you worked, and the Department may contact your employers.
For volunteer bushfire or flood recovery, keep a signed letter from the coordinator with your passport details, tasks, postcodes and number of days. See the third Working Holiday visa page for the current list.
Specified work guides
How the 88 days are counted
Weekends, part-time, rain days and rosters, with examples.
Does my postcode count?
Check any postcode by industry and visa.
Evidence to keep
Payslips, bank statements, references and volunteer letters.
417 vs 462
Which industries count where on each visa.
Third visa: 179 days
The six-month rule, 1 July 2019 and bridging visas.
UK citizens and the 88 days
The exemption for UK passport holders from July 2024.
The 6-month rule with one employer
When your 6 months end and which sectors are exempt.
Doing farm work this year?
Working holiday makers pay 15% tax on the first $45,000. See exactly what you’ll take home with the Working Holiday Maker tax calculator and the WHM tax guide.