The 6-month rule: how long can you work for one employer?
Most working holiday makers can work up to 6 months with one employer at one location — but farm, hospitality, care and several other sectors are exempt. Check your job below.
By Borja Pérez · Updated October 2026
Quick answer: Working holiday makers on a 417 or 462 visa can usually work a maximum of 6 months with any one employer (condition 8547), counted in calendar months from the first day, with each location having its own 6 months. Plant and animal cultivation, agriculture and food processing, health and care work, childcare, tourism and hospitality are exempt anywhere in Australia.
- Exempt in Northern Australia only: fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, construction and mining.
- The 6 months start again with each new working holiday visa.
- Other work needs permission from Home Affairs; send the request before the 6 months run out.
- Source: Home Affairs, 6 month work limitation.
Check when your 6 months end
Your 6 months end around 31 December 2026
To keep working for this employer at this location after that, you need permission from Home Affairs, requested before the 6 months run out. Moving to another location of the same business, or to another employer, starts a new 6 months.
Estimate based on the Home Affairs 6-month work limitation page (last updated 21 September 2026, checked 7 October 2026). The 6 months are counted in months from your first day, not in days or hours worked, and start again with each new working holiday visa.
The rule
Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visas carry condition 8547: you can work a maximum of 6 months with any one employer. It covers any type of work — full time, part time, casual, shift or voluntary.
- It is counted in months, not days. The clock starts on your first day with that employer and runs whether or not you work every day.
- Each location has its own 6 months. You can move to another site of the same business and keep working without permission.
- The employer is the business you work for directly. A labour hire agency can refer you to one business for 6 months, then to another business for another 6 months.
- It starts again with each new working holiday visa, or when a Bridging visa with condition 8547 comes into effect.
Source: 6 month work limitation (Home Affairs, last updated 21 September 2026, checked 7 October 2026).
Exempt sectors: no permission needed
| Work | Where it is exempt |
|---|---|
| Plant and animal cultivation | Anywhere in Australia |
| Natural disaster recovery work | Anywhere in Australia |
| Agriculture and food processing | Anywhere in Australia |
| Health, aged and disability care, childcare | Anywhere in Australia |
| Tourism and hospitality | Anywhere in Australia |
| Fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling | Northern Australia only |
| Construction and mining | Northern Australia only |
| Any other work (office, retail, trades…) | Not exempt — 6 months, then permission |
Northern Australia uses the same postcodes as the specified work table: all of the Northern Territory and parts of northern Queensland and Western Australia. Check any postcode in the postcode checker.
Asking for permission to stay longer
If your work is not exempt, you can ask Home Affairs for permission to work longer than 6 months. The Department may agree if:
- you have applied for a visa that allows ongoing full-time work and are waiting for the outcome, or
- your work is critical to your employer, with supporting documents.
Send the request before your 6 months run out. Once you have sent it, you can keep working for the same employer until you receive a written outcome. If the 6 months have already passed, you must stop working for that employer and wait for the decision.
Sources: permission to work longer than 6 months and the condition 8547 permission request form.
Tracking it alongside your 88 days
The 88 days calculator now warns you when a job with the same employer and postcode goes past 6 months in a sector that is not exempt — so you can plan a move or ask for permission in time.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work more than 6 months for one employer on a working holiday visa?
Yes, if your work is in an exempt sector: plant and animal cultivation, natural disaster recovery, agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care, childcare, or tourism and hospitality anywhere in Australia; or fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, construction or mining in Northern Australia. Otherwise you need permission from Home Affairs.
Is the 6 months counted in days worked or in calendar months?
In calendar months from the day you started working for that employer, not in the number of days or hours you worked.
Does the 6-month limit reset with a second working holiday visa?
Yes. The 6 months start again with the grant of a new working holiday visa, or when a Bridging visa with condition 8547 comes into effect.
Can I keep working for the same company at another location?
Yes. No permission is needed if your work in any one location does not go over 6 months.
What if I work through a labour hire agency?
The employer is the business you are directly working for. An agency can place you with one business for 6 months and then refer you to another business for another 6 months.
This guide is general information, not migration, tax or legal advice. Only the Department of Home Affairs decides whether your work counts towards a visa. Rules change; always check the official pages before you apply. See our methodology and disclaimer.