How the 88 days of regional work actually count

You want a second year on your Working Holiday visa. So you need "88 days of specified work" in an eligible regional area during your first-year visa (179 days during the second, for a third year). One part trips up almost everyone: how a "day" is counted. Get it wrong and Immigration rejects you, even though you did the work. Here is exactly how it works.

1. The work that counts

• Plant and animal cultivation (farming, harvesting, some packing).
• Fishing and pearling; tree farming and felling.
• Mining and construction (417 only; the 462 has restrictions).
• Bushfire, flood and cyclone recovery.
• Tourism and hospitality, only in Northern Australia.

What does NOT count: ordinary hospitality outside Northern Australia, retail, admin, sales, and Uber Eats delivery (even in a regional area).

2. The rule that fails most applications: casual vs full-time

Full-time or part-time: every calendar day in your period of employment counts, including the weekends you didn't work. A continuous 3-month full-time contract is roughly 90 calendar days, so you're there. Casual: only the days you actually clocked in count. Weekends, public holidays not worked and unpaid days off do NOT count. Work 5 days a week as a casual and you bank 5 days a week. That's about 18 weeks to reach 88, not 12.

Paid by the piece (per bin, per kilo)? You're almost certainly casual. There's an extra test: each day must be a "standard workday" for your industry. Finish your bin in three hours and leave, and Immigration may not accept that as a full day, because three hours isn't a standard harvest shift. Two shifts in one calendar day still count as one day; an overnight shift counts as the day it started.

3. The postcode trap

It's the postcode where you physically work that counts, not the company's head office. Work for a Melbourne-based construction firm but on sites in Ballarat? Ballarat (eligible) is what matters. Make sure your payslip or letter names the actual worksite. And the eligible-postcode list differs by visa subclass and changes over time. Confirm your postcode was eligible on the dates you worked, for your subclass, not just today.

4. Counting safely (casual method)

1. 1Mark every single day you physically worked on a calendar. Not days you were rostered then sent home.
2. 2Remove non-qualifying days (shifts well under the industry standard, paid-but-not-worked days).
3. 3Don't count weekends unless you actually worked them.
4. 4Aim for 95, not 88. A 5 to 10 day buffer is your insurance against a disqualified day.
5. 5Keep every payslip; each shows the days/hours for that pay period.

5. Proof for your renewal

• Payslips for each job (employer, dates, hours, pay).
• Your employment contract or letter (and your employment TYPE in writing).
• Bank records showing the wages landing.
• Form 1263, the employer employment-verification form (one per employer, see its own guide).
• Bonus: proof of regional residence, a super statement, dated photos.