Casual to Permanent — Employee Notice
A casual employee’s written notification that they want to move to permanent employment.
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I am giving written notice that I wish to change from casual employment to part-time employment.
| Name | [your name] |
| Role | [your role] |
| Casual employment began | [date] |
| Change sought | Part-time employment |
| Award or agreement | — |
1. The pattern I have been working
[set out the days, the hours and how long the pattern has run without material change]
I believe this pattern is regular enough that I could continue working it as a permanent employee without significant change.
2. What I am asking for
Please treat this letter as my written notification and respond in writing within the period the law allows. If you decide not to accept it, please tell me the reason, so I understand the basis of the decision and what would need to change.
I understand that if the change is accepted, my casual loading stops and is replaced by the leave and notice entitlements that go with part-time employment, and that my ordinary hours and pay would be confirmed in writing before the change takes effect.
What is a Casual to Permanent — Employee Notice?
This is the letter a casual employee in Australia writes when they want to become permanent. Since August 2024 the process runs the other way from the old one: the employee notifies the employer rather than waiting to be offered conversion, and the employer must consult and respond within the period the legislation sets. Most published material still describes the old casual conversion process, which is why people arrive at the wrong form.
The employee choice pathway replaced casual conversion from 26 August 2024, phased in for employees of non-small-business employers from 26 February 2025 and for small business employers from 26 August 2025. The mechanism is a written notification from the employee. There is no prescribed government form, which is both the reason a template is useful and the reason a badly written one causes trouble — the letter has to carry enough for the employer to assess it.
Eligibility turns on how long you have been employed and on whether certain circumstances apply, including whether you are in a notice period or in a dispute about the same question. There are also limits on how often a notification can be made. The employer must consult before deciding and must respond in writing within the statutory period, giving reasons if the answer is no. Those reasons are confined to particular grounds rather than being at large.
What changes if the notification is accepted is substantial. Casual loading stops, and in its place come paid annual leave, paid personal and carer's leave, notice of termination and redundancy entitlements. The take-home rate per hour usually falls while the overall package becomes more secure and more predictable. That trade is the actual decision, and it is worth working out before sending the letter rather than after.
What to put in a Casual to Permanent — Employee Notice
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Your name | For example: Liam Beckett |
| Your address | For example: 14 Harkness Street, Newtown NSW 2042 |
| Employer | For example: Harbour Freight Services Pty Ltd |
| Employer address | For example: Unit 6, 22 Bourke Road, Alexandria NSW 2015 |
| Your role | For example: Warehouse Storeperson |
| Date you started as a casual | Free text |
| What you are asking to change to | Free text |
| The pattern you have actually been working | For example: Monday to Thursday, 7.00am to 3.30pm, 34 hours a week, without material change since… |
| Award or agreement that covers you optional | For example: Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 |
How to write a Casual to Permanent — Employee Notice
Check you are eligible before you write
Eligibility depends on how long you have been employed and on whether any of the exclusions apply — being in a notice period, or having recently made a notification or been in a dispute about the same issue. There are also limits on frequency. Confirm the current position with the Fair Work Ombudsman rather than relying on an article, because the phase-in dates and the conditions have changed within the last two years.
Describe the pattern, with dates and hours
This is the substance of the letter. Set out the days you work, the hours, and how long the pattern has held without material change — 'Monday to Thursday, 7.00am to 3.30pm, 34 hours a week, since March 2025'. A pattern described in specifics is one the employer can check against the roster. 'I work regular hours' is not, and invites a response asking what you mean.
Say whether you want full-time or part-time
Name it. Full-time and part-time carry different ordinary hours and different consequences, and an employer cannot act on a request that does not say which one. If the pattern you have been working is thirty-four hours a week, part-time is usually the honest answer, and asking for full-time on a part-time pattern gives the employer an easy reason to say no.
Keep it factual and put it in writing
The notification must be written. Send it by email or hand it over and keep a copy with the date. Do not argue the case emotionally or list grievances; the employer is assessing a pattern of work against a statutory test, and a letter that reads as a complaint invites a defensive response. State the facts, state what you are asking for, and stop.
Ask for the response and the reasons in writing
The employer must respond in writing within the statutory period and, where the answer is no, must give the reason. Ask for both explicitly. If the answer is no and you think the reason does not hold, there is a dispute process — raise it at work first, then with the Fair Work Commission if it is not resolved. Keep every document from the moment you send the notification.
Common mistakes
- Using the old casual conversion wording, which describes a process that ended in August 2024 and signals that the letter was copied rather than written.
- Describing the work pattern in general terms with no days, hours or start date, so the employer cannot verify it.
- Sending it verbally or in a chat message, when the pathway requires a written notification and a written response.
- Asking for full-time when the pattern actually worked is part-time, which hands the employer a straightforward reason to refuse.
- Not realising that accepting permanent employment means losing the casual loading, and being surprised by the first payslip.
Frequently asked questions
What replaced casual conversion in Australia?
The employee choice pathway, which took effect from 26 August 2024 and applied to employees of non-small-business employers from 26 February 2025 and of small business employers from 26 August 2025. The direction of the process reversed: instead of the employer offering conversion, the employee notifies the employer in writing that they want to change to permanent employment.
How long do I have to be a casual before I can ask?
There is a minimum period of employment and it differs depending on whether your employer is a small business. There are also circumstances that make a notification unavailable, such as being in a notice period or in a current dispute about the same question. Check the current thresholds with the Fair Work Ombudsman before sending, because getting this wrong wastes the notification.
Does my employer have to say yes?
No. The employer must consult with you and respond in writing within the statutory period, and if the answer is no it must give a reason drawn from the grounds the legislation allows — not simply that it would prefer not to. If you believe the reason does not stand, raise a dispute at work first, and then with the Fair Work Commission if it cannot be resolved internally.
Will I lose my casual loading?
Yes. Casual loading compensates for not having paid leave and notice entitlements, so it stops when those entitlements begin. Your hourly rate will usually fall. In exchange you gain paid annual leave, paid personal and carer's leave, notice of termination and redundancy entitlements. Work out both numbers over a year before deciding which position suits you.
Is there an official form for this?
No, there is no prescribed government form. The requirement is a written notification, which is why a clear letter matters: it has to identify you, say what you are asking for, and describe the pattern of work well enough for the employer to assess it. The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes guidance on what the notification should cover.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.