Working Holiday visa · 417 and 462
Where can I do my 88 days?
Last checked: 22 October 2026, against the Home Affairs rules
Your days only count if two things are right: the type of work, and the postcode where you do the work. In most of Australia you have to check each postcode. In three places it is much simpler, because every postcode counts for farm work and construction.
The simplest places: the whole state or territory counts
- Northern Territory. Every postcode counts for farm work and construction. Tourism and hospitality also counts in every NT postcode, so work in a hostel, bar, restaurant or tour company in Darwin can count.
- Tasmania. Every postcode counts for farm work and construction, including Hobart and Launceston.
- South Australia. Every postcode counts for farm work and construction, including Adelaide.
“Farm work” here means what Home Affairs calls plant and animal cultivation: for example picking and packing fruit and vegetables, working with animals on a farm, and pruning vines and fruit trees. Making wine or beer does not count.
What counts where
This is the same for 417 and 462 visas. The differences are in the next section.
Northern Territory
Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs and everywhere else in the NT
Tasmania
Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and everywhere else in Tasmania
South Australia
Adelaide, Renmark, Mount Gambier and everywhere else in SA
Northern Queensland and northern Western Australia
For example Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Airlie Beach, Broome and Kununurra
The rest of NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA
For example Griffith, Mildura, Shepparton and Bundaberg
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra
The big cities
Tourism and hospitality counts only for work done from 22 June 2021. It covers jobs like hotels, hostels, caravan parks, cafes, restaurants, bars, and tour and activity companies.
417 and 462 are different
- 417 (Working Holiday). Mining, fishing and pearling, and tree farming and felling also count, in the same regional places as farm work. That includes every postcode in the NT, Tasmania and South Australia.
- 462 (Work and Holiday). Mining does not count. Fishing and pearling, and tree farming and felling, only count in northern Australia: the NT and the northern parts of Queensland and Western Australia.
Other things that help
- Check the work site postcode. It is the postcode where you do the work. It is not where you live or where the company's office is.
- Recovery work. Helping with recovery after a declared bushfire, flood, cyclone or storm can count in the declared postcodes, even in some city postcodes. This work can be paid or volunteer.
- Support jobs may count for now. Home Affairs says it is temporarily giving more weight to the industry. Work that supports a specified industry, like admin or cleaning, in an eligible postcode “may be accepted”. This is not guaranteed.
- You can split your days. You can work for different employers in different places. Part-time work counts too, but it takes longer to reach the full amount.
- Start early. Days lost to bad weather, illness or no work are not an excuse if you run out of time.
- Be paid properly. Except for volunteer recovery work, the work must be paid at the legal rate. See our worker safety guide.
- UK passport holders. If you apply with a UK passport on or after 1 July 2024, you do not need to do specified work for a second or third 417 visa.
A ballot for second and third year visas has been announced but is not law yet. See what was announced.
Check a postcode before you accept a job
Enter the postcode of the work site in our checker. It shows which types of work count there for your visa.
This page is general information, not migration advice. Home Affairs decides whether your days count. Read the official rules for 417 visas and 462 visas.