Work that does NOT count for 88 days
Updated 12 August 2026
Knowing what doesn't count matters as much as knowing what does — every year people discover too late that months of work were never going to qualify. These are the four ways work fails to count, with the borderline cases spelt out.
1. It isn't paid (or isn't paid lawfully)
Specified work must be remunerated in accordance with Australian workplace laws. That rules out WWOOFing, HelpX, Workaway, unpaid trials and 'free accommodation in exchange for a few hours' hostel arrangements — whatever the industry and wherever you are.
The only exception in the current instruments: bushfire recovery work and flood, cyclone or severe weather recovery work in declared areas can be paid or volunteer.
Cash-in-hand work with no payslips fails twice: it's usually unlawful pay, and you can't evidence it anyway.
2. The industry doesn't qualify
Some jobs are simply not in any specified work category, anywhere in Australia:
- Au pair, nanny and childcare work
- Retail and supermarket work
- Office, administration and call-centre work
- General delivery, courier and rideshare driving
- General healthcare and aged care (only critical COVID-19 work qualifies)
- Winemaking, bottling and other secondary processing of produce
3. The postcode doesn't qualify
Right industry, wrong place: bartending in Byron Bay, farm-adjacent work inside Sydney, or construction in Melbourne's CBD don't count because those areas aren't in the eligible classifications for that category. Tourism and hospitality has the tightest map — Northern Australia, Remote and Very Remote Australia, and four extra postcodes only.
4. It was done on the wrong visa
Work only counts if you did it while holding the right visa: work on your first Working Holiday visa counts towards the second; work on your second counts towards the third. Work done on a student visa, a visitor visa or a bridging visa doesn't count, however eligible the job was.
The borderline cases
| Arrangement | Counts? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hostel receptionist in Broome | Likely yes | Accommodation-provider work in Northern Australia, paid lawfully |
| Hostel front desk in exchange for a free bed | No | Not remunerated under workplace laws — payment in accommodation doesn't qualify |
| Paid hostel receptionist in Byron Bay | No | Byron Bay isn't in an eligible area for tourism and hospitality |
| WWOOF farm stay in Regional Australia | No | Farm work is eligible — but only when it's paid; volunteering only counts for disaster recovery |
| Grape picking at a Barossa vineyard | Likely yes | Plant cultivation in Regional Australia (all of SA qualifies) |
| Cellar-door tastings at the same vineyard | Unlikely | That's hospitality work, and most wine regions aren't in the tourism-hospitality areas |
| Builder's labourer clean-up on a Cairns site | Likely yes | Building completion services in an eligible construction area |
| Cleaning private homes in Cairns | No | Domestic cleaning isn't in any specified work category |
Common questions
Does au pair work count for the 88 days?
No. Au pair, nanny and childcare work is not one of the specified work categories, anywhere in Australia — postcode makes no difference.
Does WWOOFing or work-for-accommodation count?
No. Since 2015, specified work must be paid in accordance with Australian workplace laws. Volunteer work only counts for bushfire and declared disaster recovery categories.
Does hostel work count towards a second year visa?
Only if it's genuinely paid employment for an accommodation provider in an eligible area (Northern, Remote or Very Remote Australia, or postcodes 4406, 4416, 4498, 7215) after 21 June 2021. Bed-for-work arrangements don't count anywhere.
Does cash-in-hand farm work count?
In practice, no. You must evidence lawful pay — payslips, tax records, bank deposits. Undocumented cash work can't be proven and usually breaches workplace law.
Official sources
Migration (Specified work and areas for subclass 417 visas) Instrument (LIN 22/012) 2022 — Compilation No. 3
Federal Register of Legislation · last checked 12 August 2026
View official government source ↗Migration (Specified work and areas for subclass 462 visas) Instrument (LIN 22/013) 2022 — Compilation No. 3
Federal Register of Legislation · last checked 12 August 2026
View official government source ↗Specified work for Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)
Department of Home Affairs · last checked 12 August 2026
View official government source ↗Specified work for Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462)
Department of Home Affairs · last checked 12 August 2026
View official government source ↗