Victorian work from home laws 2026: what changes on 1 September

From 1 September 2026, working from home becomes a legal right in Victoria for eligible employees, rather than a favour a manager grants. This is the short, plain-English version of what the change means and what it does not.

Who it covers: eligible employees can request to work from home, and an employer has to have a fair, business-based reason to refuse rather than a simple preference. The exact eligibility and process matter, so check your own circumstances and your workplace agreement.

What it asks of employers: beyond considering requests fairly, the framework contemplates employers meeting reasonable costs of working from home. "Reasonable" is doing the heavy lifting in that sentence and will mean different things in different workplaces — but the direction is clear. If the company expects the work to happen at your place, the company has an interest in where and how that work happens.

Where your desk fits: a desk you use for work every day is a fair thing to raise. Some employers buy it outright, more often they split it, and some employees buy it themselves and claim depreciation. We built a tool that writes the email to your manager for you, with the exact desk and price filled in.

The timing that matters: the law starts on 1 September. Good desks are made to order and take six to eight weeks. If you want yours installed before the date, the practical deadline to order is earlier than the date itself — which is the whole reason we keep pointing at it.