A third of small business owners have never taken a full week off

Australian small business owners are working through illness, missing holidays and struggling to step away from their business, according to BizCover’s State of Australian Small Business Owners 2026 report.

The survey of 1,500 BizCover small business customers found more than six in ten owners (61%) worked through illness in the past year rather than taking time off completely, while almost one in three (32%) have never taken a single full week off while running their business.

With small businesses making up 97.3% of Australian businesses, according to ASBFEO analysis of ABS data for June 2025, the findings point to a workplace and wellbeing issue affecting a major part of Australia’s economy.

The report also found almost two thirds of owners (64%) have experienced financial stress from their business in the past year, while more than half (51%) have considered closing or selling their business at some point.

“Many small business owners accept long hours as part of the job, particularly during periods of growth or uncertainty,” says Brad Miller, General Manager of BizCover. “However, these findings suggest there may be a tipping point where longer hours stop being productive and instead begin contributing to poorer outcomes across multiple areas of life and business.”

The pressure to keep going

The findings suggest many small business owners feel unable to fully step away from their responsibilities, even when they are unwell or need time to recover.

Among owners working 60 or more hours per week, 60% say they have never taken a single week off while running their business.

Behaviours when unwell follow a similar pattern. More than two in five owners working 60+ hours (41%) say they continued working as usual when unwell, compared to fewer than one in five owners working less than 30 hours per week (19%).

Financial pressure also rises alongside workload. Nearly four in five owners working 60+ hour weeks (79%) report experiencing financial stress in the past year, compared to 59% of those working fewer than 30 hours.

The impact on life outside the business is also stark. Owners working 60+ hours are twelve times more likely to report that running their business has had a negative effect on their personal life, with 39% reporting a significant impact, compared with 3% of those working fewer than 30 hours.

Together, the findings suggest owners working the longest hours are more likely to experience financial pressure, work through illness and avoid taking holidays.

Boundaries are the biggest hindsight lesson

The pressure on business owners is also reflected in what they say they would do differently.

When reflecting on hindsight, survey respondents were most likely to say they would have set clearer work boundaries, selected by 43.5% of owners. More than one third (38%) said they would seek additional support or mentorship, while 30% said they would have taken more proactive steps to protect their mental wellbeing.

“Small business owners frequently wear multiple hats and carry significant responsibility. Over time, that can affect how much time they have for family, how often they take a break or even how secure they feel financially,” says Miller.

The findings suggest many owners do not necessarily regret starting a business, but do wish they had better protected their time, health and support networks along the way.

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Methodology

This June 2026 report is based on a survey of 1,500 existing BizCover small business customers in Australia.

The survey explored the realities of running a small business in Australia today, including workload, financial stress, business confidence, personal wellbeing, regret, optimism, support networks and long-term sustainability.

The analysis includes both overall survey findings and selected crossovers by age, hours worked, business tenure, business size and motivations for starting a business.

Sectors represented in the survey include healthcare and allied health, fitness and beauty, retail and e-commerce, hospitality and food service, professional and consulting services, trades and construction, and manufacturing.