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🇳🇿 NZ Holidays Act Tool

Public Holiday Pay Calculator

Did you work on a stat day? Calculate your 1.5x pay and check if you earned an Alternative Holiday.
$
Yes, normal day
No, usually off
Stat Holiday Rate (1.5x)
$0.00 /hr
Total Pay for this Shift
$0.00
🎉 Extra Entitlement Earned
You are entitled to an Alternative Holiday (Day in Lieu). You get a fully paid day off to take at a later date.

Working on a Public Holiday NZ Calculator

In New Zealand, there are 12 standard public holidays (stat days), including Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, and Matariki. If your employer requires you to work on any of these days, the Holidays Act 2003 guarantees you extra compensation. Understanding these rules is a vital part of your NZ Labor Laws rights.

Using a working on a public holiday nz calculator ensures you aren't missing out on your legal entitlements. The law is very clear: you must be paid at least time and a half for the hours you actually worked. To calculate how these premium hours affect your overall paycheck, plug your numbers into our primary Weekly Work Hours Calculator.

Otherwise Working Day Calculator: The Golden Rule

The most confusing part of NZ employment law is figuring out if you get a "day in lieu". This entirely depends on whether the public holiday falls on an "otherwise working day".

An otherwise working day calculator looks at your normal pattern of work. If you work every Monday, and Labour Day falls on a Monday, then yes, it is an otherwise working day. If your hours are totally random (casual work), you have to look back at the last 4 weeks to see if you normally worked that day of the week.

NZ Public Holiday Pay Decision Tree Flowchart
The standard logic for New Zealand public holiday entitlements.

Time and a Half Plus Alternative Holiday NZ

Here is how your entitlements break down based on whether you worked, and whether it was your normal day. Many workers miss out on their time and a half plus alternative holiday nz entitlement because they don't understand this grid.

Scenario Pay Entitlement Do you get an Alternative Holiday?
Worked on an otherwise working day Time and a half (1.5x) ✅ Yes (1 Paid day off later)
Worked, but NOT an otherwise working day Time and a half (1.5x) ❌ No
Did NOT work (took the day off), but it IS an otherwise working day Normal relevant daily pay (1.0x) ❌ No (You get the day off paid)
Did NOT work, and NOT an otherwise working day Unpaid ❌ No
What about Salaried Employees? If you are on a salary and work a public holiday, your employer must still pay you time and a half for those specific hours. This is usually calculated by breaking your salary down to an hourly rate, dividing that portion by half, and adding it to your regular pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does time and a half work in NZ?

Time and a half means you get paid 1.5 times your normal hourly rate. If your normal rate is $25 an hour, your public holiday rate becomes $37.50 an hour for the hours you actually worked.

What is an alternative holiday (day in lieu)?

An alternative holiday is a whole paid day off that you get to take at a later date. You earn this if you work on a public holiday that is an "otherwise working day" for you.

What if I am sick on a public holiday?

If it is an otherwise working day and you are sick or take bereavement leave, you get paid your normal relevant daily pay for the public holiday, and no sick leave is deducted from your balance.

References & Official Sources