Free workforce tools for New Zealand
Calculators built on New Zealand law rather than translated from somewhere else — the Holidays Act greater-of test, roster cost in NZD, and a readiness check for your payroll export.
Browse the toolsUpdated September 2026. Wage rates, break rules and leave entitlements checked against Employment New Zealand.
These tools give general estimates, not payroll or legal advice. Holidays Act calculations in particular have precise statutory definitions that a calculator cannot fully capture. Check Employment New Zealand, or take advice, before paying against any figure produced here. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
New Zealand leave and pay rules are their own system, not a variant of Australia’s. There are alternative holidays, the “otherwise working day” test, and an annual holiday pay calculation that takes the greater of two separately-computed figures — none of which has an Australian equivalent.
That is why these are written from New Zealand law rather than ported. An Australian award calculator applied to a New Zealand payroll does not give a slightly wrong answer — it answers a different question.
Key takeaways
- Annual holidays are paid at the greater of ordinary weekly pay and average weekly earnings
- Sick, bereavement, alternative and public holiday leave (BAPS) use relevant or average daily pay — a different basis entirely
- Working a public holiday that is an otherwise working day earns an alternative holiday, which does not expire
- The adult minimum wage is $23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026; starting-out and training rates are $19.16
- The Employment Leave Act 2026 replaces the Holidays Act 2003 on 6 August 2028, moving to hours-based accrual
The tools
Free, no signup, and written for New Zealand
Free roster tool
Build a weekly staff roster online with drag-and-drop. No signup, no limits, no cost — works in any browser.
Read moreTimesheet calculator
Add start and finish times, deduct the unpaid meal break, and get weekly hours and pay in NZD.
Read moreHolidays Act leave calculator
Annual holiday pay at the greater of ordinary weekly pay and average weekly earnings, with the 8% pay-as-you-go comparison.
Read moreRoster cost calculator
Weekly and annual wage cost in NZD, labour cost as a share of revenue, and a check against the minimum wage.
Read morePayroll export readiness checker
Nine questions scoring how ready your hours, leave codes and employee data are for a clean Xero or CSV import.
Read moreMinimum wage checker
Check your effective hourly rate once unpaid working time and deductions are counted, against the April 2026 rates.
Read moreWhy these are New Zealand specific
The differences that make a ported calculator wrong rather than approximate
The greater-of test
Annual holiday pay is the higher of ordinary weekly pay and average weekly earnings, compared every time leave is taken.
Alternative holidays
A whole paid day off earned by working a public holiday that would otherwise have been a working day. Neither Australia nor the UK has this.
The "otherwise working day" test
Most leave and public holiday payments turn on it, and for variable-hours staff it is a judgement based on the roster history.
Statutory breaks, not award breaks
10-minute paid rest breaks and 30-minute unpaid meal breaks under the Employment Relations Act 2000, scaled by hours worked.
Agreed hours
Zero-hour contracts have been unlawful since 1 April 2016. Availability beyond agreed hours needs reasonable compensation.
NZD and NZ wage rates
Every figure is in New Zealand dollars against the rates in force from 1 April 2026.
More free New Zealand resources
Templates and product pages that sit alongside the tools
Free timesheet & attendance templates
Weekly, fortnightly and daily timesheets plus a monthly attendance register, in Excel.
Browse the templatesFree roster templates
Weekly, fortnightly, monthly, daily and blank rosters in Excel, with public holiday and alternative day codes.
Browse the templatesHospitality rostering
Alternative holidays, agreed hours and duty manager cover — the rostering rules specific to NZ venues.
See hospitalityLeave management
Holidays Act annual holidays, sick leave, bereavement leave and alternative days in one place.
See leave managementKnowledge base
Step-by-step help for building rosters, approving timesheets and running payroll exports.
Browse help articlesDoing it in software instead
The product pages behind each part of the job
Hours and payroll
Leave and records
Sources
The New Zealand rules these tools are built on
Or let the system hold the data these tools need
The greater-of test needs 12 months of gross earnings; the alternative-day balance needs every public holiday worked. RosterElf keeps the hours behind both, and exports them to payroll.
Free tools questions
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Yes. Every tool runs in your browser with no signup, no email address and no follow-up sequence. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
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Because the rules are structurally different, not just differently numbered. New Zealand has its own leave system with no Australian counterpart: alternative holidays, the “otherwise working day” test, and an annual holiday pay calculation that takes the greater of two separately-computed figures. An Australian calculator does not produce a slightly wrong New Zealand answer — it answers a different question.
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Treat them as estimates and sense-checks. Holidays Act calculations depend on precise definitions of gross earnings and ordinary weekly pay that a form with three inputs cannot fully capture. Use the figure to know roughly where you stand, then check it against Employment New Zealand guidance or with your accountant before paying it.
Before you download
General information only — not legal advice
This document is a general HR template provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the latest changes in legislation or apply to every workplace situation. Roster Elf Pty Ltd and the template provider accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this document. Users should seek independent legal advice and customise the template to ensure it complies with all relevant laws, employment agreements and workplace requirements.