Annual leave
calculator NZ.
Convert New Zealand's four-week minimum into days and hours, check anniversary eligibility, and estimate an available balance under the current Holidays Act.
Your annual leave estimate
How New Zealand annual holidays work
The current law measures entitlement in weeks and ties it to the employee's work anniversary.
Four weeks after 12 months
An employee becomes entitled to at least four weeks of paid annual holidays after each 12 months of continuous employment.
Convert the genuine week
For a stable pattern, multiply normal days or hours per week by four. Variable patterns require agreement on what genuinely constitutes a working week.
Carry and subtract
Add unused entitlement carried into the latest anniversary, add the new four-week entitlement, then subtract annual holidays taken.
Official sources: Employment New Zealand annual holidays guidance and Holidays Act 2003. The Employment Leave Act received Royal assent on 6 August 2026 and is due to replace the current Act on 6 August 2028. The Holidays Act remains in force until then. Read our Holidays Act employer guide for more detail.
New Zealand leave questions,clearly answered
Four-week entitlement, work anniversaries, irregular patterns, and pay-as-you-go holiday pay explained.
Talk to our team01How much annual leave do employees get in New Zealand?
Under the current Holidays Act 2003, employees become entitled to at least four weeks of paid annual holidays after each 12 months of continuous employment. Employment agreements can provide more than this minimum.
02Does New Zealand annual leave accrue from day one?
The current legal entitlement arises after 12 months of continuous employment. Employers often show a proportional estimate for planning or allow holidays in advance by agreement, but that estimate is not the same as an entitled balance under the current Act.
03How is four weeks converted into days or hours?
For a genuinely fixed working week, multiply normal working days or hours per week by four. For an employee whose pattern changes, the employer and employee should agree what genuinely constitutes a working week rather than relying on a simple conversion.
04Can casual employees receive 8% holiday pay instead?
Only in limited situations, including certain fixed-term agreements under 12 months or work that is so intermittent or irregular that providing four weeks of annual holidays is impracticable. The arrangement must meet the Holidays Act requirements and the 8% must be identifiable in the employee's pay.
05Has the Employment Leave Act changed these rules?
Not yet. The Employment Leave Act received Royal assent on 6 August 2026 and is due to replace the Holidays Act on 6 August 2028. This calculator uses the Holidays Act 2003 rules that remain in force until then.