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Annual Leave Calculator NZ: Forecast Your Balance, Payout, or 8% Holiday Pay

​NZ Annual Leave Calculator with three modes: forecast your leave balance, calculate your payout in dollars, or work out 8% holiday pay for casual work.
Updated 3 May 2026

Overview
  • Annual leave is real money sitting on your employer's books. Untaken leave gets paid out when you leave a job, builds up the longer you stay, and follows specific rules under the Holidays Act 2003 that not every employer applies correctly.
  • Our Annual Leave Calculator handles the three things most New Zealanders actually need to know: how much leave you'll have built up by a particular date, what your accrued leave is worth in dollars, and how the 8% pay-as-you-go holiday pay loading works for casual employees.

How to Use Our Annual Leave Calculator

Choose one of the three modes at the top of the calculator:
  1. Forecast my balance: Enter your current leave balance, your typical hours per week, and how many weeks of leave you're entitled to per year (the legal minimum is four). Then enter how many weeks of work you have between now and when you want to take leave. The calculator projects your balance forward and shows it in hours, days, and weeks.
  2. Calculate my payout: Enter your accrued leave balance and either your hourly rate or your annual salary. The calculator shows the gross dollar value of that leave, which is what you'd typically be paid out when leaving a job or cashing out unused leave (subject to PAYE tax).
  3. Casual 8% holiday pay: Enter your gross earnings, and the calculator shows either the 8% holiday pay component on top, or your total pay including holiday pay. Use the toggle to switch between the two views.

Annual Leave Calculator

Forecast your leave balance, work out what your accrued leave is worth in dollars, or calculate the 8% holiday pay loading for casual work.

Your work pattern

The balance shown on your payslip or employment system.
hr
wk
weeks of work How many weeks of work between now and when you want to take leave.
NZ minimum: 4 weeks paid annual leave per year under the Holidays Act 2003. Many employers offer more. Check your employment agreement.
Your projected balance
141.5 hours
In days 17.7
In weeks 3.5
You accrue 3.08 hours per week worked.

Your leave and pay

Untaken leave you have accrued at the date you're leaving or cashing out.
or
Enter your hourly rate, or your annual salary and we'll work it out (assumes a 40-hour week).
Final pay rule: When you leave a job, untaken annual leave must be paid at the higher of your ordinary weekly pay or your average weekly earnings over the previous 12 months. This calculator uses your nominated rate as a guide.
Estimated leave payout
$2,800
Based on 80 hrs
At rate $35.00/hr
This is a gross figure. PAYE tax will be deducted before payment.

Your gross earnings

$ Your pay before tax and before holiday pay is added.
Important: The 8% pay-as-you-go holiday pay only applies to genuinely casual employees with no fixed work pattern. If you work regular hours each week, you are likely entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave instead. Misclassification by employers is common in NZ.
Your 8% holiday pay
$80
Gross earnings $1,000
Rate applied 8%
The 8% rate is set by the Holidays Act 2003 for genuinely casual workers.
Important: This calculator provides indicative figures only and does not constitute legal or employment advice.
  • Final pay calculations under the Holidays Act 2003 must include the higher of your ordinary weekly pay or your average weekly earnings over the previous 12 months, and may include overtime, bonuses, commissions, and other variable payments that this calculator cannot account for.
  • The 8% pay-as-you-go holiday pay only applies to genuinely casual employees with no fixed work pattern, and many employers misclassify regular employees as casual.
  • If you have a specific question about your annual leave entitlement, payout, or classification, contact Employment New Zealand or speak to an employment lawyer.
  • MoneyHub does not accept liability for decisions made based on this calculator.

Three things worth knowing about annual leave in New Zealand

1. The legal minimum is 4 weeks per year, but the calculation is more complex than it looks
  • ​Under the Holidays Act 2003, all employees in New Zealand are entitled to a minimum of four weeks of paid annual leave after 12 months of continuous employment.
  • Many employers offer 5 or even 6 weeks. The accrual happens from your first day, but you can't take it until you've completed 12 months.
  • The calculator works in hours rather than weeks because most payroll systems track leave that way, especially for part-time staff.

2. Your final pay rate is calculated under specific rules
  • When you leave a job, untaken annual leave must be paid at the higher of your ordinary weekly pay (what you'd have been paid had you worked the leave period) or your average weekly earnings over the previous 12 months.
  • The 12-month average can be significantly higher than your base rate if you've earned overtime, bonuses, or commissions during the year.
  • If your final pay calculation looks low, ask for the full Holidays Act calculation in writing.
​
3. Casual employees and the 8% rule are commonly misclassified
  • Genuinely casual employees with no fixed work pattern can receive 8% holiday pay added to each pay packet, rather than accruing weeks of leave.
  • But many employees treated as "casual" by their employer are actually employed on regular hours and should be receiving four weeks of leave each year, not pay-as-you-go holiday pay.
  • If you work the same shifts each week or month, you're probably not casual under the Act, regardless of what your contract says. This is one of the most common employment law mistakes in NZ workplaces.
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