Document text
Holiday pay when you leave a job
Worksheet under the Holidays Act 2003 and a request to your employer for the breakdown
Employee: [YOUR NAME]
Employer: [EMPLOYER NAME]
Employed: [START DATE] to [LAST DAY]
1. Your numbers
What Amount
Gross earnings since your last anniversary date (or since you started, if under 12 months) NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Annual holidays you are already entitled to and have not taken, in weeks [WEEKS]
Ordinary weekly pay NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Gross earnings for the 12 months before your last pay period NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Public holidays and alternative holidays paid in your final pay NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Holiday pay already paid in advance or as pay-as-you-go 8% NZ$ [AMOUNT]
2. The calculation
Step Amount
Average weekly earnings = gross for 12 months ÷ 52 NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Higher weekly rate = greater of ordinary weekly pay and average weekly earnings NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Unused annual holidays = weeks × higher weekly rate NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Public and alternative holidays paid in final pay NZ$ [AMOUNT]
8% of (gross since anniversary + unused holidays + public/alternative holidays) NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Less: paid in advance or pay-as-you-go (up to the 8%) NZ$ [AMOUNT]
Holiday pay in your final pay NZ$ [TOTAL]
The rule (Employment New Zealand, Holidays Act 2003) • Unused annual holidays you are entitled to are paid at the greater of your ordinary weekly pay at the end and your average weekly earnings for the 12 months before the last pay period. • For the part year since your last anniversary date you get at least 8% of gross earnings — this gross includes the holidays paid out in final pay — less any holidays taken in advance or paid as you go. • Under 12 months in the job: 8% of everything you earned since you started, less anything already paid. • Final holiday pay is due on or before the payday of the final pay period. Unused sick and bereavement leave is not paid out unless your agreement says so.
3. Request for a breakdown of my final holiday pay
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR EMAIL OR POSTAL ADDRESS]
[DATE]
To: [MANAGER OR PAYROLL CONTACT]
[EMPLOYER NAME]
Subject: Final holiday pay — breakdown requested
Kia ora [NAME],
My employment as [JOB TITLE] ended on [LAST DAY]. Thank you for processing my final pay. Before I sign off on it, I would like to check the holiday pay part.
Using the Holidays Act 2003 as Employment New Zealand explains it, I calculate my final holiday pay as NZ$ [TOTAL]:
unused annual holidays: [WEEKS] weeks at the greater of my ordinary weekly pay and average weekly earnings — NZ$ [AMOUNT];
public and alternative holidays paid in final pay — NZ$ [AMOUNT];
8% of my gross earnings since my last anniversary date, including the payments above — NZ$ [AMOUNT];
less holidays taken in advance or paid as I went — NZ$ [AMOUNT].
Could you please send me, by [REPLY BY DATE], a breakdown showing how my holiday pay was worked out: the weeks of entitlement, the ordinary weekly pay and average weekly earnings used, the gross earnings the 8% was applied to, and any deductions.
If there is a difference, I am happy to talk it through. I understand final holiday pay is due on or before the payday of the final pay period.
Ngā mihi,
[YOUR NAME]
[PHONE]
If it is still not right 1. Keep your payslips, employment agreement and this worksheet together. 2. Talk to your employer first — most mistakes are payroll settings (for example 'accrued hours' instead of weeks). 3. Employment New Zealand can help: 0800 20 90 20 or the online form on employment.govt.nz. 4. You may have a claim for unpaid holiday pay; Employment NZ explains the next steps.
A worksheet, not legal advice. Holidays Act 2003 rules as published by Employment New Zealand (checked 21 October 2026); the Employment Leave Act replaces them from 6 August 2028.