New Zealand Leave Entitlement Tool
Sick Leave NZ 2026 & Annual Leave Calculator
Check whether you qualify for New Zealand’s 10 days of paid sick leave, how carry-over works, and your minimum four-week annual holiday entitlement.
Employment NZ sources checked: 4/4 · 17 Sept 2026, 10:57 am
Current statutory minimums10 sick days · 4 weeks annual leaveSick leave can generally accumulate to a 20-day statutory balance.
Leave calculator
Check your sick leave and annual leave entitlement
Enter your service and work pattern for an indicative statutory-minimum result. More generous employment-agreement terms still apply.
Important: Annual holidays are legally expressed in weeks, not a fixed monthly accrual. For variable work patterns, the actual number of days or hours representing a week must reflect the employee’s genuine working week.
Quick answer
How sick leave works in New Zealand
10 paid sick days
Once eligible, full-time, part-time and casual employees receive at least 10 days of paid sick leave each year.
Qualify after 6 months
Eligibility generally starts after six months continuously with the employer, or after meeting the alternative six-month hours test.
Carry over to 20 days
Unused statutory sick leave carries forward, with the statutory balance generally capped at 20 days unless better terms apply.
Not pro-rated
An eligible employee working three days a week still gets 10 sick days a year; Employment New Zealand says the entitlement is not pro-rated.
Sick leave hours test
What is the alternative 6-month work test?
Over a six-month period with the same employer, you need to average at least 10 hours a week and work at least 1 hour in every week or 40 hours in every month. Meeting that test can qualify an employee who does not fit the straightforward continuous-employment route.
Annual leave NZ
Four weeks of annual holidays after 12 months
After each 12 months of continuous employment, employees become entitled to at least four weeks of paid annual holidays. The legal entitlement is based on a genuine working week rather than a universal fixed number of days.
5-day regular week
Four working weeks commonly corresponds to 20 working days when the employee consistently works five days each week.
3-day regular week
Employment New Zealand gives the example that an employee consistently working three days a week has 12 days across four working weeks.
Variable work patterns
Where a working week is not clear, employer and employee need a fair and reasonable method to define the four-week entitlement.
Payroll accrual is not the law
A payroll system may display leave accruing each pay period, but the current Holidays Act entitlement itself arises in weeks after 12 months.
Current law
NZ leave rules change in August 2028
The Employment Leave Act is scheduled to replace the Holidays Act in August 2028. Until then, the current sick-leave and annual-holiday rules on this page continue to apply.
Official sources
Employment New Zealand sick and annual leave guidance
Employment New Zealand — Taking sick leaveOfficial Employment New Zealand guidance ↗Employment New Zealand — Managing sick leaveOfficial Employment New Zealand guidance ↗Employment New Zealand — Annual holidaysOfficial Employment New Zealand guidance ↗Employment New Zealand — Taking annual holidaysOfficial Employment New Zealand guidance ↗
Calculate annual leave and public holiday pay → Check the NZ minimum wage →
FAQs
Sick leave NZ and annual leave questions
How many sick days do you get in NZ?
Eligible employees get at least 10 days of paid sick leave each year. This applies to qualifying full-time, part-time and casual employees and is not simply pro-rated because someone works fewer days each week.
When do I become entitled to sick leave in New Zealand?
You generally qualify after 6 months of continuous employment, or after working for the same employer over a 6-month period for an average of at least 10 hours a week and at least 1 hour every week or 40 hours every month.
How much sick leave can I carry over?
Unused statutory sick leave carries over up to a maximum balance of 20 days, unless your employment agreement or workplace policy provides a more generous entitlement.
Do part-time employees get 10 sick days in NZ?
Yes. Employment New Zealand explicitly says statutory sick leave is not pro-rated. An eligible part-time employee receives 10 days a year.
How much annual leave do employees get in NZ?
After 12 months of continuous employment, employees become entitled to at least 4 weeks of paid annual holidays. For a regular three-day work week, four weeks would normally be 12 working days; for a regular five-day week, 20 working days.
Can I cash out sick leave when I leave my job?
Unused statutory sick leave is generally not cashed up or included in final pay when employment ends.