Pay & Employment
Annual Holidays Calculator
How many weeks and hours of annual holidays you have earned: 4 weeks after each 12 months of continuous employment.
Result
Updates as you typeAnnual holidays earned by 26 October 2026
8 weeks (320 hours)
- Continuous employment
- 2 years, 7 months, 26 days
- Anniversaries completed
- 2
- Holidays per year at these hours
- 4 weeks = 160 hours
- Next anniversary
- 1 March 2027 (in 126 days)
How it's calculated
Under the Holidays Act 2003 every employee becomes entitled to 4 weeks of paid annual holidays at the end of each 12 months of continuous employment. A week is the employee's normal working week, so the entitlement in hours is 4 × the hours worked per week.
Worked example
An employee on 40 hours a week who started on 1 March 2024, as at 26 October 2026, having taken 40 hours:
- Anniversaries completed: 2 → 8 weeks = 320 hours earned
- Balance: 320 − 40 = 280 hours; next anniversary 1 March 2027
Annual holidays by weekly hours
| Hours per week | Per anniversary | After 2 years |
|---|---|---|
| Hours per week: 10 | Per anniversary40 h | After 2 years80 h |
| Hours per week: 20 | Per anniversary80 h | After 2 years160 h |
| Hours per week: 30 | Per anniversary120 h | After 2 years240 h |
| Hours per week: 37.5 | Per anniversary150 h | After 2 years300 h |
| Hours per week: 40 | Per anniversary160 h | After 2 years320 h |
Frequently asked questions
How much annual leave do I get in New Zealand?
At least 4 weeks of paid annual holidays after each 12 months of continuous employment with the same employer (Holidays Act 2003). A week means your normal working week: 160 hours for 40 hours a week, 80 hours for 20.
Do holidays accrue from the first day?
Under the Act the entitlement arises on each anniversary of your start date, not progressively. Many employers let you take holidays in advance, and some show an accruing balance on payslips, but the legal entitlement is 4 weeks at each anniversary. This calculator counts completed anniversaries.
What happens to unused annual holidays?
They carry over and must be paid out when your employment ends, at the greater of your ordinary weekly pay and your average weekly earnings over the last 52 weeks.
Is holiday pay included?
No. Holiday pay is the amount you are paid while on holiday, worked out from your ordinary weekly pay or average weekly earnings; the calculator shows the time entitlement only. Casual employees may instead receive 8% pay-as-you-go holiday pay.
Is the Holidays Act changing?
The Government has announced changes to leave law that are expected to take effect in 2028. Until new rules are in force, the 4-week anniversary entitlement applies; this page will be updated when the law changes.
Sources
Statutory time entitlement only; holiday pay, holidays taken in advance and employer-specific accrual are not calculated. Results are for guidance only.
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