---
title: Can I use an employee's annual leave to pay for a public holiday off?
description: My employee is on annual leave over a public holiday. How do I record this on their timesheet?
---

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# Can I use an employee's annual leave to pay for a public holiday off?

## My employee is on annual leave over a public holiday. How do I record this on their timesheet?

Pay for annual leave is calculated differently to pay for a public holiday off on an otherwise working day.  For this reason, it is important to record this correctly on the timesheet.

A public holiday off must be recorded as such when it falls within a period of **paid leave** such as annual leave, sick leave, bereavement leave or the first week of employer-paid ACC. The leave balance is not reduced for the public holiday.

| **Let's look at an example:** Aroha has taken two weeks of annual leave from the Monday before Easter to the Friday after Easter: ![WorkPatternPHOff\_onLeave](https://help.thankyoupayroll.co.nz/hs-fs/hubfs/KnowledgeBase/screensteps/Leave/WorkPatternPHOff_onLeave.png?width=409&height=137&name=WorkPatternPHOff_onLeave.png)Her timesheet will show: - 8 days of annual leave, and - 2 days paid public holiday off |
| --- |

| ![Info - Blue Block (1)](https://help.thankyoupayroll.co.nz/hs-fs/hubfs/KnowledgeBase/CalloutIcons/Info%20-%20Blue%20Block%20(1).png?width=52&height=52&name=Info%20-%20Blue%20Block%20(1).png) | When an employee is on **unpaid leave**, the public holiday is not considered an otherwise working day for them. Thus, a public holiday falling during unpaid leave is not paid. \*An example of this could be an employee receiving ACC payments from the 2nd week onwards = an unpaid public holiday. |
| --- | --- |

---

### Links to further information:

- [Understanding public holiday pay - Employment NZ](https://www.employment.govt.nz/pay-and-hours/pay-and-wages/leave-and-holiday-pay/public-holiday-pay)
- We have the following articles walking you through some examples: 
    - [A public holiday falls during my employee's annual leave. What now?](https://help.thankyoupayroll.co.nz/en/example-paid-ph-during-al?hsLang=en)
    - [When is a public holiday unpaid if the employee does not work hours on that day?](https://help.thankyoupayroll.co.nz/en/example-casual-unworked-ph?hsLang=en)

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