Find out how to prepare your payroll for Christmas and New Year's and make this holiday season a merry one.
Updated: December 2023
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Check out our blog on 5 Payroll Mistakes to Avoid This Christmas to make sure you're prepared for the Holiday Season!
In this article
What dates are the public holidays during this festive season?
There are four public holidays over this holiday season.
Christmas Day is celebrated on Monday 25th December, with Boxing Day on Tuesday 26th December. New Year's Day falls on Monday 1st January with Tuesday 2nd January being the Day after New Year's Day public holiday.
Do I need to make changes to my payroll?
Tuesday 26th December, Wednesday 27th December, Tuesday 2nd January and Wednesday 3rd January cannot be pay days, due to some changes still to be implemented by BNZ.
Additionally, depending on your plan, your pay day and your payment method, you may need to adjust your pay to ensure it arrives on time.*
Use the table below to find out whether you need to make any changes to your payroll:
Pro tip: if you still want to pay your employees on these Wednesdays, please get in touch to use our urgent same-day service for an additional charge of $15.
Employer obligations
Some of your employees might work on these public holidays, you might have a business closedown period, or some may take time off. This will impact how you enter their timesheets. Find out how to enter public holidays.
If your employee works on a public holiday, you are required to pay them ‘time and a half’ or 1.5 times their standard rate for this day. If the public holiday is an otherwise working day for this employee, you’ll also need to allocate alternative holidays to their leave balance.
Did you know: For more information on public holidays and your obligations as an employer, check out our Public Holidays Guide or visit the Employment New Zealand website.
Feeling stuck?
Our friendly payroll experts are just an email or a phone call away. Our full Customer Service team is available from 8:30 am Wednesday 27th December till 5pm on Friday 29th December 2023, and then again from 8:30 am Wednesday 3rd January till 5pm on Friday the 5th January 2024.
Email us at help@thankyoupayroll.co.nz, or call us on 04 488 7531 for professional, one-on-one guidance.
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