Find out how to prepare your payroll for Easter so your staff can scout gleefully for chocolates this long weekend.
Updated: February 2025
In this article
When are the public holidays over Easter?
There are two public holidays over Easter. This year, Easter Friday is celebrated on 18th April and Easter Monday is on 21st April.
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Easter Sunday, 20th April is not a public holiday.
Public holiday entitlements do not apply to staff working on this Sunday.
Do I need to make changes to my payroll?
Friday 18th April (Good Friday) can be a pay day, however Saturday 19th and Tuesday 22nd April are not available pay days in our system. Please use the quick quiz below to find out how this Easter season impacts your pay processing.
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Please take special care if your usual pay day is a Saturday. You will see that both Good Friday and ANZAC Day are on directly following Fridays, impacting two consecutive weekly pay cycles. |
Use this calendar quick quiz below to find out if you need to make any changes to your payroll:
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Pro tip: If you want to pay your employees on Tuesday 22nd April, please get in touch to use our urgent same-day service at an additional charge of $15.
Employer obligations
Some of your employees might work on Easter Friday or Easter Monday public holidays, or take their regular work days as paid days off. This will impact how you enter their timesheets. Find out how to enter public holidays on employee timesheets.
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 hours worked this day. If the public holiday is an otherwise working day for this employee, you’ll also need to allocate a full day of alternative leave to their leave balance.
Reminder: Easter Sunday, 20th April is not a public holiday so public holiday entitlements do not apply to staff working on this day.
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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. Thankyou Payroll will be closed over Easter, but we will be back on Tuesday the 22nd April from 8:30 am to 5 pm.
Easter Hours:
| Thursday, 17th April - |
8:30 am - 5 pm |
| Good Friday, 18th April - |
Closed |
| Weekend - |
Closed |
| Easter Monday, 21st April - |
Closed |
| Tuesday, 22nd April - |
8:30 am - 5 pm |
Email us at help@thankyoupayroll.co.nz, or call us on 04 488 7531 for professional, one-on-one guidance.
Making payroll easy. Supporting you.