Working out what to pay your employees for public holidays is a bit confusing. Here’s some information to help you to decide when to pay a Public Holiday.

Some public holidays are attached to dates, meaning that the day they are observed moves through the days of the week, for example Christmas Day and Boxing Day. If these days fall on a day that is not usually a working day for your employee then the holiday is transferred to the following Monday (or in some cases Tuesday). A Public Holiday is Mondayised if the employee doesn’t normally work on the day of the holiday. This year Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.

If the employee wouldn’t normally work on a Sunday then the holiday is transferred to Tuesday 27th December (Monday 26th is observed as Boxing Day). If the employee would normally work on the Sunday then they observe their holiday on this day. It’s important to note that employees don’t receive both days. For example if the employee normally works on a Sunday and a Tuesday they receive their holiday on the Sunday; they do not receive two public holidays.

Follow this link for more information on the Employment NZ website www.employment.govt.nz. Confused? Feel free to get in touch.

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