Confirm the branch facts before entering money
“Worked on the public holiday?” and “Was it an otherwise working day?” are separate questions. Working does not by itself prove that the date was otherwise a working day, and not working does not answer whether the day would ordinarily have been worked.
The calculator also requires a confirmed relevant daily pay or average daily pay amount for the relevant time. It does not derive RDP from a simple hourly rate or decide when ADP may replace RDP.
| Fact | How the calculator uses it | What Wage101 does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| Worked status | Selects the worked or not-worked calculation | Whether a particular attendance or on-call event counts as work. |
| Otherwise-working-day status | Changes not-worked pay and alternative-holiday entitlement | The status from roster, pattern, agreement and surrounding facts. |
| RDP or ADP for relevant time | Supplies the statutory pay basis | Which method applies or how the amount should be derived. |
| Contractual pay including penal rates | Provides the second side of the worked greater-of test | Which allowances or contract terms belong in that amount. |
Worked status and otherwise-working-day status create four branches
| Worked? | Otherwise working? | Current holiday-pay result | Alternative holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | Greater of time-and-a-half or confirmed contractual amount | Yes, unless employed only to work public holidays. |
| Yes | No | Greater of time-and-a-half or confirmed contractual amount | No statutory entitlement from this branch. |
| No | Yes | Confirmed RDP or ADP | No worked-day alternative-holiday output. |
| No | No | NZ$0 statutory pay in this bounded branch | No. |
| Either | Not confirmed | No calculation; the calculator fails closed | Not determined. |
NZ$240 becomes NZ$360 in the worked-day example
The production example confirms that the employee worked eight hours, the holiday was otherwise a working day, RDP or ADP for the relevant time is NZ$240, the entered contractual amount including penal rates is zero, and the employee is not employed only to work public holidays.
| Step or output | Exact value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed RDP or ADP | NZ$240.00 | Caller-established amount for the relevant time. |
| Time-and-a-half amount | NZ$360.00 | NZ$240 multiplied by 1.5. |
| Contractual amount compared | NZ$0.00 | Entered contractual pay including penal rates. |
| Public-holiday pay | NZ$360.00 | Greater of NZ$360 and NZ$0. |
| Alternative holiday | Entitled | Worked + otherwise working + not employed only for public holidays. |
| Alternative-holiday value | Not monetised | The future day is not valued from these hours or this pay amount. |
A contractual penal-rate amount can exceed time-and-a-half
In the calculator’s second worked branch, confirmed RDP or ADP of NZ$156 creates a time-and-a-half amount of NZ$234, while the entered contractual amount including penal rates is NZ$250. The public-holiday pay result is therefore NZ$250.
That example is not permission to omit relevant allowances or invent a contractual amount. It shows only how the greater-of comparison behaves after both amounts have been established.
| Compared amount | Exact value | Result effect |
|---|---|---|
| Time-and-a-half | NZ$234.00 | Lower side of the comparison. |
| Contractual pay including penal rates | NZ$250.00 | Higher side selected. |
| Public-holiday pay | NZ$250.00 | Maximum of the two confirmed amounts. |
| Alternative holiday | No | This fixture confirms the date was not otherwise a working day. |
The not-worked branches depend on otherwise-working-day status
When the employee does not work and the day is confirmed as otherwise working, the bounded calculator returns the entered RDP or ADP. The calculator example returns NZ$208 from a confirmed NZ$208 amount.
When the day is confirmed as not otherwise working and no work occurs, the statutory branch returns NZ$0. An employer or agreement may provide more, but this calculator does not infer that contractual choice.
An alternative holiday is an entitlement flag, not today’s cash output
The calculator identifies the reviewed entitlement only after the reader confirms the worked, otherwise-working-day and public-holiday-only employment facts. It intentionally returns no monetised value because pay for a future alternative holiday depends on the day later taken, not the hours worked on this public holiday.
- Do not use the tool to determine Mondayisation, a transferred day or the operative public-holiday date.
- Do not use it to decide otherwise-working-day status or whether RDP or ADP applies.
- Do not derive RDP/ADP, penal rates or allowance treatment inside the article.
- Do not generalise the public-holiday-only exclusion to every casual employee.
- On-call, split-shift, leave, ACC, final-pay and payroll-tax cases require separate review.
- Use Employment New Zealand guidance and the linked methodology when any branch fact is disputed.
How the New Zealand Public Holiday Pay Calculator calculation works
publicHolidayPay = worked ? max(round to cents(rdpOrAdpForRelevantTime × 1.5), contractualPayIncludingPenalRates) : otherwiseWorkingDay ? round to cents(rdpOrAdpForRelevantTime) : 0
- publicHolidayPay
- Public-holiday pay
- worked
- Worked on the public holiday?
- otherwiseWorkingDay
- Otherwise working day?
- hoursActuallyWorked
- Hours actually worked
- rdpOrAdpForRelevantTime
- RDP or ADP for relevant time
- contractualPayIncludingPenalRates
- Contractual pay including penal rates
- employedOnlyToWorkPublicHolidays
- Employed only for public holidays?
The calculator and article use this relationship consistently; the article does not reimplement the calculation.
timeAndAHalfAmount = worked ? round to cents(rdpOrAdpForRelevantTime × 1.5) : 0
- timeAndAHalfAmount
- Time-and-a-half amount
- worked
- Worked on the public holiday?
- otherwiseWorkingDay
- Otherwise working day?
- hoursActuallyWorked
- Hours actually worked
- rdpOrAdpForRelevantTime
- RDP or ADP for relevant time
- contractualPayIncludingPenalRates
- Contractual pay including penal rates
- employedOnlyToWorkPublicHolidays
- Employed only for public holidays?
The calculator and article use this relationship consistently; the article does not reimplement the calculation.
contractualPayIncludingPenalRates = worked ? entered contractualPayIncludingPenalRates : 0
- contractualPayIncludingPenalRates
- Contractual pay including penal rates
- worked
- Worked on the public holiday?
- otherwiseWorkingDay
- Otherwise working day?
- hoursActuallyWorked
- Hours actually worked
- rdpOrAdpForRelevantTime
- RDP or ADP for relevant time
- employedOnlyToWorkPublicHolidays
- Employed only for public holidays?
The calculator and article use this relationship consistently; the article does not reimplement the calculation.
Work eight hours on an otherwise working public holiday with NZ$240 RDP/ADP.
Inputs used in the New Zealand Public Holiday Pay Calculator worked example
| Input | Entered value | What it represents | Source class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worked on the public holiday? | Yes | Choose the actual branch. | user record |
| Otherwise working day? | Yes | Confirm whether the day would otherwise be worked. | user record |
| Hours actually worked | 8 hours | Enter zero when the holiday was not worked. | user assumption |
| RDP or ADP for relevant time | 240 NZD/relevant time | Enter the confirmed relevant daily pay or average daily pay amount. | user assumption |
| Contractual pay including penal rates | 0 NZD/day | Enter contractual pay for the time worked, including penal rates. | user assumption |
| Employed only for public holidays? | No | Confirm this narrow alternative-holiday exclusion. | user record |
Choose the right New Zealand Public Holiday Pay Calculator basis or mode
| Choice | How to use it |
|---|---|
| No | Choose the actual branch. |
| Yes | Choose the actual branch. |
| Choice | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Not confirmed | Confirm whether the day would otherwise be worked. |
| No | Confirm whether the day would otherwise be worked. |
| Yes | Confirm whether the day would otherwise be worked. |
| Choice | How to use it |
|---|---|
| No | Confirm this narrow alternative-holiday exclusion. |
| Yes | Confirm this narrow alternative-holiday exclusion. |
Worked example: New Zealand Public Holiday Pay Calculator
The calculator normalizes the inputs above, applies Public-holiday pay, and returns the outputs below. The displayed result is therefore reproducible in the linked calculator.
| Measure | Result | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Public-holiday pay | 360 NZD/day | Applicable statutory branch using explicit RDP or ADP. |
| Time-and-a-half amount | 360 NZD/relevant time | RDP or ADP for relevant time multiplied by 1.5 when worked. |
| Contractual amount compared | 0 NZD/day | Entered contractual pay including penal rates. |
Interpret the result and test RDP or ADP for relevant time
- Public-holiday pay: 360 NZD/day. Applicable statutory branch using explicit RDP or ADP.
- Time-and-a-half amount: 360 NZD/relevant time. RDP or ADP for relevant time multiplied by 1.5 when worked.
- Contractual amount compared: 0 NZD/day. Entered contractual pay including penal rates.
| Result | Baseline | Changed-input scenario | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public-holiday pay | 360 NZD/day | 396 NZD/day | Applicable statutory branch using explicit RDP or ADP. |
| Time-and-a-half amount | 360 NZD/relevant time | 396 NZD/relevant time | RDP or ADP for relevant time multiplied by 1.5 when worked. |
| Contractual amount compared | 0 NZD/day | 0 NZD/day | Entered contractual pay including penal rates. |
Checks that are specific to New Zealand Public Holiday Pay Calculator
- The worked example uses the same shared-work-logic engine as the interactive planner.
- Unsupported eligibility, policy branches and out-of-range assumptions fail closed.
- Result cards, trace, CSV, PDF and methodology bind to named engine result fields.
What this New Zealand Public Holiday Pay Calculator guide includes and excludes
- Otherwise-working-day status is explicitly confirmed.
- The entered RDP or ADP and contractual amount are correct.
Sources and method boundary
- www.employment.govt.nz guidance used for the reviewed local boundary — www.employment.govt.nz (accessed 2026-07-28): Reviewed 2026-07-28 against current Employment New Zealand public-holiday and leave-pay guidance; entitlement and alternative-holiday eligibility must be confirmed outside the calculator.
- www.employment.govt.nz guidance used for the reviewed local boundary — www.employment.govt.nz (accessed 2026-07-28): Reviewed 2026-07-28 against current Employment New Zealand public-holiday and leave-pay guidance; entitlement and alternative-holiday eligibility must be confirmed outside the calculator.
- www.employment.govt.nz guidance used for the reviewed local boundary — www.employment.govt.nz (accessed 2026-07-28): Reviewed 2026-07-28 against current Employment New Zealand public-holiday and leave-pay guidance; entitlement and alternative-holiday eligibility must be confirmed outside the calculator.
- New Zealand Public Holiday Pay Calculator methodology — Wage101 (accessed 2026-07-28): Canonical formulas, units, validation, calculator behavior and limitations.