Keeping in touch hours calculator: how many of your 64 are left
On paid parental leave you can do up to 64 hours of paid work for your employer, if you both agree, without losing the payments. None can be in the 28 days after the birth. Put in the due date or birth date and the hours you have done: the calculator shows what is left and when the hours can start.
Worked out for the example. Change the boxes to make it yours.
| Keeping in touch hours allowed | 64 hours |
|---|---|
| Worked so far | 16 hours |
| Left now | 48 hours |
| Hours you plan next | 7.5 hours |
| Left after them | 40.5 hours |
| Payments start | Monday 1 March 2027 |
| No paid work for your employer | 16 Mar 2027 to 12 Apr 2027 |
| Keeping in touch hours from | Tuesday 13 April 2027 |
| Last day of payments, and of keeping in touch hours | Sunday 29 August 2027 |
- The 28 days run from the real birth. The dates here assume the baby arrives on the due date: put in the birth date once you know it.
- The 64 hours cover every employer you are on parental leave from, added together (Inland Revenue).
- Keeping in touch hours are for employees. Self-employed people cannot use them, though they can still do occasional oversight or administration of their business (Inland Revenue).
Your Career adds the due date to life events, after asking, with the date to tell your employer. The hours stay on this page. Part of the Career and Timesheets plan.
The 64 hours and the 28 days
Keeping in touch hours let an employee on paid parental leave do some paid work for their employer, such as a planning day, training or a handover, without being treated as back at work. Section 71CE of the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987 allows up to 64 hours during the payment period, on days both you and your employer agree to. None can be within 28 days after the birth. The 28 days do not count the day of the birth itself, so the first day you can work is the 29th day after it. If the baby is born before the end of the 36th week of pregnancy, the 28-day rule does not apply (section 71CE(4)). Our guide to parental leave in New Zealand covers the leave itself.
When the hours can be used
The hours belong to the payment period: 26 weeks from the earlier of the day your leave starts and the birth (sections 71K and 71L). Work after the payments end is a return to work, not keeping in touch hours. The calculator gives the date the payments start, the 28 days with no paid work, the first day hours can be worked and the last day of the payments. When you enter a due date, it assumes the baby arrives that day; the 28 days always run from the real birth, so put in the birth date once you know it. To work out the weekly payment itself, use the paid parental leave calculator.
Going over, and sharing the hours
More than 64 hours, or any paid work for your employer in the 28 days after the birth, means you are treated as back at work. Payments for the time after that are an overpayment, which Inland Revenue can recover (section 71CE(3)). The 64 hours are one allowance across every employer you are on leave from. If you transfer some of the payments to your partner, Inland Revenue says the two of you share the 64 hours while either of you is being paid, and it is up to you both to keep count. Starting with a new employer, or starting self-employment, also counts as going back to work.
Edge cases
Self-employed people cannot use keeping in touch hours, although Inland Revenue allows occasional oversight or administration of the business. A parent getting preterm baby payments can also work up to 3 hours for each week of those payments, on top of the 64 (section 71DB). Keeping in touch hours are paid work, so keep a note of each day: the date, the start and finish, and what you did. A weekly timesheet keeps the hours added up.
Questions
How many keeping in touch hours do I get in NZ?
Up to 64 hours of paid work for your employer during the 26 weeks of parental leave payments, on days you both agree to. Going over 64 ends the payments.
When can I start keeping in touch hours after the birth?
Not within 28 days after the birth. The 28 days do not count the birth day, so the 29th day after it is the first you can work. The rule does not apply if the baby was born before the end of the 36th week of pregnancy.
What happens if I work more than 64 keeping in touch hours?
You are treated as back at work. Inland Revenue stops the payments, and any paid for the time after you went over are an overpayment you may have to repay.
Do keeping in touch hours reduce my paid parental leave?
No. Up to 64 hours, you keep your full parental leave entitlement, and the hours themselves are paid work for your employer.
Can self-employed people do keeping in touch hours?
No. Inland Revenue says keeping in touch hours do not apply to self-employed people, although occasional oversight or administration of the business is allowed.
What happens when I save this?
If you entered a due date, your account adds it to life events in Your Career, after asking, with the date to tell your employer. The hours are not saved. Your Career is part of the Career and Timesheets plan.
Sources
- Inland Revenue: keeping in touch hours.
- Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987.
- Legislation Act 2019, section 54.
More free tools: see all the calculators.