Minimum wage check: is your pay enough for the hours you work?
Divide your pay before tax for a week or a fortnight by every hour you actually worked in it. If the answer is under $23.95, the adult minimum wage from 1 April 2026, those hours are paid below the minimum. A $52,000 salary for a 45-hour week comes to $22.22 an hour, $77.75 a week short.
Worked out for the example. Change the boxes to make it yours.
Your pay comes to $22.22 for each hour you worked, below the adult minimum wage of $23.95. Employment New Zealand asks anyone who thinks they are paid less than the minimum wage to report it on 0800 20 90 20, and arrears can be claimed for up to 6 years.
| Pay for the week (salary divided by 52) | $1,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Hours you worked | 45 hours |
| Pay for each hour worked | $22.22 |
| The adult minimum wage, from 1 April 2026 | $23.95 an hour |
| The least 45 hours can be paid | $1,077.75 |
| As the Minimum Wage Order sets it: $958.00 for the week, plus $23.95 for each hour past 40 | $958.00 + $119.75 |
| Hours your pay covers at $23.95 | 41.75 hours |
| Short of the minimum, this week | $77.75 |
| A year at this pattern (52 weeks) | $4,043.00 |
- An annual salary is divided by 52 for a week. A year is a little over 52 weeks, so this gives your pay the benefit of the doubt.
- Your employer's KiwiSaver contribution is paid on top of the minimum wage and does not count towards it.
Free on every plan. Your account adds the place you work with the hourly rate worked out here, after asking, so every shift you log from now on is a dated record of your hours.
Every hour worked, at least the minimum
Section 6 of the Minimum Wage Act 1983 entitles every worker in a class with a prescribed minimum to be paid for their work at not less than that rate. From 1 April 2026 the Minimum Wage Order 2026 sets $23.95 an hour for adults and $19.16 for starting-out workers and trainees. For a salary, Employment New Zealand's check is your total pay before tax divided by the hours you worked in the pay period. The order puts it the same way: for someone paid by the week, $958 for the week plus $23.95 for each hour past 40; for anyone not paid by the hour, the day or the week, $1,916 a fortnight plus $23.95 for each hour past 80. Section 11B of the Act says an employment agreement fixes no more than 40 hours a week, not counting overtime, unless both sides agree to more, and a salary that covers longer weeks must still reach the minimum for every hour. The calculator checks one week or one fortnight at a time, because the pay period is where the check is made.
Who may be paid $19.16
The starting-out rate applies only to three groups: 16 and 17 year olds who have not yet worked 6 continuous months for their current employer; 16 to 19 year olds whose employment agreement requires at least 40 credits a year of industry training to qualify in their work; and 18 and 19 year olds who have been paid a specified benefit, such as Jobseeker Support, for 6 months or more and have not since worked 6 continuous months for one employer. The training rate is for people 20 or over whose agreement requires at least 60 credits a year of industry training, usually apprentices; being trained at work by the employer is not enough. Neither lower rate applies to anyone whose job includes supervising or training other workers. There is no minimum wage under 16, and an employer can pay less only with a minimum wage exemption permit for a disabled employee.
What counts as pay, and as hours
Pay is your gross pay, before tax. Your employer's KiwiSaver contribution is paid on top of the minimum wage and cannot count towards it. Where you have agreed to a deduction for board or lodging, Employment New Zealand says the amount taken out is included as wages for the check. Hours are every hour you worked: staying back, starting early and finishing a task after your shift all count, while an unpaid meal break does not. Our article on unpaid overtime and your real hourly rate shows how quickly extra hours wear a salary down, and the weekly timesheet calculator adds up a week of start and finish times.
If your pay comes up short
Raise it with your employer first, with your own record of the hours. Employment New Zealand asks anyone who thinks they are paid below the minimum wage to report it on 0800 20 90 20, and migrant workers have the same right to the minimum. Wages paid below the legal rate can be recovered as arrears (Employment Relations Act 2000, section 131), and a claim can be brought up to 6 years after the money was owed (section 142). Getting unpaid wages back walks through the steps.
Questions
Can my salary work out below minimum wage in NZ?
Yes. If your pay for a week or fortnight, divided by every hour you worked in it, comes to less than $23.95 an hour, those hours were paid below the adult minimum wage, salary or not.
How do I check my salary against the minimum wage?
Employment New Zealand says to divide your total pay before tax by the number of hours you worked in a pay period. A $52,000 salary is $1,000 a week; at 45 hours that is $22.22 an hour.
Who can be paid the starting-out wage?
Some 16 to 19 year olds: 16 and 17 year olds in their first 6 months with an employer, 16 to 19 year olds in required industry training of at least 40 credits a year, and 18 and 19 year olds coming off 6 months or more on a benefit. Not anyone who supervises or trains others.
Does KiwiSaver count towards the minimum wage?
No. Employment New Zealand says your employer's compulsory KiwiSaver contribution is paid on top of at least the minimum wage and cannot be counted as part of it.
How far back can I claim minimum wage arrears?
Up to 6 years. No action other than a personal grievance can be started more than 6 years after the cause of action arose (Employment Relations Act 2000, section 142).
What happens when I save this?
Your account adds the place you work to Your Timesheets with the hourly rate worked out here, after asking. Logging hours is free on every plan, and each shift you log is dated and every change is kept.
Sources
- Minimum Wage Act 1983, ss 6 and 11B.
- Minimum Wage Order 2026 (SL 2026/16), in force 1 April 2026.
- Employment New Zealand: minimum wage rates and types.
- Employment Relations Act 2000, ss 131 and 142: arrears and the 6-year limit.
More free tools: see all the calculators.