Overtime pay calculator: your week at your agreement's rates
New Zealand law sets no overtime rate, so the rate is whatever your employment agreement says. Type your shifts, when overtime starts and the rates your agreement pays. The calculator splits the week into ordinary and overtime hours and works out the pay for each, your gross for the week and what the overtime is worth after tax.
Worked out for the example. Change the boxes to make it yours.
| Ordinary: 40 hours at $28.50 | $1,140.00 |
|---|---|
| Overtime: 3 hours at time and a half ($42.75) | $128.25 |
| Overtime: 5 hours at double time ($57.00) | $285.00 |
| Gross pay for the week | $1,553.25 |
| Of which overtime | $413.25 |
| Average across every hour | $32.36 an hour |
| The overtime after tax, about | $267.58 |
- After tax uses 2026/27 PAYE, the ACC earners' levy of 1.75%, KiwiSaver at 3.5%, as extra pay on top of a year of this week's ordinary hours.
- New Zealand law sets no overtime rate. The rates here are the ones your employment agreement sets; if it says nothing, extra hours can be paid at your normal rate.
Free on every plan. Your account adds this job and its hourly rate to Your Timesheets, after asking, so each week's hours go on a dated record of your own.
There is no legal overtime rate in New Zealand
No Act sets a rate for overtime. Employment New Zealand says pay for overtime or extra shifts has to be agreed between you and your employer and included in your employment agreement. It may be a higher rate such as time and a half, it may be your normal rate, or it may be built into a salary. Whatever is agreed, every hour must be paid at least the minimum wage: $23.95 an hour for adults from 1 April 2026, or $19.16 at the starting-out and training rates. That is why the calculator offers 1, 1.25, 1.5 and 2 times your rate and leaves the choice to you: pick the one your agreement names. Our article on overtime and New Zealand law covers when you can be asked to work extra and when you can say no. From 6 August 2028, under the Employment Leave Act 2026, extra hours you are free to refuse also earn a leave compensation payment of at least 12.5% of your ordinary hourly rate.
How the week is worked out
Each day's hours are the time from start to finish, less the unpaid break, and a finish before the start counts to the next morning. With a weekly trigger, the hours past it across the whole week are overtime. With a daily trigger, each day's hours past it are overtime, so a long Monday earns overtime even in a short week. If your agreement pays a second rate after a set number of overtime hours, those later hours are paid at the second rate, counted across the week or within each day in the same way. The average across every hour is your gross pay divided by all the hours you worked.
The after-tax figure treats the overtime as extra pay on top of a year of this week's ordinary hours, at 2026/27 PAYE and the ACC earners' levy, with KiwiSaver and student loan if you tick them. Your payslip may differ a little, because PAYE is worked out on each pay.
Public holidays are the exception
The one higher rate the law does set is for public holidays. Under section 50 of the Holidays Act 2003, working any part of a public holiday is paid at least time and a half for the time you work, and if it was a day you would normally work you also get an alternative holiday. That rule has nothing to do with how many hours you worked that week.
Keep your own record of the hours
Your employer must keep a record of the hours you work each day and the pay for them, and you can ask to see it. A record you made on the day is what you check a payslip against when the overtime looks short. Keeping your own timesheet covers what to write down. Some agreements give time off instead of overtime pay; time in lieu explains how that works.
Questions
Is overtime time and a half in NZ?
Only if your employment agreement says so. New Zealand law sets no overtime rate, and Employment New Zealand says overtime pay has to be agreed and included in your employment agreement. Time and a half is common, but normal rate and pay built into a salary are both lawful.
Does my employer have to pay me for overtime?
Every hour you work has to be paid at least the minimum wage, which is $23.95 an hour for adults from 1 April 2026. A higher rate for overtime is only owed if your agreement sets one.
I'm on a salary. Do I get paid overtime?
Only if your agreement says so; Employment New Zealand notes that overtime may be factored into a salary. Your salary still has to work out at no less than the minimum wage for every hour you actually work, so long weeks are worth checking.
Can I say no to overtime?
Employment New Zealand says that if your agreement has no valid availability clause that gives you reasonable compensation, you can say no to work that is not part of your guaranteed hours, and your employer cannot treat you worse for it.
What is double time?
Twice your ordinary hourly rate for each hour. At $28.50 an hour, double time is $57.00 an hour. Some agreements pay time and a half for the first few overtime hours and double time after that, which the second rate box handles.
What happens when I save this?
Your account adds the job and its hourly rate to Your Timesheets, after asking, so you can log each week's hours as you work them. Logging hours is free on every plan.
Sources
- Employment New Zealand: working overtime or extra shifts.
- Holidays Act 2003, section 50: time and a half for working on a public holiday.
- Minimum Wage Order 2026 (SL 2026/16), in force 1 April 2026.
- Inland Revenue: tax rates for individuals.
- Inland Revenue: ACC earners' levy rates.
More free tools: see all the calculators.