This year, Christmas Day falls on Wednesday, with Boxing day on Thursday. The same with New Years Day and The Day After New Years Day (they so need a better name for this day!). So no Mondayising of any of these public holidays this Christmas. Here is what you need to know about rights for employees and obligations for employers. Payment for working a public holiday Employees must be paid… Read more
Most people are not aware that technically, legislation says that annual leave payments need to be paid, in full, before an employees leave is taken. Thinking about why this is, takes us back to the days of being paid with a little brown envelope fill of cash, and the fact the employee won’t be here the following pay day to collect that cash. Yes, that legislation is outdated like a… Read more
There is nothing in the Act to determine when a payment must be made when an employee’s employment is terminated. There is so much to do for a final pay, and it can become a rushed activity on the final day of employment with the potential to get it wrong. If agreed between the parties, then it can be paid on the next pay day after termination or on the… Read more
With Christmas coming up fast like a freight train without any brakes and the payroll team are working hard to manage all the extra payroll changes over this time. One of the biggest questions this year is “When do I have to pay my staff?” With Wednesday and Thursday both being public holidays, and popular days for payment of wages, what happens now that we have 24 hour banking? There… Read more
Employees are one of the biggest costs, and the most important asset to a business, and annual holidays are a really important part of your teams health and wellbeing. Ensuring your team are getting what they are entitled to is your responsibility as their employer. If you don’t get it right, it can cause frustration for the employee, friction in the workplace and could land you in hot water with… Read more
An employee’s time on parental leave is included as continuous service and taking parental leave does not affect entitlement to annual holidays. Employees who take parental leave will still become entitled to a minimum of four weeks of annual holidays on the anniversary of their employment start date. However payment for annual holidays that an employee becomes entitled to: during parental leave, or during a period of preference after parental… Read more
When you leave your employment for any reason, you may be entitled to get paid for annual holidays, alternative holidays and/or public holidays in your final pay. Public holidays Employees are sometimes entitled to be paid for public holidays that fall after their employment has ended (i.e. after their termination date). This can happen if the employee has unused annual holidays they are entitled to at the time their employment… Read more
This is a question that has come up in our Payroll Essentials Training Course that is currently running. Scenario: An employee comes to work for 2 hours on a public holiday, then has to go home early due to being ill. This is what they would receive for the day 2 hrs at time and half 1 x alternative day IF the day is a otherwise working day for the… Read more
Your employees who choose to opt into KiwiSaver cannot opt out. Only new employees you are automatically enrolled in KiwiSaver can opt out. Requests to be opted out after 8 weeks (57 days) are LATE OPT OUT REQUESTS. How your employee requests a late opt-out Employees will need to send their KiwiSaver late opt-out request to Inland Revenue. Approving a late opt-out request Inland Revenue must approve the late opt-out… Read more
During and after a disaster or emergency, employers and employees main concern is consideration of issues such as health and safety, emotional wellbeing and payment options for employees. This comes before thinking about the interests of the business or organisation. Employers and employees should remember to keep in regular contact and deal with each other in good faith. If the workplace cannot be accessed, is closed, or is open but… Read more
Depending on the nature of your business, you may have workers who are employees or contractors, or you may have both. Each has their merits, but it’s important to review which are which in order to meet your tax obligations. When you have an employee, you must withhold income tax as well as report on additional benefits. Contractors generally look after their own tax obligations. It’s against the law to… Read more
Christmas is a time of sun, sand, lots of food and family time here in the Southern Hemisphere. Ensuring employees get paid right for the public holidays however can be a challenge for those employing staff. We thought we would put together some examples to help you on with navigating the challenges of the Christmas payroll this year. PUBLIC HOLIDAYS THAT FALL ON A WEEKEND How to work out pay… Read more