Working Hours Calculator New Zealand 2025

Keeping track of your work hours isn't just helpful—it's essential. In New Zealand, your rights around working hours, breaks, leave, and overtime are protected under employment laws like the Employment Relations Act and the Minimum Wage Act.

Whether you're a full-time employee at a tech firm in Wellington, a part-time barista in Auckland, or a contract worker in Christchurch, tracking your work time ensures you're paid fairly and treated legally.

Need a fast and reliable way to calculate your working hours or check if you're owed overtime? Use our free Online Working Hours Calculator to get started.

What Is a Working Hours Calculator?

A working hours calculator helps you track the hours you've worked over a day, week, or month. It's useful for:

• Verifying if your pay matches your hours
• Spotting unpaid overtime
• Checking contract compliance
• Staying within legal work limits

Whether you're a retail assistant in Dunedin, a healthcare worker in Hamilton, or a construction worker in Tauranga, our Working Hours Calculator tool helps New Zealanders manage their time and earnings.

What Are the Working Hours Rules in New Zealand?

Standard Working Hours

Working hours are typically agreed upon in your contract. Most full-time roles are around 40 hours per week, but there's no fixed legal maximum. Any extra hours must be agreed upon between you and your employer.

Break Entitlements

You're entitled to paid and unpaid breaks depending on how long your shift is:

• 2–4 hours worked: One paid 10-minute rest break
• 4–6 hours worked: One paid 10-minute break + one unpaid 30-minute meal break
• 6–10 hours worked: Two paid 10-minute breaks + one unpaid 30-minute meal break

Break timing should be agreed upon by both employee and employer.

Overtime Pay in New Zealand

There’s no legal requirement for extra pay for overtime. Whether or not you’re compensated depends on your employment agreement. Some jobs include overtime in the salary, while others may pay additional hourly rates. Always check your contract.

Full-Time vs. Part-Time Work

• Full-time: Typically 30+ hours per week. Commonly around 35–40 hours.
• Part-time: Fewer than 30 hours/week. You still receive the same minimum rights, though some benefits may be pro-rated.

How to Calculate Your Working Hours?

You can calculate your work time using the following:

• Daily hours = (End time – Start time) – unpaid breaks
• Weekly hours = Sum of daily hours
• Monthly or annual = Weekly hours × number of work weeks

For example

If you worked from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM with a 1-hour lunch:

• Daily = 7.5 hours
• Weekly (5 days) = 7.5 × 5 = 37.5 hours

Why Use a Working Hours Calculator?

It helps you:

• Keep personal records
• Track unpaid or extra overtime
• Support salary negotiations or disputes
• Stay compliant with labour laws
• Plan and budget your monthly income

Example Timesheet – 40-Hour Workweek

Let’s say you’re a full-time employee working in customer service in Auckland. Your employment agreement sets a standard 40-hour workweek, Monday to Friday, with an unpaid 1-hour lunch break each day.

Here’s what your typical week might look like:

Total Weekly Hours = 37.5

Expert advice

If your employment contract specifies a 35-hour workweek, then this timesheet reflects 2.5 hours of overtime. While New Zealand law doesn't require employers to pay overtime rates, any additional compensation or time-off in lieu should be outlined in your employment agreement.

This is why it’s crucial to track your hours — to make sure you’re fairly compensated, especially if you consistently work more than your contracted hours.

What’s Next? How to invest your money in New Zealand?

Tracking your hours is just the beginning. Once you know what you’re earning, the next step is growing your money through smart investing.

Kiwis are increasingly turning to investment options such as:

• KiwiSaver (great for retirement and first-home savings)
• Managed Funds
• Shares and ETFs
• Term Deposits
• Real Estate Investment
• Peer-to-Peer Lending

Whether you’re just starting with $10 a week or ready to diversify a larger portfolio, investing can help secure your financial future.

Check out our New Zealand Investment Guide to learn how to get started, compare options, and build long-term wealth.

P. Laurore

Finance expert

Co-founder of HelloSafe and holder of a Master's degree in finance, Pauline has recognised expertise in personal finance, which she uses to help users better understand and optimise their financial choices. At HelloSafe, Pauline plays a key role in designing clear, educational content on savings, investments and personal finance. Passionate about financial education, Pauline strives, with every piece of content she oversees, to provide reliable, transparent and unbiased information for independent and informed financial management. To this end, she has tested over 100 trading platforms to help internet users make the right choices.