Cost of Sick Days Calculator

This calculator works out how much income you lose when you take more sick days than your paid sick leave covers, a real and often overlooked cost for employees, and an especially sharp one for contractors and the self-employed who have no paid sick leave at all. In New Zealand, most employees are entitled to a minimum of 10 paid sick days a year after six months of employment, but a bad run of illness, a chronic condition, or caring for sick children can easily exceed that, and every day beyond your entitlement is usually unpaid, directly reducing your income. For the self-employed, every sick day is unpaid, so the cost of being unwell is even more direct. This tool makes that cost visible. You enter your annual income, the number of work days in your year, the sick days you have taken or expect to take, and your paid sick leave entitlement, and the calculator works out your daily pay, the number of unpaid days, and the income you lose. Seeing the figure helps you understand the financial value of staying well, the case for income protection insurance, and the importance of building an emergency buffer to cover unpaid time off. For employers and the self-employed, it also quantifies the productivity cost of illness. Use it to budget for time off, to weigh up income protection cover, or to value your sick leave entitlement. Set your paid sick days to zero if you are a contractor or self-employed. This is a personal estimate based on your figures; your actual entitlement depends on your employment agreement and the Holidays Act.

NZ employees usually get a minimum 10 paid sick days a year. Set paid days to 0 if self-employed. An estimate based on your figures.