Maternity Pay Top-Up Calculator NZ
This calculator works out what it costs an employer to top up a staff member's government paid parental leave (PPL), and the gap that top-up is meant to close. Paid parental leave in New Zealand pays your normal weekly pay up to a set weekly cap, so anyone earning above that cap faces a shortfall between their usual income and what the government pays while on leave. You enter your normal weekly gross pay, the current PPL weekly cap, the percentage of the gap your employer is willing to top up, and the number of weeks the top-up will run. The calculator returns the employer top-up per week, the weekly gap between your pay and the PPL payment, the total top-up cost over the whole period, and your combined weekly pay once the top-up is added to the government payment. Use it to see what a full or partial top-up would actually cost an employer, or what it would restore for an employee, before agreeing on terms. Remember that a top-up is a voluntary employer benefit rather than a legal requirement, that both the PPL payment and any top-up are taxable through PAYE, and that the PPL cap changes each year on 1 July, so check the current figure before relying on the result. Treat the numbers as an estimate for planning and negotiation, not a payroll-ready calculation.
The PPL cap defaults to $811.05, the government maximum from 1 July 2026. It is indexed to average weekly earnings and rises every 1 July, so change it if you are planning past then. The top-up is a voluntary employer benefit; figures are gross and taxable through PAYE. Estimate only.
How it works
The calculator finds the weekly gap between your normal pay and the parental leave payment (capped at the weekly maximum), then applies the employer top-up percentage to that gap. It shows the weekly top-up, your combined weekly pay during the top-up, and the total top-up cost over the chosen weeks, which helps both employees and employers plan.
Worked example
On $1,300 normal weekly pay with the $811.05 PPL cap that applies from 1 July 2026, the gap is $489 a week. A 100% top-up adds $489 a week, restoring full pay, costing about $12,713 over 26 weeks. A 50% top-up would add $244 a week instead.
Related calculators
- Parental Leave Payment Calculator: PPL payments.
- Baby Number Two Calculator: cost of a second child.
- Return to Work Worth It Calculator: returning to work.
- Budget Calculator: budget on leave.