Rest and Meal Break Calculator NZ
This rest and meal break calculator tells you which breaks go with a shift and what the shift pays once an unpaid meal break comes out of it. New Zealand sets a minimum number of rest and meal breaks by the length of the work period, and Employment New Zealand publishes them as a table that runs from 2 hours to 16 hours. A rest break is 10 minutes and must be paid. A meal break is 30 minutes and does not have to be paid, which is why a nine hour day often pays eight and a half. The bands have exact edges that are easy to misremember: 4 hours, 6 hours and 12 hours are inside the lower band, while 10 hours starts a new one. You enter the start and finish times of the shift, your hourly rate and whether your meal breaks are paid. The calculator works out the hours from start to finish, places the shift in the right band of the table, and gives the rest and meal breaks owed, the unpaid meal minutes, your paid hours and the pay for the shift. A finish time earlier than the start is read as a shift that runs past midnight. The table gives no count under 2 hours or over 16 hours, and the calculator says so rather than guessing.
From the same team as Calculate.co.nz
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Log your hours freeHow it works
The hours worked are the time from the start of the shift to the finish, and a finish earlier than the start adds 24 hours, for a shift that runs overnight. That figure is placed in the table Employment New Zealand publishes, using its exact band edges, shown below. Each rest break is 10 minutes and paid. Each meal break is 30 minutes and, unless you choose paid, the calculator takes it off the hours worked to give your paid hours. Pay is the paid hours multiplied by your hourly rate. The table starts at 2 hours and stops at 16 hours, so the calculator gives no break count under 2 hours or over 16. For when breaks should be taken and what can be agreed instead, read the rest and meal breaks guide.
| Hours worked | Paid 10-minute rest breaks | 30-minute meal breaks |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hours or more, up to 4 hours | 1 | 0 |
| More than 4 hours, up to 6 hours | 1 | 1 |
| More than 6 hours, under 10 hours | 2 | 1 |
| 10 hours or more, up to 12 hours | 3 | 1 |
| More than 12 hours, up to 14 hours | 3 | 2 |
| More than 14 hours, up to 16 hours | 4 | 2 |
Worked example
A shift from 8:00 to 17:00 runs 9 hours. That is more than 6 hours and under 10, so two 10-minute paid rest breaks and one 30-minute meal break are owed. With the meal break unpaid, 30 minutes comes off, leaving 8.5 paid hours. At $28.50 an hour the shift pays $242.25.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hours from 8:00 to 17:00 | 9 hours |
| Band | More than 6 hours, under 10 hours |
| Breaks owed | 2 rest breaks and 1 meal break |
| Less unpaid meal break | 30 minutes |
| Paid hours | 8.5 hours |
| Pay at $28.50 an hour | $242.25 |
Related calculators
- Timesheet Calculator: a week of shifts with breaks and overtime.
- Work Hours Calculator: the hours between a start and a finish.
- Overtime Pay Calculator: pay for hours past your usual week.
- Shift Penal Rates Calculator: loadings for nights, weekends and holidays.