This practical 3-hour webinar continues our monthly webinar series covering all things Employment Leave Act 2026. It focuses on the rules, tests and calculations payroll practitioners need to manage closedowns, parental leave, ACC absences and unpaid leave, including the key changes from the Holidays Act 2003.

Who Should Attend

Introductory to intermediate. Designed for payroll practitioners, payroll managers and anyone responsible for administering employee leave or preparing for the Employment Leave Act.

Purpose

When an employee is away from work, payroll must establish how the absence affects leave accrual, entitlement to other leave and the amount to pay. A closedown, parental leave, an ACC absence and agreed unpaid leave can require different decisions under the Employment Leave Act 2026.

This practical NZPPA webinar explains the rules, tests and calculations payroll will need for these four situations. Participants will work through examples showing how to identify the relevant hours, apply the appropriate leave rules and record the resulting accrual, payment or deduction.

The session will also highlight key changes from the Holidays Act 2003 and the information payroll needs from managers, employment agreements and rosters.

Key Topics

• Closedowns — rules, notice requirements, directing annual leave, insufficient balances, leave in advance and unpaid leave
• Parental leave — interaction with the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987, leave accrual, access to other leave and leave payments on return to work
• ACC and returning to work — the relationship between accident compensation and leave, using leave alongside compensation and gradual returns to work
• Unpaid leave — distinguishing agreed unpaid leave from statutory leave and determining the effect on accrual, other leave and public holidays
• Rules and tests — identifying the relevant provisions, exclusions, exceptions and conditions that apply to each absence
• Calculations — determining qualifying hours, calculating leave accrual and payments, balance deductions and unpaid shortfalls
• Practical payroll situations — examples involving mixed periods of absence, partial returns to work, leave alongside ACC compensation and annual closedowns
• Payroll records and systems — identifying the approvals, records, information and system checks needed to support accurate payroll treatment

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the leave rules for closedowns, parental leave, ACC absences and unpaid leave under the Employment Leave Act 2026, including key changes from the Holidays Act 2003;
2. Apply the relevant tests and exceptions to determine how each absence affects annual and sick leave accrual, access to other leave and public holiday entitlements;
3. Calculate leave accrual, payments and balance deductions using the correct hours and inputs, including closedown shortfalls, leave used alongside ACC compensation and gradual returns to work.

Practical Outcome

Participants will be better equipped to classify an absence, identify the applicable rule or exception, select the correct hours and calculation inputs, and explain the resulting payroll treatment.

The webinar will also help payroll practitioners identify the approvals, records and payroll system checks needed to support these decisions and recognise matters requiring further guidance.

Webinar Details

Date: 16 October 2026 Time: 9 am – 12.00 pm

Cost

NZPPA Member: $175 + GST NZPPA Non-member: $195 + GST

Group booking special: Receive 25% OFF from the second attendee onwards when booking two or more people. To arrange a group booking, email training@nzppa.co.nz.

Webinar Information

All NZPPA special webinars are recorded. Once the recording is published, attendees will receive a webinar pack that may include:

• Webinar recording
• Webinar notes
• Presentation slides, if used
• Questions and answers from the webinar
• Additional supporting documents
• Presenter’s contact email for follow-up questions

The webinar access link will be sent no later than close of business on the Tuesday of the webinar week. Any webinar notes available in advance will be sent on the morning of the webinar.

If you have not received your webinar link, please check your spam or junk folder.