What is NZPPA Night School?

We call it “night school,” but you can access and complete the course in your own time. We designed the programme to be flexible, giving you up to three months to finish (although you can complete it sooner if you wish).

There are three development streams: Payroll Technician, Payroll Practitioner, and Payroll Specialist (details below).

Each stream is aligned to NZPPA Certification. By completing a stream, the learner will have covered all the learning outcomes needed to undertake certification at that level.

What do you get in your Night School course?

• 2 x eLearning NZPPA Certificate Courses (with tutor support provided).
• A comprehensive physical course manual for each eLearning course.
• Each eLearning course includes an end-of-course assessment.
• 2 x OnDemand Webinars (select your topics from the NZPPA OnDemand Library).
• Each webinar includes comprehensive course notes.
• 4 x 30-minute tutorials with a tutor via Zoom (for any aspect of the course).
• FREE initial NZPPA Certification assessment (usually $275 without membership). *Must be working in payroll to meet certification requirements.
• NZPPA Night School Certificate issued on successful completion.
• Latest NZPPA 2025 Practice Guide included.

The Three-Night Payroll Development Streams:

1. Payroll Technician

Ideal for those new to payroll or currently processing payroll for up to 3–6 months. This stream aligns with the NZPPA Certified Payroll Technician (Level 1).

• [Course 1] NZPPA Certificate in Payroll Foundation Skills (Level 1) — approx. 40 hours. More info
• [Course 2] NZPPA Certificate in Payroll Law (Level 2) — approx. 40 hours. More info
• 2 x OnDemand webinars (up to 3 hours each)
• 4 x 30-minute tutorials

Estimated total time: 80 hours.

2. Payroll Practitioner

Designed for intermediate payroll practitioners wanting a refresher or to strengthen their capability. Aligns with NZPPA Certified Payroll Practitioner (Level 2).

• [Course 1] NZPPA Certificate in Payroll Law (Level 2) — approx. 40 hours. More info
• [Course 2] NZPPA Certificate in Payroll Calculations (Level 5) — approx. 40 hours. More info
• 2 x OnDemand webinars (up to 3 hours each)
• 4 x 30-minute tutorials

Estimated total time: 80 hours.

3. Payroll Specialist

For senior payroll practitioners wanting deeper knowledge of advanced payroll calculations and their impact. Aligns with NZPPA Certified Payroll Specialist (Level 3).

• [Course 1] NZPPA Certificate in Payroll Calculations (Level 5) — approx. 40 hours. More info
• [Course 2] NZPPA Certificate in Payroll Calculations [+] (Level 7) — approx. 40 hours. More info
• 2 x OnDemand webinars (up to 3 hours each)
• 4 x 30-minute tutorials

Estimated total time: 80 hours.

Prior NZPPA Training

If you have completed any of the included NZPPA eLearning subjects in the past 6 months (successfully), you don’t need to repeat it and can receive 40% off the cost of the stream.

This credit applies to the first course (Course 1) only.
For more information, email: [email protected]