What is NZPPA Night School?

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

There are three development streams: Payroll Technician, Payroll Practitioner, and Payroll Specialist.

Each stream aligns with NZPPA Certification. Completing a stream covers 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.
• A comprehensive physical course manual for each eLearning course.
• An end-of-course assessment for each eLearning course.
• The latest range of 2026 webinars covering upcoming changes, with comprehensive notes provided for each webinar.
• FREE initial NZPPA Certification assessment, normally $275 without membership. *Must be working in payroll to meet certification requirements.
• The latest NZPPA Practice Guide 2026 is included.

The Three Night School Payroll Development Streams

1. Payroll Technician

Ideal for those new to payroll or currently processing payroll for 3-6 months. Aligns with 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 On-Demand webinars.
• 4 x 30-minute tutorials.

Estimated total time: 80 hours.

2. Payroll Practitioner

Designed for intermediate-level payroll practitioners wanting a refresher or capability uplift. 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 On-Demand webinars.
• 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 On-Demand webinars.
• 4 x 30-minute tutorials.

Estimated total time: 80 hours.

Prior NZPPA Training

If you have successfully completed any of the included NZPPA eLearning subjects in the past six months, you do not need to repeat it and can receive 40% off the cost of the stream.

This credit applies only to Course 1.

For more information, email training@nzppa.co.nz.