ENTITLEMENT TO INCREASE TO 10 DAYS

Parliament has passed the Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill to increase the minimum employee sick leave entitlement from 5 days to 10 days per year.

[EMPLOYMENTNZ] MINIMUM SICK LEAVE ENTITLEMENT TO INCREASE TO 10 DAYS

Parliament has passed the Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill to increase the minimum employee sick leave entitlement from 5 days to 10 days per year.

Most employees who have worked for an employer for six months or over are entitled to sick leave if they, or a dependent, are sick or injured. Currently, employees are entitled to 5 days of sick leave per year; however, from 24 July 2021 this will increase to 10 days per year.

Employees will get the extra five days when they reach their next entitlement date – either after reaching 6 months’ employment or on their sick leave entitlement anniversary (12 months after they were last entitled to sick leave).

Employees who already get 10 or more sick days a year will not be affected by this change.

The maximum amount of unused sick leave that an employee can be entitled to will remain 20 days.

Reference: https://www.employment.govt.nz/about/news-and-updates/minimum-sick-leave-entitlement-increase-to-10-days/

Penny Varley

Payroll Administrator