If you've ever run a fortnightly payroll in New Zealand and wondered whether you've calculated Holidays Act leave correctly, you'll know the anxiety. The Holidays Act 2003 is notoriously complex, and most global payroll tools handle it badly or not at all.
This comparison sticks to tools built for or genuinely adapted to the NZ compliance environment: Employment Hero, PayHero, and Smartly.
What makes NZ payroll different:
- Holidays Act 2003 leave calculations (ordinary weekly pay vs average weekly earnings vs relevant daily pay)
- KiwiSaver auto-enrolment: new employees auto-enrolled at 3% unless they opt out
- ACC levies: change annually, global tools often require manual overrides
Quick verdict:
- Under 10 employees, payroll only: PayHero Origin at $39/mo NZD
- 10-50 employees, want HR + payroll: Employment Hero HR Premium + Payroll Standard
- Want someone else to handle it entirely: Smartly's managed payroll option
Read the full breakdown with pricing tables and head-to-head comparison at the link below.
Prices in NZD, exclude GST. Verified May 2026.
