Rest and meal breaks, by shift length
Enter when a shift starts and ends. You get the minimum paid rest breaks and unpaid meal break that Part 6D of the Employment Relations Act 2000 requires for that length, the default timings that apply when you and your employee have not agreed others, and the paid hours that leaves.
An end at or before the start is the next day.
Shift length
8h
- Minimum breaks
- 2 rest breaks, 1 meal break
- Unpaid time
- 30 minutes (meal break)
- Paid hours
- 7h 30m
Default timings if nothing is agreed
- 10:50 to 11:00Paid rest break, 10 minutesHalfway between the start of work and the meal break
- 12:45 to 13:15Unpaid meal break, 30 minutesIn the middle of the work period
- 15:05 to 15:15Paid rest break, 10 minutesHalfway between the meal break and the finish of the work period
These are the Act’s fallback timings. You and your employee should agree when breaks are taken and how long they are; the fallback timings apply only when nothing has been agreed.
Rest breaks are paid and stay in the hours; meal breaks are unpaid and come out. This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.
Roster a whole week with breaks includedThe minimum breaks for each shift length
Part 6D of the Employment Relations Act 2000 (s69ZD) sets the minimum by the length of the work period. Rest breaks are 10 minutes and paid; meal breaks are 30 minutes and unpaid.
| Work period | Paid rest breaks | Unpaid meal breaks |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 hours | None | None |
| 2 to 4 hours | 1 rest break | None |
| Over 4 to 6 hours | 1 rest break | 1 meal break |
| Over 6 to under 10 hours | 2 rest breaks | 1 meal break |
| 10 to 12 hours | 3 rest breaks | 1 meal break |
Source: Employment New Zealand: rest and breaks. Shifts over 12 hours are flagged rather than given a row this table does not have.
What the calculator is telling you
Three things to know before the roster goes up.
Agree the timing first
The Act expects employers and employees to have a reasonable chance to agree when breaks are taken and how long they are, and an agreed timing applies. The default timings the calculator shows are the fallback for when nothing has been agreed: a rest break in the middle of a short shift, a meal break in the middle of a long one, and rest breaks halfway through each half.
Source: Employment New Zealand: rest and breaksRest breaks are paid, meal breaks are not
Each rest break is 10 minutes and paid, so it stays inside the hours worked. Each meal break is 30 minutes and unpaid unless you agree otherwise, so it comes out. That is why an 8-hour shift shows 7 hours 30 minutes of paid time. Clockie’s own timesheet break deduction is a separate setting each business chooses; this page shows the statutory minimum.
Source: Employment New Zealand: rest and breaksBreaks belong on the roster
A roster that shows each shift’s breaks makes cover easy to plan and gives staff a clear expectation before the day starts. The free roster generator inserts these minimums for every shift in a week, and the industry roster templates come with them already in place.
This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.
Break questions, answered
- How many breaks does an 8-hour shift get in New Zealand?
- Two paid 10-minute rest breaks and one unpaid 30-minute meal break, the Part 6D minimum for a work period over 6 and under 10 hours. If nothing else is agreed, Employment New Zealand’s fallback timing puts the meal break in the middle of the shift and a rest break halfway through each half: for a 9 to 5 that is 10:50, 12:45 and 15:05.
- Are rest breaks paid?
- Yes. Rest breaks are paid and count as time worked. Meal breaks are unpaid unless you agree otherwise, so an 8-hour shift with one meal break is 7 hours 30 minutes of paid time. The calculator shows both figures.
- Do we have to use these timings?
- No. The Act expects employers and employees to have a reasonable chance to agree when breaks are taken and how long they are, and an agreed timing applies. The timings shown are the fallback that applies only when nothing has been agreed. This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.
- What about a shift longer than 12 hours?
- The table this calculator is built on stops at 12 hours. Employment New Zealand’s table continues: 12 to 14 hours is three rest breaks and two meal breaks, and 14 to 16 hours is four rest breaks and two meal breaks. The calculator flags any shift over 12 hours and links to that page rather than guessing.
- Does it handle overnight shifts?
- Yes. An end time at or before the start time is taken as the next day, so 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours. The calculator has no date, so it cannot allow for the night the clocks change; the roster generator measures a dated shift exactly.
- Is this the same as the break Clockie deducts from a timesheet?
- No. In Clockie the break deduction is a setting each business chooses for payroll, for example 30 minutes once a shift passes 4 hours. This calculator shows the statutory minimum for a shift length, which is what a roster should provide for. The two can differ, and both are visible to you.
Breaks on the roster, hours on the clock
In Clockie the roster lives next to the time clock: build a week per location, publish it by email or text message, see who is rostered today on the kiosk, and compare rostered hours with clock-ins. Rostering is included in every plan.
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