Education Service Payroll

Your pay centre pays employees in arrears for hours they have already worked, or will have worked (within the pay period fortnight for the instruction you send).

Payments in advance are illegal

Payments in advance are illegal under the Education Act 1989.

Falsifying wage records to prepay employees, for example stating an employee has worked in the school on dates they didn't is illegal under the Employment Relations Act 2000.

Payments in advance are full of risk

These risks include your:

employee not completing the work because they leave your school
employee receiving an old collective agreement pay rate for work they complete when a new pay rate comes into effect
employee's service record being incorrect which may lead to a personal grievance by the employee.

You may be prosecuted

Payments in advance fall within the ministry’s fraud policy: schools are liable for prosecution if they make prepayments.

Employment Relations Act 2000
Education Act 1989
Financial Information for Schools Handbook: theft and fraud prevention policy

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Get employee’s signature for changes

Before you make any changes to an employee's pay or personal details, the employee must give their approval.

Get their signature for your record before you complete a payroll form for the change.

Find it

School employment agreements

Read it

Employment Relations Act 2000

Education Service Payroll

Quick links

List of payroll forms

School employment agreements

Ministry of Education

New Zealand Qualifications Authority

New Zealand Teachers Council

Inland Revenue

Use payroll forms for your payroll instructions

Find a payroll form

Complete your form

Save your form

Send your form

Completing payroll forms - legal responsibilities of payroll administrators

Give true and accurate information

Pay conditions must fit employment agreement provisions

Only pay for work completed: do not make advance payments

Payroll pays employees in arrears