Public Hoilday Pay
If the Employee had work on the day in
question. ..
Relevant daily pay is used to calculate payment for public holidays
and alternative holidays.
Relevant daily pay reflects what the employee would have been paid
if they had worked on the day in question.
1. In many cases it will be clear what payment the employee
would otherwise have earned on the day – if this is the case, then
that amount should be used as relevant daily pay.
Any such calculation must include:
- Productivity or incentives payments, including commission, if
those payments would have been received had the employee
worked.
- Overtime payments
- The cash value of board & lodgings provided.
The calculation must exclude any payment of any employer
contribution to a superannuation scheme for the benefit of the
employee.
If relevant daily pay is being determined for a public holiday,
the amount does not include additional amounts added because of the
requirement to pay time and a half.
2. In cases where this amount is not clear:
The payment is an average one calculated by dividing the employee's
gross earnings for either:
- The four weeks before the end of the pay period immediately
before the holiday or leave
or
- where the pay period is longer than four weeks, the pay period
before the calculation
by the number of whole or part days the employee either worked or
was on paid leave or holiday during that period.
3. Employment agreements may specify a rate of relevant daily
pay, but only if that rate is greater than or equal to the rate
determined according to (1) or (2) above.
The Department of Labour have a vey good online tool making it
easy to work out what pay and leave an employee is entitled to on
public holidays. You can also use it to work out sick and
bereavement leave entitlements.
Make sure you have payroll information or a payslip handy when you
use the tool.
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