School term dates

It's important that your school term dates are correct in Novopay Online, because that defines how your employees' holiday pay is calculated .

Computer icon - to denote system steps in Novopay Online.Update your school's term dates


These are the Ministry's published term dates. You can use these or your school can set its own dates.

2020 term 4 end Date 2021 Term 1 Start Date 2021 Term 4 End Date
Primary and intermediate schools 18 December 2020 1 February 2021 20 December 2021
Secondary and composite schools 16 December 2020 1 February 2021 20 December 2021


To update your school term dates:
  1. Log in to Novopay Online using your username and password, and click Sign On.

  2. Go to My School > School Leave Details > Maintain School Terms.

  3. Click Next on the School Selection screen.

  4. Check that the 2020 End of Term 4 date we have listed for your school is correct. You can change it, by typing it in or selecting from the dropdown calendar.

    Note: If your school's end date is a Friday, enter the following Sunday in the End of Term 4 field. This ensures your teachers' salary is paid up to the Sunday, and holiday pay is paid from the Monday. Non-teachers who finish on the last day of school will be paid up to the Friday unless they are rostered to work on the Saturday/Sunday. Their annual leave will be paid from the Monday.

  5. Click Add Row.

  6. Type 2021 in the Term Year field.

  7. Type in, or select from the dropdown calendar, your school's Start of Term 1 and the End of Term 4 dates for 2021. If you don't know what they will be, use the Ministry's published dates.

  8. Click Save.