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Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators

by nz.co.calculate
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nz_overtime_pay_calculator

Work out a week's gross pay in New Zealand with overtime at time and a half, double time and time and a quarter.

Use for: 'overtime calculator NZ', 'how much is time and a half', 'double
time pay', 'is overtime required by law NZ', 'penal rates NZ', 'weekly pay
with overtime'.

NEW ZEALAND LAW SETS NO OVERTIME RATE. There is no statutory time and a
half for hours over 40, and no weekend or night rate. The multipliers here
apply only if the employment agreement provides them. Overtime pay must be
agreed in the agreement (Employment New Zealand): it may be factored into
a salary, or paid at the normal rate or higher, so a salaried employee's
extra hours may earn nothing extra. The one statutory premium is a public
holiday worked: at least time and a half for the time worked, based on
relevant daily pay or average daily pay (Holidays Act 2003 s50), and an
alternative holiday only if the day would otherwise have been a working
day (s56). That is nz_holiday_pay_calculator.

PAY FOR EVERY HOUR, OVERTIME INCLUDED, MUST MEET THE MINIMUM WAGE (Minimum
Wage Act 1983 s6). On a salary, divide pay by all hours worked to check.
below_adult_minimum_wage flags an ordinary rate under the ADULT minimum,
read from the rate register; that can be lawful on the starting-out or
training rate, under 16, or under a minimum wage exemption permit
(Minimum Wage Act 1983 s8), and the notes say which.

THE PREMIUM IS NOT THE OVERTIME PAY. Five hours at time and a half on $30 is
$225, but $150 of that is what the hours would earn anyway; the premium is
$75.

Args:
    hourly_rate: Ordinary gross hourly rate.
    normal_hours: Ordinary hours this week.
    time_and_half_hours: Hours at 1.5x.
    double_time_hours: Hours at 2x.
    time_and_quarter_hours: Hours at 1.25x, for example Saturday work
        under some agreements.

Returns:
    Normal pay, each overtime band, total weekly pay, the overtime premium,
    a rate table and whether the ordinary rate is below the adult minimum.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "hourly_rate": "<hourly_rate>"
    },
    "name": "nz_overtime_pay_calculator"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
hourly_rateYes
normal_hoursNo
double_time_hoursNo
time_and_half_hoursNo
time_and_quarter_hoursNo

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Added

TDQS

A4.6/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations supplied, the description carries the full behavioral burden and does so well: it states that no statutory overtime rate exists in NZ, warns that salaried overtime may earn nothing extra, explains the below_adult_minimum_wage flag and its lawful exceptions, and distinguishes the overtime premium from the overtime pay. The Returns section discloses what the caller gets back.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The structure is strong: purpose first, then query triggers, then statutory caveats, then Args and Returns. The legal citations and worked premium example are long but each supports a real behavioral point; some of the minimum-wage prose could be trimmed without losing guidance.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a five-parameter calculator with no annotations and no output schema, the description covers inputs, outputs, legal constraints, and sibling routing. There is no output schema, but the Returns block enumerates the produced values, so nothing essential for correct invocation is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 0%, so the description must supply all meaning, and the Args block documents every one of the five parameters, including what 'ordinary gross hourly rate' and 'normal hours' mean and an example use for time_and_quarter_hours. It does not restate the schema defaults (40 normal hours, 0 for overtime bands), a minor omission given the low coverage.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The opening sentence names the exact computation (a week's gross pay in New Zealand) and the three specific multipliers handled. It is clearly distinguishable from sibling tools, and the description explicitly routes public-holiday premiums to nz_holiday_pay_calculator, so an agent can tell the two apart without opening a schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The 'Use for:' list of concrete query phrases gives strong retrieval and routing context, and the description explicitly excludes the public-holiday case by naming nz_holiday_pay_calculator. It does not, however, say when to prefer simpler siblings such as nz_hourly_to_salary_calculator or nz_minimum_wage_calculator for non-overtime pay questions.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators toolsInspect
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