23 Working Days: How to Calculate the NZ Bond Lodgement Deadline
The RTA gives landlords 23 working days to lodge a tenancy bond with Tenancy Services after receiving the payment. Sounds straightforward — until you try to count it and realise "working days" isn't as simple as it looks.
What Counts as a Working Day
Under section 2 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, a "working day" excludes:
- A Saturday or Sunday
- Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, the Sovereign's birthday, Matariki Observance Day, and Labour Day; if Waitangi Day or Anzac Day falls on a weekend, the following Monday is also excluded
- The day observed in the area as the anniversary of its province
- The period from Good Friday through the Tuesday after Easter
- The year-end exclusion period: 24 December through 3 January inclusive
The year-end exclusion is easy to miss. If you receive a bond in mid-December, the clock stops during this statutory period.
When Does the Clock Start
Day 1 is the day after you receive the bond payment. If the tenant pays the bond on a Monday, the first working day is Tuesday.
"Receive" means the day the money actually reaches you — the date of the bank transfer, cash handover, or cheque clearance. Not the date you invoice it or the date the tenancy agreement says it's due.
Worked Example: December Bond
A tenant pays $2,200 bond on Monday 1 December 2025.
- Day 1 starts Tuesday 2 December
- Count 16 working days through Tuesday 23 December
- Clock stops from Wednesday 24 December 2025 through Saturday 3 January 2026
- Counting resumes Monday 5 January 2026 (day 17)
- Deadline: Tuesday 13 January 2026
That's more than six calendar weeks for what's nominally a "23-day" deadline. If you assumed 23 calendar days from 1 December, you'd think the deadline was 24 December. The real risk is collecting a bond in late November and assuming you have until late December, when the deadline falls in January because of the year-end exclusion.
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Provincial Anniversary Days
The Act excludes the day observed in the relevant area as its provincial anniversary day, such as Auckland, Wellington, or Canterbury Anniversary Day. A landlord in Auckland counting 23 working days in late January needs to subtract Auckland Anniversary Day.
Check the anniversary date for the relevant area each year. The Department of Internal Affairs publishes the official list.
What Must Be Completed by the Deadline
If the tenant pays the bond to the landlord, the landlord must lodge it online with Tenancy Services within 23 working days of receiving it. Use Bond Hub or connected property management software and complete the payment through that service. If the tenant pays Tenancy Services directly, the landlord lodges the request first and agrees the payment timeframe with the tenant.
If you're lodging through Bond Hub, submit the request and complete the payment promptly so the bond is lodged within the deadline.
The Consequence of Missing It
Late lodgement is an unlawful act under the RTA. The Tenancy Tribunal can award exemplary damages of up to $1,500. If you realise you've missed the deadline, lodge immediately — voluntary self-correction is a mitigating factor.
Our NZ Bond Lodgement guide includes a working-day calculator that accounts for the statutory exclusions, so you can plug in the date you received the bond and get the exact deadline.
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