Additional relief teacher funding

On this page

What additional relief teacher funding is
Eligible leave
How to apply
After you apply
ARTF for sports or cultural leave
Long term illness of your principal
What we do not provide ARTF for

What additional relief teacher funding is

Additional relief teacher funding (ARTF) is available for state and state-integrated schools.

It is to help with the costs of employing relief cover for a teacher taking eligible paid leave. Criteria must be met to receive ARTF.

You can apply for additional relief teacher funding when:

a teacher has taken eligible paid leave
your school has employed a reliever to cover the absence, and
your school hasn’t received other funding to cover their leave.

When claiming this funding, you must keep auditable records of the teacher’s leave and the hiring of relief cover.

Eligible leave

ARTF can be claimed for these leave types. Each one has its own conditions.

Sick leave or sick leave to care for a dependant

Your school or kura must pay for the first 8 days of relief teacher funding for each teacher, each year. ARTF can be claimed as a contribution to the cost of relief cover after day 8 of sick leave.

You must submit medical documentation that supports the leave for each day of absence, including the first 8 days.

The teacher's leave must be entered in EdPay using these payroll codes:

Leave code: SL.
Leave reason code: SICK for sick leave, DOMDE for leave to care for a dependent.

Family violence leave

Jury service leave

Sick leave for Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour

We provide funding for Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) and attached teachers from the first day of absence if the sick leave is for more than 5 days. You must hire a suitably qualified relief teacher for the whole period of absence.

We provide this funding because RTLB and attached teachers are not included in the relief teacher calculation of operational funding.

The teacher's leave must be entered in EdPay using these payroll codes:

Leave code: SL.
Leave reason code: SICK for sick leave, DOMDE for leave to care for a dependent.

Acceptable medical documentation for sick leave

For ARTF applications for sick leave, you must provide proof that the teacher was absent due to their illness, or the illness of a dependant (a person who depends on the teacher for care).

This may be:

medical certificates issued by a New Zealand-registered health practitioner
hospital admission and discharge forms
surgical or specialist reports
doctors’ letters or referrals.

Medical certificates must state the expected number of days the teacher will be away, or an expected date that the teacher will return. If this information is not stated, we apply an expiry date of 1 calendar month after the date of issue or the consultation.

The health practitioner providing the medical certificate must be registered with the relevant responsible authority regulated by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 or be a lead maternity carer as defined by the Ministry of Health.

Responsible authorities under the Act – Ministry of Health | Te Whatu Ora

How to apply

Before you start the application, make sure the leave has been entered in EdPay using the correct payroll code. You will also need to have scans of the teacher's medical documentation if they have taken sick leave.

Apply using the Education Resourcing System (ERS).

The Education Resourcing System (ERS) – Applications and Online Systems

You must submit an ARTF claim within 1 year of the date the leave started.

After you apply

We calculate funding based on the number of days your school needs relief cover for. The daily rate is set out in the relevant collective agreement.

For part-time teachers, funding is paid in proportion to their employed hours. When the application is for cover of a part-time teacher, you must outline their usual working hours and days in the application.

If we approve your application, the ARTF payment is made to your school's bank account.

ARTF for sports or cultural leave

This is only provided in cases where the event meets our conditions for sports and cultural ARTF.

Additional relief teacher funding for sports and cultural leave

Long term illness of your principal

For cases of hardship due to the long-term illness of your principal, contact your finance advisor to discuss your situation.

Regional offices

What we do not provide ARTF for

You cannot claim ARTF when a relief teacher is not required, for example during school or public holidays, or teacher-only days. You also cannot claim it if a relief teacher wasn’t employed to cover an absence.

ARTF is not available for:

leave without pay
professional development
bereavement leave
board-approved discretionary leave, including discretionary leave granted to teachers to attend to dependent members of their family (note: this is not the same as sick leave for a teacher to care for a dependent)
leave for job interviews
ACC claims
leave where a board has received some other form of resourcing to cover the absence of a teacher.

ARTF isn’t a full reimbursement of any board’s particular relief related expenses or salary expenditure, which may include the payment of higher duties or acting up allowances.

Who to contact if you have any questions

If you have a query about ARTF, contact the channels team.

Phone: +64 4 463 8383

Email: [email protected]

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Education professionals