<p>This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a new dithiocarbazate ligand (2-acetyl-pyridine-<i>S</i>-<i>p-</i>clorobenzyl-dithiocarbazate – HL) and its Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes, [Cu(L)(Cl)] (1), [Cu(L)(Br)] (2), [Zn(L)(μ-CH₃COO)]₂ (3), and [Zn(L)₂] (4)_. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the ligand coordinates through its thiol tautomer by the <i>NNS</i> donor atom system to the metal center. The Cu(II) complexes are monomers with a square geometry. In contrast, complex (3) is presented as an asymmetric dimer with acetate bridges linking two Zn(II) atoms and shows a square base pyramid geometry. Complex (4) is a mononuclear compound with an octahedral geometry. UV–Vis spectra show ligand–metal charge transfer bands in all complexes and the IR spectra confirm the absence of the υ(N–H) and υ(C = S) stretching modes. The mass spectrometry shows the compounds [M + H]⁺ molecular ions, their isotopic distribution, and characteristic fragmentations. The ¹H NMR spectra of the ligand and zinc complex confirmed the thione tautomer of the dithiocarbazate. Hirshfeld surface analysis confirmed the intermolecular interactions in the crystal structures through the d_norm function and <i>shape index</i> functions, and the analysis of the fingerprint plots that quantified all the existing contacts. To explore the details of the electronic and vibrational structure of the synthesized complexes, a theoretical study was carried out using density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent variant TD-DFT to elucidate the nature of the main electronic transitions.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>