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Secondary Tax Guide — Tax Codes, Rates, and Rules for Second Jobs in NZ

the New Zealand secondary tax rules for the second job or the additional income sources. The guide covers the S tax code (the 17.5% flat rate), the SH code (the 33% flat rate for the higher incomes), the ST and SB codes (the secondary with the student loan), and the year-end square-up through the personal tax return.

Secondary Tax Codes and Rates

The secondary employment is taxed at the flat rate using the specific tax codes: S (the secondary job, no student loan) at the 17.5% rate, SH (the secondary job, the higher earner) at the 33% rate, ST (the secondary with the student loan) at the 17.5% plus the 12% student loan repayment, and SB (the secondary, the higher earner with the student loan) at the 33% plus the 12% student loan. The employer must use the secondary tax code if the employee has the main job elsewhere. The secondary rates apply only to the second job — the main job uses the M or ME tax code with the progressive PAYE rates. Refer to our Tax Codes Guide → for the full list.

Year-End Square-Up

The flat-rate secondary deductions may result in the underpayment or the overpayment at the year-end. The IRD reconciles the total tax through the personal tax summary or the automatic tax assessment. If the secondary rate was too low (for the high earners with the income exceeding $78,100 where the marginal rate is 30% or higher), the additional tax is due at the year-end. The square-up is managed through the myIR portal and the end-of-year tax return. See our Tax Refund Guide → for the refund claims.

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