Starting a Business Guide — Registration, Tax, and Compliance in NZ
starting a business in New Zealand. The guide covers the business structure selection, the business registration with the Companies Office, the IRD registration, the GST registration, and the initial tax and compliance obligations.
Business Registration Steps
Starting a business in New Zealand involves: (a) choosing the business structure (the sole trader, the partnership, the company, the trust), (b) registering the business name with the Companies Office (for the companies and the registered trading names), (c) obtaining the IRD number (the "IRD" for the tax registration), (d) registering for the GST if the annual turnover is expected to exceed $60,000, (e) registering the KiwiSaver as the employer (if planning to hire the staff or to contribute as the self-employed), (f) registering for the ACC (the "CoverPlus" for the self-employed), and (g) obtaining the relevant licences and permits (the "local council, the industry-specific").
Ongoing Obligations
The ongoing obligations include: (a) filing the GST returns (the "monthly, the two-monthly, or the six-monthly"), (b) paying the provisional tax (if the residual income exceeds $5,000), (c) filing the annual tax return (the IR3, the IR4, or the IR6), (d) filing the Employment Information (EI) for the payroll, (e) maintaining the business records for the 7 years, and (f) filing the annual return with the Companies Office (for the companies). See our Business Tax Guide → for the detailed tax rules.