Bookkeeping software for New Zealand: bank feeds, receipts and NZD accounts
Finn keeps a double-entry ledger in New Zealand dollars. You import bank and card statements as CSV or PDF, and Finn reads whatever layout your bank uses, so there is no per-bank setup to maintain. Each transaction is categorised using the context of your business, your open invoices and your earlier activity. You only see the items Finn is unsure about.
Receipts do not need a special app. Forward them by email, or send a photo through WhatsApp, Telegram or Slack, and Finn extracts the supplier, date, amount and GST, then links the document to the matching bank transaction. Stripe, Wise, Mercury and Revolut can also be connected where you use them. Foreign currency amounts are converted and recorded against the NZD ledger.
20 OctThe PAYE deductions, September lands on 20 Oct. Finn puts it on your calendar and reminds you ahead of it.
GST return software for New Zealand: 15% GST, registration and due dates
GST is 15% and applies very broadly, with no reduced rates for food or other categories. Exports are zero-rated and financial services are exempt. Registration becomes mandatory once taxable turnover passes NZ$60,000 in any 12-month period, past or expected. Below that, registration is optional. Finn tracks GST on every sale and purchase and prepares the return figures.
Filing is six-monthly for turnover under NZ$500,000, two-monthly by default, and monthly above NZ$24 million. Returns are generally due on the 28th of the month after the period ends. The period ending 30 November is due 15 January, and the period ending 31 March is due 7 May. You file through myIR, and Finn does not file with Inland Revenue for you.
A GST return must follow your registered accounting basis: payments, invoice or hybrid. Payments basis is generally available where sales are NZ$2 million or less. Finn confirms your basis before treating a return as final. It also prepares the annual adjustments, such as the non-deductible part of entertainment, rather than cutting every meal claim by half.
IR4 company tax return software: 28% company tax and provisional tax
Company tax is a flat 28%. Māori authorities pay 17.5%. Companies attach imputation credits to dividends, up to 28/72 of the cash dividend, so shareholders are not taxed twice on the same profit. Finn tracks the imputation credit account so you can see what credits are available before you declare a dividend.
The IR4 company return is due 7 July, or 31 March of the following year if you file through an approved tax agent. Terminal tax is due 7 February, or 7 April where you are linked to a tax agent. Provisional tax under the standard option is three instalments, due 28 August, 15 January and 7 May. Use-of-money interest can apply to under or over payments.
Finn keeps your books current through the year, prepares the profit figures that the return and each instalment depend on, and puts every date on your calendar. Your accountant or you submit the IR4 to Inland Revenue through myIR. Finn does not submit it, and it does not choose between filing routes for you. It shows you which date applies so the decision is easy.
KiwiSaver and PAYE payroll: ESCT, ACC and payday filing
Employers withhold PAYE at the personal income tax rates and pay the ACC earners' levy, which is 1.67% of gross earnings for 2025/26. Employment information must be filed within two working days of each payday. Electronic filing becomes mandatory once annual PAYE and ESCT reach NZ$50,000. Finn tracks what you owe and when.
KiwiSaver default contributions are 3.5% from the employee and 3.5% from the employer from the first pay date on or after 1 April 2026, and the default rises to 4% from 1 April 2028. Employers also pay ESCT on their contribution, at a rate set by the employee's income band, from 10.5% up to NZ$16,800 to 39% above NZ$216,000.
Finn records payroll in your books and prepares the PAYE, KiwiSaver, ESCT and ACC figures. Running the payroll and submitting payday filings stay with you or your payroll provider, so you keep control of what reaches Inland Revenue. Finn checks the totals in your ledger against what you report each period.
Companies Office annual return: company types and your NZBN
A New Zealand company is a separate legal entity with limited liability and no minimum share capital. The other structures are the sole trader, the partnership, the limited partnership and a branch of an overseas company. A look-through company is a company with no more than five look-through counted owners that elects with Inland Revenue for income and losses to flow through to the owners.
Every company must file an annual return with the Companies Office in its assigned filing month, set at incorporation. The return confirms directors, shareholders and address, and is separate from the Inland Revenue tax return. Your IRD number is the main tax identifier, and the 13-digit NZBN identifies the business. Finn stores these and reminds you ahead of your filing month.
Sole traders and the NZ$60,000 GST threshold
A sole trader is taxed at personal rates, with unlimited liability. For 2025/26 there is no tax-free threshold: 10.5% up to NZ$15,600, 17.5% to NZ$53,500, 30% to NZ$78,100, 33% to NZ$180,000 and 39% above that. Finn tracks your income and expenses through the year so you can see your position before the balance date.
A sole trader's own meals are normally private, while a client lunch is generally entertainment and 50% deductible. Home-office costs must be apportioned fairly, and for the 2026 income year the Inland Revenue square-metre rate is NZ$57.30. Finn asks who benefited and where before it applies a treatment, because the answer changes the deduction.
Xero alternative for New Zealand: switching from Xero, MYOB or a spreadsheet
Most New Zealand small businesses arrive from Xero, MYOB or a spreadsheet. Export your transactions, chart of accounts and contacts as CSV files and upload them to Finn. Finn maps your accounts and columns to its own structure, so you do not build a mapping by hand, and it asks you about anything it cannot place with confidence.
There is no lock-in. Your data stays exportable, and you can run Finn alongside your current software until you are comfortable. Keep your old tool's export as a record of earlier years. Finn then takes over the bookkeeping, GST tracking and deadline reminders, and you review what it prepares rather than typing it in.