Quick answer
With a 31 March balance date, the New Zealand money year runs April to March. Small employers pay PAYE on the 20th of each month. GST is due on the 28th of the month after each period, except 7 May and 15 January. Standard provisional tax falls on 28 August, 15 January and 7 May, terminal tax on 7 February (or 7 April with an agent), and wage and KiwiSaver changes on 1 April.
Key points
- The 20th (PAYE), the 28th (GST), 15 January and 7 May are the dates that matter most.
- 15 January and 7 May each carry both GST and provisional tax for many businesses.
- 1 April resets wages, KiwiSaver and the tax year; 31 March is balance date.
- Terminal tax for the previous year lands on 7 February, or 7 April with a tax agent.
- Put every date in the calendar with a two-week reminder, and fund them weekly.
Every business has a rhythm of money going out on fixed days. In New Zealand that rhythm is set mostly by Inland Revenue, with a few other beats from employment law, ACC and your own lease and loans. Once you can see the whole year on one page, three things happen: the big dates stop being surprises, you can see which months are tight before you get there, and you can set aside the right amount every week instead of scrambling.
This feature lays out the year for the most common setup: a 31 March balance date, two-monthly GST on the cycle with periods ending in odd months (January, March, May, July, September, November), the standard provisional tax option, and a small employer paying PAYE monthly. If your setup is different, the principles hold; the dates move.
Which dates repeat every month?
Three anchors repeat through the year:
- The 20th: small employers pay the previous month’s PAYE, KiwiSaver deductions and contributions, ESCT, student loan and child support deductions. Large employers pay on the 20th and the 5th. See PAYE and payday filing.
- Payday plus 2 working days: employment information is filed with Inland Revenue (electronic filers).
- The 28th (in GST months): GST returns and payments are due for the period that ended the month before, except the March and November periods.
Add your own: rent, loan repayments, insurance premiums, software subscriptions, supplier accounts on 20th-of-the-month terms. Those belong in the same calendar.
What happens in each month?
| Month | Key money dates (31 March balance date, two-monthly GST, standard option) |
|---|---|
| April | 1 April: new tax year, new minimum wage, any KiwiSaver rate change. 7 April: terminal tax for the year before last if your agent has an extension. 20th: March PAYE |
| May | 7 May: GST for period ending March, and provisional tax instalment 3. 20th: April PAYE (first month at new wage rates) |
| June | 20th: May PAYE. 28th: GST for period ending May |
| July | 7 July: income tax return due if you don’t have a tax agent or extension. 20th: June PAYE |
| August | 20th: July PAYE. 28th: GST for period ending July, and provisional tax instalment 1 |
| September | 20th: August PAYE |
| October | 20th: September PAYE. 28th: GST for period ending September. Start planning the summer close-down |
| November | 20th: October PAYE. Invoice everything you can before month end |
| December | 20th: November PAYE. Holiday pay for the close-down; public holidays from 25 December |
| January | 15 January: GST for period ending November, and provisional tax instalment 2. 20th: December PAYE |
| February | 7 February: terminal tax for the year ended last March (without an agent’s extension). 28th: GST for period ending January |
| March | 20th: February PAYE. 31 March: balance date; stocktake; plan April price and wage changes |
ACC levy invoices don’t follow a single date for everyone; for self-employed people they tend to follow the processing of the income tax return. Note the date your invoice usually arrives and add it to the calendar. See ACC levies.
Which dates are the heaviest?
Two dates do most of the damage:
15 January. GST for the period ending 30 November, plus the second provisional tax instalment, plus (five days later) December’s PAYE, which includes holiday pay. It all lands when many businesses have been closed or quiet for three weeks and customers’ accounts teams are just returning. Our summer close-down cash plan is built around this date.
7 May. GST for the period ending 31 March, plus the third provisional tax instalment. In a year when your agent has an extension, last year’s terminal tax will have been due on 7 April, only a month earlier, and April’s payroll is the first at new wage rates.
For six-monthly GST filers, 28 October and 7 May are the heavy dates: half a year’s GST plus a provisional tax instalment each time. For ratio and two-monthly AIM users, provisional tax is spread across six GST dates, so the January and May peaks are flatter.
What does a year look like in dollars?
Illustrative example. A Christchurch building company with $1.8 million of sales excluding GST, eight staff and residual income tax of $60,000 last year.
| Payment | Frequency | Typical amount each time |
|---|---|---|
| PAYE and employer deductions | Monthly (20th) | About $16,000 |
| GST (two-monthly) | Six times | About $22,000 to $30,000, depending on the season |
| Provisional tax (standard: $60,000 + 5%) | 28 Aug, 15 Jan, 7 May | $21,000 each |
| Terminal tax for last year | 7 April (agent’s extension) | Depends on how last year compared with the year before |
| ACC work levy | Annual invoice | A few thousand dollars, by classification |
On 15 January, this business might pay about $26,000 of GST and $21,000 of provisional tax, then $16,000 of PAYE five days later: roughly $63,000 in under a week. On 7 May it’s a similar picture. That’s why the weekly set-aside matters.
How do you turn the calendar into a weekly habit?
- Put every date in a shared calendar with a reminder two weeks ahead. Include the ones that only happen once a year.
- Total the tax for the year: estimated GST, provisional tax, terminal tax, ACC.
- Divide by 52 for a baseline weekly transfer into a tax account, then adjust for seasonal takings. Our GST & provisional tax set-aside planner does this and produces your next dates from today.
- Move PAYE on payday. Deductions are known the moment the pay run is final.
- Check the account the week before each heavy date. If it’s short, you still have time to act.
Remember the weekend rule: when a due date falls on a weekend or public holiday, payment is generally due the next working day. Don’t rely on it; pay early where you can.
How does the calendar change if your setup is different?
Monthly GST. GST is due on the 28th of every month (7 May for March, 15 January for November). Bills are smaller and more frequent, and refunds arrive sooner.
Six-monthly GST. Two GST returns, due 28 October and 7 May, and on the standard or estimation option two provisional tax instalments on the same dates.
Ratio or AIM. Provisional tax moves onto your GST dates: six instalments for two-monthly filers (28 June, 28 August, 28 October, 15 January, 28 February, 7 May), twelve for monthly AIM filers.
A different balance date. Provisional tax dates shift. Inland Revenue shows your own dates in myIR under provisional tax. GST dates don’t depend on balance date (except for six-monthly filers, whose periods end on balance date).
A tax agent. Your income tax return deadline and terminal tax date generally move later, to 7 April for terminal tax. Useful breathing room, but it can stack terminal tax close to the 7 May dates.
Read more on each in provisional tax dates, GST filing frequency and terminal tax.
Where does the April reset fit?
1 April is the hinge of the New Zealand business year. The tax year changes, minimum wage rates take effect, and in 2026 the default KiwiSaver contribution rose to 3.5%. If you employ staff, your cost base changes on that date, and April’s payroll (due 20 May) is the first to show it. Our feature on the April cost reset works through what to update and when.
What should you do when the calendar shows a gap?
The real value of a money calendar is that it shows problems months ahead. If the January column looks frightening in October, you have options: invoice faster, ask for deposits, adjust your provisional tax option with your accountant, talk to Inland Revenue about an instalment arrangement if you’ll need one, or arrange working capital while the business is trading well. You can check what your business could qualify for in about a minute, with no credit check.
Make the calendar the start of a conversation
A business that knows its dates knows its pressure points, and that’s exactly the business a lender likes to deal with. If your calendar shows a season where tax, payroll and growth all compete for the same cash, talk to us before it arrives. We look at unsecured options for trading businesses, typically $5,000 to $500,000, and loans secured on residential or commercial property from $20,000 to $5,000,000. Asking won’t touch your credit file, your enquiry isn’t passed around a list of lenders, and a real person on our New Zealand team reads what you send. Fill in the form accurately and the first call can be about your actual dates and numbers. See if you qualify.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard balance date in New Zealand?
31 March. The tax year runs from 1 April to 31 March, and most businesses use that balance date. Businesses with a different balance date have different provisional tax dates, which Inland Revenue shows in myIR.
When is the income tax return due?
By 7 July for the year ending 31 March, unless you have an extension or use a tax agent, who may have a later deadline.
Which dates have the most payments at once?
15 January and 7 May. For a two-monthly GST filer on the common cycle using the standard provisional tax option, each of those dates carries both a GST payment and a provisional tax instalment.
What if a due date falls on a weekend or public holiday?
Payment is generally due on the next working day. For provisional tax, Inland Revenue's guide confirms a payment made on the next working day is treated as paid on the instalment date.
Do the dates differ if I file GST monthly or six-monthly?
Yes. Monthly filers pay GST every month; six-monthly filers pay twice a year, and on the standard or estimation option pay provisional tax on 28 October and 7 May only.