Income tax returns (IR3)
What is an IR3 income tax return?
The tax year runs from 1 April to 31 March. At the end of each tax year IR3 taxpayers file an Individual income tax return (IR3). This tells us:
- what your income was during the year
- how much tax you paid on your income
- any business expenses you claimed
- whether you'll get a refund or have tax to pay.
Do I need to file an IR3?
You need to file an IR3 if you earned income other than salary, wages, interest, dividends, and/or taxable Maori authority distributions. Other income includes:
- rental income
- self-employed or business income
- overseas income
- income from cash jobs or "under the table" payments
- income from an illegal enterprise
- royalties
- more than $200 of schedular payments (formerly withholding payments)
- estate, trust or partnership income
- over $200 of overseas interest and dividends that did have tax deducted
- overseas interest and dividends that didn't have tax deducted
- income without PAYE deducted, such as shareholder-employee salary or a claim received under a taxable loss of earnings policy.
- allocated income from a portfolio investment entity that was taxed at a zero rate.
You'll also need to file an IR3 if you:
- have losses to claim or brought forward from the previous year
- have excess imputation credits brought forward from the previous year
- left or arrived in New Zealand part-way through the year
- are filing a return for a deceased person to the date of death (if there is a requirement to file a return for the income year)
- were declared bankrupt part-way through the year
- changed your balance date part-way through the year
- received allocated income from a portfolio investment entity that was taxed at a rate lower than your correct rate
- choose to include dividends received from a portfolio investment entity listed on the New Zealand Stock exchange, in order to claim imputation credits.
Use our online questionnaire
From April, you can find out if you need to file an IR3 for the tax year just ended by using our questionnaire Do you need to file an IR3 return or receive a personal tax summary?
Getting your IR3
We'll send you an IR3 income tax return automatically by 31 May if :
- we know that you earned any of the types of income above
- you filed an IR3 last year.
If you need to file an IR3 and you or your tax agent haven't automatically received one by the end of May, you can file your return online or request a paper copy. See "Next steps" below for options for filing your return.
If we send you an IR3 and you don't need to file one, please call us on 0800 377 774 and we'll update your details.
You may also need a summary of earnings
If you need to file an IR3 and also received salary, wages, schedular payments (formerly withholding payments), benefits or taxable pensions you'll need a summary of earnings. This shows your income details and tax deductions from your employer or benefit payer. You'll need it to help you complete your IR3.
We'll send you a summary of earnings in late May of each year. If you need a summary of earnings and have not received one by the end of May you can get your earnings details:
- from our Look at account information service under "Get it done online", or
- by using the Request a summary of earnings service.
If you have a tax agent who looks after your tax affairs, contact them before requesting your summary of earnings as they may already have yours.
Filing your IR3
There are several options for filing your tax return. See "Next steps" below. below.
If you get Working for Families Tax Credits
If you get Working for Families Tax Credits (previously family assistance) from us we'll send you a change of circumstances form at the end of the tax year, showing your family details we have on file.
You need to check the information on the form. Write any changes on the form and send it back with your IR3, or call us with the changes. We use it to work out your Working for Families Tax Credits entitlement for the year.
If you have a student loan
If you have a student loan and file an IR3, we'll send you an end-of-year repayment calculation to square up your student loan repayments.
Find out more: The end of year square up process for student loans
What happens when
|
Date |
What happens |
|---|---|
|
April |
IR3 tax returns sent |
|
May |
Summary of earnings sent or details available online though Look at account information |
|
7 July |
IR3 tax returns due (unless you have a tax agent or extension of time) |
|
After IR3 is processed |
Return acknowledgements sent, refunds and tax bills are processed |
Find out more
Next steps
Date published: 01 Jul 2008
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