Tax refunds
Who may get a tax refund?
You may get a tax refund if you were:
- working while at school
- a beneficiary, salary or wage earner.
You may also get a refund if you:
- paid child care, donations, or a housekeeper
- file a tax return.
Work out if you need to do anything at the end of the tax year.
Those most likely to get a refund
Most beneficiaries, salary and wage earners will have paid the right amount of tax and won't be eligible for a refund. You're most likely to get a refund if you:
- worked while at school
- worked for part of the year
- received a lump sum payment (such as a bonus or redundancy)
- earned less than $9,880
- had more than one employer during the year
- used a secondary tax code when your total income is under $40,000
- have expenses to claim.
How to get a refund
Step 1: Work out whether you will receive a refund
To work out whether you will receive a refund, use the:
- Personal tax summary calculation for 2008 or
- Personal tax worksheet. Phone 0800 257 773 to request one (have your IRD number handy).
Note:
To calculate your refund you need to know your income for the last tax year. If you don't know your income you may need to request a summary of earnings.
Step 2: Decide whether to request a personal tax summary (PTS)
| If ... | then ... |
|---|---|
| the result is a tax refund | request a personal tax summary. |
| you have tax to pay | stop - do nothing. |
Step 3: Request a personal tax summary
Request a personal tax summary.
Note
If you don't check whether you will get a refund before you request a PTS you may end up with a tax bill that you will have to pay.
Find out more
- Work out if you need to do anything at the end of the tax year
- Personal tax summaries
- Do you need to file an IR3 return or receive a personal tax summary for 2008?
Date published: 29 Sep 2008
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