This category is limited to the registration, assessment and processing of tax obligations and other entitlements, including associated review and Crown accounting activities, and the collection and sharing of related information with other agencies.
| Budgeted to spend | Spent | Achieved |
|---|---|---|
| $188.4 million | $187.3 million | 7 out of 8 measures |
How we performed
Processing performance measures focus on timeliness and efficiency for the key services and activities that affect customers. Our systems and more automated processes have made IR more efficient in the processing of customers’ returns, registrations, payments and refunds.
In 2024–25, we:
- processed 12.6 million returns (income tax, GST and employer information)
- issued 1.3 million refunds (income tax and GST)
- transferred $10.7 billion to KiwiSaver scheme providers
- processed 691,000 registrations.
Performance measure results
This year, we achieved 7 out of 8 targets, the same as in 2023–24.
| Performance measure | Actual 2023–2024 | Target 2024–2025 | Actual 2024–2025 | Target 2025–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of social policy and tax registrations processed within 5 working days | 86.8% | 85% | 89.9% (achieved) | 85% |
This timeliness measure looks at the time taken to complete social policy and tax registrations from the date the registration was received. Registrations included are:
|
||||
| Percentage of income tax refund disbursements resulting from a return issued within 5 weeks1 | 86.6% | 85% | 92.0% (achieved) | 85% |
| Percentage of GST refund disbursements issued within 4 weeks | 97.1% | 95% | 97.7% (achieved) | 95% |
| Section 46 of the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985 stipulates that refunds are to be issued within 15 working days unless selected for screening or investigation. The 4-week timeframe allows additional time to include those refund claims selected for screening or investigation in our performance. | ||||
| Percentage of income tax returns finalised within 3 weeks | 99.0% | 95% | 99.8% (achieved) | 95% |
| Percentage of GST returns finalised within 3 weeks | 99.92% | 98% | 99.95% (achieved) | 98% |
| Percentage of KiwiSaver contributions passed to scheme providers within 3 days | 99.4% | 98% | 99.1% (achieved) | 98% |
| Average cost of processing income tax returns, GST returns and employment information | $2.16 | $1.75 or less | $1.87 (not achieved) | Measure retired Disclosure of judgements |
| Not achieved—With most processing now being systems-based, system costs including depreciation are the key driver of this measure. The measure is being retired from 2025–26. | ||||
| Percentage of child support assessments issued within 2 weeks | 83.9% | 80% | 88.0% (achieved) | 80% |
All targets are unaudited.
1From the financial year 2024–25, disbursements less than $1 are excluded from this measure. This removes small credits of less than $1, which are only released once a total disbursement threshold of $1 or more is reached.
What it cost
| Revenue | Actual 2024 ($000) | Actual 2025 ($000) | Unaudited revised budget 2025 ($000) | Unaudited budget 2025 ($000) | Unaudited forecast 2026 ($000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue from the Crown | $183,821 | $184,815 | $184,815 | $150,271 | $180,981 |
| Other revenue | $3,493 | $3,466 | $3,621 | $3,634 | $3,621 |
| Total revenue | $187,314 | $188,281 | $188,436 | $153,905 | $184,602 |
| Total expenses | $180,385 | $187,317 | $188,436 | $153,905 | $184,602 |
| Net surplus or (deficit) | $6,929 | $964 | - | - | - |