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Taxable income distribution of individuals

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These tables show estimates of the number of individuals in bands of taxable income up to:

  • $250,000 for the 2001 to 2009 tax years
  • $300,000 from the 2010 tax year onwards.

They also show aggregate taxable income and income tax for individuals in each income band. The income and tax data is derived from:

  • personal tax summaries until the 2018 tax year,
  • automatic income tax assessments from the 2019 tax year
  • IR3 tax returns,
  • employer PAYE information.

You can download data in tables on income distributions of individuals from the 2001 to 2021 tax years at the bottom of the page. This updated data previously published for the 2019 and 2020 tax years. The 2022 income tax year will be published in in December 2023, as tax agents have a year to file their clients returns.

Data for the tables and graphs was extracted from Inland Revenue systems on 25 November 2022.

Graph of individuals taxable income distribution

Graph showing individuals taxable income distribution for the years 2001, 2011 and 2021.

Graph of aggregate taxable income declared by individuals in each income band

 Graph showing the aggregate taxable income declared by individuals in each income band for the years 2001, 2011 and 2021

Graph of aggregate income tax assessed for individuals in each income band

Graph showing the aggregate income tax assessed for individuals in each band for the tax years 2001, 2011 and 2021.

Individuals with taxable income between $0 and $100 are not included in the above graphs. This is because of high volumes and small amounts in aggregate. The data for these groups is available in the download link at the bottom of the page.

The graphed distributions show spikes of increased volumes of individuals at various taxable income levels below $30,000. This reflects transfers of taxable income tested benefits and New Zealand Super. Other spikes occur near the personal tax thresholds of $14,000, $48,000 and $70,000, after which the personal tax rate increases. In the 2001 tax year the thresholds were different and the spikes instead occurred at $38,000 and $60,000 of taxable income.

The graphed distributions stop at $150,000 of taxable income but the upper limits are available in the download link at the bottom of the page. The 2021 tax year contains higher than usual incomes towards the top of the income distribution. This reflects a release of imputed dividends from companies in advance of the 39% tax rate applying to personal incomes over $180,000 from the 2022 tax year.

Further information on the methodology for calculating these statistics available in the notes below.

Data source

The data in the graphs and tables up to and including the 2015 tax year is based on a random sample of individual taxpayers and has been scaled up to population estimates. The sample comprised 10% of IR3 filers and 2% of other taxpayers, scaled up by weights of 10 for IR3 filers and 50 for other taxpayers to create population estimates.

Population data has been used from the 2016 tax year onwards.

Coverage of individuals

The statistics are based on personal tax return (or square-up) information, boosted by PAYE data for people without a tax return.

There has been a structural break in the coverage of this data from the 2019 tax year. The effect has been to increase the number of individuals included in the tables and graphs through the inclusion of individuals who earn only passive income, as indicated in the table below. 

2001-2018 2019 onwards
Anyone who filed an Individual income tax return - IR3 for that income year. Including if they filed a nil return or had a loss. Included Included
Anyone who received a personal tax summary (PTS) for that income year. PTSs were only automatically issued for certain people who did not file an IR3. Others could request to have one. Included N/A

Anyone whose employer paid their PAYE, including recipients of:

  • income tested benefits, 
  • New Zealand Super, 
  • earnings-related accident compensation income, 
  • student allowances, 
  • paid parental leave. 
This includes if they did not file a return.
Included Included

Anyone who received an automatic income tax assessment for the income year. 

From 2019, these are issued for anybody with any source of income for the year which Inland Revenue holds information of. This includes:

  • wages and salaries, 
  • income tested benefits and transfers,
  • interest, 
  • dividends, 
  • income earned through portfolio investment entities (PIEs) if it was taxed at the wrong rate.
N/A Included

Individuals with part-year income.

 Included if:

  • they filed
  • had PAYE income

Included if:

  • they filed
  • had automatic assessment income
Individuals whose only income was from interest or dividends, all fully taxed at source. Before 2019 they did not need to file a tax return. Excluded Included
Individuals with no taxable income and who did not file a tax return. Excluded Excluded
Individuals who filed a Non-resident individual income tax return – IR3NR. Excluded unless picked up in PAYE Excluded
Individuals whose only income was from PIE(s), all fully and correctly taxed at source. Excluded Excluded
Children Included if they filed a tax return or had PAYE income such as a wage or salary Included if they filed or had automatic assessment income

Coverage of taxable income

Taxable income for individuals includes all assessable income less allowable deductions and losses claimed. Individuals with negative income, because of losses, are recorded as having nil taxable income in the tables. It is calculated on a March tax year basis.

The coverage of income included in the tables has changed from the 2019 tax year, as is indicated below:

2000-01 to 2017-18 2018-19 onwards

PAYE earnings such as:

  • wages, 
  • salaries, 
  • income tested benefits, 
  • New Zealand Super,
  • earnings-related accident compensation income, 
  • student allowances, 
  • schedular payments, 
  • parental leave.
Included Included

Income sources specifically returned on the IR3 form such as:

  • self-employment,
  • shareholder salaries,
  • estate or trust income,
  • overseas income,
  • partnership income,
  • look through company income,
  • Māori authority distributions,
  • rental income (including bright line property income),
  • income from taxable sale/disposal of property,
  • government subsidy
  • other taxable income.
Included if IR3 filed Included if IR3 filed

Deductions such as:

  • brought forward losses
  • loss attributing qualifying companies (LAQC) losses received from companies,
  • look-through losses received from companies, 
  • deductible expenses such as return preparation fees,
  • schedular expenses
Included if IR3 filed Included if IR3 filed
Interest and dividends Included only if IR3 filed or personal tax summary issued Included for all
PIE income (for example KiwiSaver earnings) Excluded Included if PIE used the wrong tax rate

Taxable income definition

Up until (and including) the 2018 tax year, the definition of taxable income for non-fliers only included the total gross PAYE earnings. The calculation did not include: 

  • interest,
  • dividends,
  • KiwiSaver,
  • other PIE earnings.

From the 2019 tax year, all of the above income types have been included in the definition of taxable income. Although for PIE earnings it is only if it was taxed at the wrong rate.

Why we widened the definition

Widening the definition of taxable income has changed the overall distribution of taxable income from the 2019 tax year by:

  • introducing more low-income individuals into the distribution
  • increasing the taxable income of individuals whose interest, dividend and PIE income was not previously included.

A new income group of individuals with income between $0.01 and $100 has been added to the tables from the 2019 tax year to assist in identifying the impact of including more low income individuals into the time series.

Income tax calculation

Income tax for individuals is calculated based on their taxable income as defined above, before including any:

  • tax credits such as imputation credits,
  • overseas taxes paid,
  • Working for Families tax credits.

The following tax credits are applied:

  • the low-income rebate (up to the 2009 tax year),
  • independent earner tax credit (from the 2010 tax year)
  • tax rebates on the IR3 and personal tax summary.

The calculation does not include the donations or housekeeper rebates which were returned separately.

PAYE earners who do not file returns

From 2001 to 2018, individuals who earned PAYE income but did not file their return have their tax calculated as if they had instead filed an annual return. From the 2019 tax year these individuals will have received an automatic annual assessment.

Taxable income distribution of individuals 2022 (XLSX 211KB) Download worksheet

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