Skip to main content

North Island flooding | Many of you have been affected by the flooding in the North Island and may need help keeping up with your tax obligations. Find out more

Inland Revenue Inland Revenue
  • About us
    • About us
    • IR careers
  • News
    • Media releases
    • Updates
    • Subscribe
    • Seminars
  • Related Websites
    • Tax Technical
    • Tax Policy
    • International
  • Contact us
    • Contact us
    • Media queries
    • Tax Technical queries
    • Tax Policy queries
  • English
Register myIR login
myIR login
Individuals and families Ngā tāngata me ngā whānau
  • IRD numbers Ngā tau IRD
  • Income tax for individuals Te tāke moni whiwhi mō ngā tāngata takitahi
  • File my individual tax return Te tuku i tētahi puka tāke takitahi
  • Support for families Ngā tautoko i ngā whānau
  • KiwiSaver Poua he Oranga
  • Student loans Student loans
  • Self-employed Mahi ā-kiri
  • More... Tāpiri atu…
Business and organisations Ngā pakihi me ngā whakahaere
  • Income tax Tāke moni whiwhi mō ngā pakihi
  • Employing staff Te tuku mahi ki ngā kaimahi
  • KiwiSaver for employers Te KiwiSaver mō ngā kaituku mahi
  • Goods and services tax (GST) Tāke mō ngā rawa me ngā ratonga
  • Non-profits and charities Ngā umanga kore-huamoni me ngā umanga aroha
  • International Tāwāhi
  • More... Tāpiri atu…
Intermediaries and others Ngā takawaenga me ētahi atu
  • Tax agents Ngā māngai tāke
  • Bookkeepers Te kaikaute
  • PAYE intermediaries Ngā takawaenga PAYE
  • Payroll bureaus Ngā tari utu ā-rārangi
  • Digital service providers Ngā kaiwhakarato pūmanawa rorohiko
  • More... Tāpiri atu…
About us
  • About us
  • IR careers
News
  • Media releases
  • Updates
  • Subscribe
  • Seminars
Related Websites
  • Tax Technical
  • Tax Policy
  • International
Contact us
  • Contact us
  • Media queries
  • Tax Technical queries
  • Tax Policy queries
English
Register
myIR login
Inland Revenue
Home
Individuals and families Ngā tāngata me ngā whānau
Popular pages Ngā wharangi rongonui
Cost of Living Payment Utu mō te utu oranga IRD numbers Ngā tau IRD File my individual tax return Te tuku i tētahi puka tāke takitahi Support for families Ngā tautoko i ngā whānau Managing my tax Te whakahaere i taku tāke
More individuals and families
Familes Ngā whānau
Working for Families Working for families Child support Te tautoko tamariki Paid parental leave Te utu tiaki pēpi
Property and Trusts Ngā wharangi rongonui
Trusts and estates Ngā rōpū kaitiaki me ngā rawa tuku iho Property Ngā rawa
Individuals Ngā tāngata
Income tax for individuals Te tāke moni whiwhi mō ngā tāngata takitahi Non-residents Ngā kainoho-tāwāhi Self-employed Mahi ā-kiri Kiwisaver for individuals Kiwisaver mā te tangata takitahi Student loans Ngā pūtea taurewa ākonga Cryptoassets for individuals Ngā rawa whiti-rangi mā te tangata takitahi Unclaimed money
Situations Ngā āhuatanga
I am going overseas Kei te haere ahau ki tāwāhi I received an income tax assessment I whiwhi i ahau tētahi aromatawai tāke moni whiwhi I'm struggling to file and pay my tax
More situations
Business and organisations Ngā pakihi me ngā whakahaere
Popular pages Ngā wharangi rongonui
Covid-19 Businesses and organisations KOWHEORI-19 Ngā pakihi me ngā whakahaere File a companies income tax return - IR4 Te tuku i tētahi puka tāke moni whiwhi kamupene - IR4 Not-for-profits and charities PAYE calculator to work out salary and wage deductions Property Ngā rawa IRD numbers Ngā tau IRD
More business and organisations
Income tax Te tāke moni whiwhi
Types of business income Ngā momo moni whiwhi pakihi Tax rates for businesses Ngā pāpātanga tāke mō te pakihi Balance dates Ngā rā mutunga tau pūtea
GST Tāke hokohoko (GST)
Charging GST Te uta i te tāke hokohoko Claiming GST Te kerēme tāke hokohoko
Employing staff Te tuku mahi ki ngā kaimahi
Register as an employer Te rēhita hei kaituku mahi Paying staff Utu kaimahi Payday filing Te tāpaetanga rā utu Deductions from income Ngā tangohanga mai i ngā moni whiwhi Kiwisaver for employers Te KiwiSaver mō ngā kaituku mahi
International Tāwāhi
International tax for business Te tāke aowhānui mō ngā pakihi
Situations Ngā āhuatanga
I am starting a new business Kei te tīmata au i tētahi pakihi hou I am going to employ someone Kei te tuku mahi ahau ki tētahi tangata My business is making a loss Kei te hapa taku pakihi
More situations
Intermediaries and others Ngā takawaenga me ētahi atu
Intermediaries Ngā takawaenga
Becoming an intermediary Te tū hei takawaenga Getting authority to act Te whiwhi whakamanatanga Executive office holders Ngā kaipupuri tūnga whakahaere Linking client accounts Te honohono pūkete kiritaki Nominated person Te tangata kua whakaingoatia Tax pooling Te whakarōpū tāke Gateway services
More intermediaries and others
Tax agents Ngā māngai tāke
Agents answers Ngā Whakautu Māngai Tax agent status Te tūnga māngai tāke Extension of time arrangements Te whakaroa i ngā whakaritenga wā Managing consolidated groups Te whakahaere rōpū tōpū Income tax for individual clients of tax agents Te tāke moni whiwhi mā ngā kiritaki takitahi a ngā takawaenga News updates for tax agents
More tax agents
Digital service providers Ngā kaiwhakarato ratonga matihiko
Getting started guide About the developer portal Mō te tomokanga kaiwhakawhanake Gateway services architecture Te hanganga ratonga tomokanga Services catalogue Te putumōhio ratonga
More digital service providers
Roles Ngā tūranga
Tax agents Ngā māngai tāke Bookkeepers Ngā kaikaute PAYE intermediaries Ngā takawaenga PAYE Payroll bureaus Ngā tari ripanga utu kaimahi Other representatives Ētahi atu māngai
Search tips

Ngā tohanga utu ā-hāora me te utu ā-tau mā te takitahi Wage and salary distributions for individuals

About us
About us
  • Tax statistics
    • Revenue and refunds statistics
      • Donation tax credits
      • Taxable income distribution of individuals
      • Net IRD GST statistics
      • Revenue collected 2001 to 2022
      • Income of trusts (IR6) returns
      • Wage and salary distributions for individuals

Wage/salary income includes any gross earnings received from any employer, from which PAYE was deducted. Specifically excluded are:

  • New Zealand Superannuation
  • Taxable welfare benefits
  • Student allowances
  • Earnings-related ACC payments, and
  • Shareholder-employee salaries (since there was no PAYE deducted).

All data is published on a March year basis.

The table includes individuals with part-time or part-year PAYE incomes and can also include children. Individuals who did not receive any wage or salary income (as defined above) are not included in the table.

The data up to the 2015 March year in the table and graphs was based on a random sample of individuals scaled up to population estimates. The sample was 2% of wage and salary earners, and 10% of IR3 filers (with wages or salaries).

From the 2016 March year onwards the data is based on data from the full population.

Tabulated data on wage and salary distributions of individuals from the 2001 to 2021 March years is available for download from the link at the bottom of the page. This release revises previously published information for the 2019 and 2020 March years. 

Data was extracted on 1 December 2022.  

Number of wage/salary earners by March year  

The graph above shows the total number of wage and salary earners as recorded by PAYE data in each March year. In the year to March 2022, the number of wage and salary earners increased by 1.7% to 2,709,820 following a -2.3% decline in the prior year.  The prior year decline was due to COVID-19 impacts.

Number of individuals with wage/salary income by income band

  

The graph above shows the number of individuals with wage and salary income by income band for the years to March 2001, 2011, 2021 and 2022. The number of individuals earning less than $10,000 in wage and salary has decreased from 17.8% of the wage and salary earners in 2001 to 14.8% in 2021 and 13.6% in 2022. The number of individuals with wage and salary income exceeding $150,000 has increased from 1.8% of wage and salary earners in 2001 to 3.7% in 2021 and 4.4% to 2022.

Number of individuals with wage/salary income by income band, exceeding $10,000  

The graph above has truncated the high numbers of individuals at the lower end of the wage and salary income distribution and hence provides a more easily viewed distribution of wage and wage income between $10,000 and $150,000. The graph illustrates the gradual movement of the income distribution over 21 years due to wage and salary increases.

Aggregate wage/salary income received by individuals by income band

The graph above is truncated at $150,000 but illustrates increases in the value of wages and salaries paid to individuals. Total wages and salaries paid to individuals has increased 8.9% to $161,022 million between the March 2021 and March 2022 tax years. 

The effect of annual wage and salary increases can be seen in this graph as a rightwards movement of the curve overtime. This indicates a greater number of individuals across higher wage and salary income bands.

Wage/salary distributions for individuals XLSX 153KB Download form

    Moving between Inland Revenue sites

    picto--truck

    Heads up. We're taking you to our old site, where the page you asked for still lives

    Continue to old site
    Last updated: 03 Dec 2020
    Jump back to the top of the page top
    Inland Revenue Inland Revenue

    FOLLOW US

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • LinkedIn
    • Subscribe

    CONTACT US

    • Contact Information
      • Contact us
      • Media queries
      • Tax Policy enquiries
      • Tax Technical enquiries
    • About us
    • Careers
    • International
    • About the site
    • Conditions of use
    • Privacy
    • Glossary
    • Accessibility
    • Copyright
    • MyIR Help
    © Copyright 2023 Inland Revenue
    New Zealand Government
    Shielded website