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Planned system outage - 12 September 2026 | Our online services including myIR, self service phone lines and gateway services will be unavailable on Saturday 12 September, 2026 from 1pm to approximately 10.30pm while we complete a planned system update. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Self-employed people carry out business activity on their own. Self-employment includes contracting, working as a sole trader and small business owners.

Usually, a self-employed person can start in business without following any formal or legal set up tasks.

Tax summary

If you're self-employed you use your individual IRD number to pay tax. You pay tax on net profit by filing an individual income return.

You can claim back expenses for business activity that you carry out. You need to register for GST if you earn over $60,000 a year.

 

 

Last updated: 06 Jul 2026
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