Individual Tax Return (IR3)
NZ individual income tax return for the 2025/26 tax year (April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026). Provisional taxpayers have additional mid-year instalment deadlines.
Filing deadline
July 7, 2026
- Country
- New Zealand
- Tax year
- 2025
- Official
- Tax authority
What is this deadline?
New Zealand's tax year runs April 1 – March 31. IR3 is the standard individual return. Those with a registered tax agent get an extended deadline through March 31, 2027.
How to file
- myIR
- Through a tax agent
What people miss
- Provisional tax — instalments during the year for taxpayers with residual income tax > NZ$5,000
- GST is separate from income tax — different filing frequency
- ACC levies — separate from tax, calculated on business earnings
Prepare this return with open-source skills
These skills are in the OpenAccountants repo. Add them to your AI agent and they handle the computation.
Use this skill whenever asked about New Zealand ACC levies for self-employed individuals. Trigger on phrases like "ACC levy", "earner levy", "work levy", "CoverPlus", "CoverPlus Extra", "accident compensation", "ACC invoice", "classification unit", or any question about ACC obligations for sole traders in New Zealand. Covers earner levy, work levy by classification unit (CU), CoverPlus/CoverPlus Extra, maximum liable earnings, and payment schedules. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any NZ ACC work.
Use this skill whenever asked about New Zealand GST returns for self-employed individuals. Trigger on phrases like "GST return", "GST101A", "GST rate NZ", "input tax", "output tax", "zero-rated", "GST registration", "taxable supply", "IRD GST", "myIR GST", or any question about GST filing for sole traders in New Zealand. Covers the 15% standard rate, zero-rated and exempt supplies, $60K registration threshold, invoice and payments basis, and GST101A return preparation. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any NZ GST work.
Use this skill whenever asked about New Zealand income tax for self-employed individuals filing an IR3 return. Trigger on phrases like "how much tax do I pay in NZ", "IR3", "income tax return New Zealand", "allowable deductions NZ", "provisional tax NZ", "schedular payments", "independent earner tax credit", "IETC", "ACC levies", "Working for Families", "residual income tax", "self-employed tax NZ", "schedular withholding NZ", or any question about filing or computing income tax for a self-employed individual in New Zealand. This skill covers NZ tax brackets (10.5%-39%), IR3 return structure, allowable deductions, ACC levies, provisional tax, IETC, penalties, and interaction with GST. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any NZ income tax work.
Use this skill whenever asked about New Zealand provisional tax for self-employed individuals. Trigger on phrases like "provisional tax", "RIT", "residual income tax", "standard uplift", "estimation method", "AIM", "use of money interest", "UOMI", "provisional tax instalment", or any question about provisional tax obligations for sole traders in New Zealand. Covers the $5,000 RIT threshold, standard uplift (105%), estimation method, AIM method, instalment dates, and UOMI. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any NZ provisional tax work.
This page is informational only and not tax advice. Verify dates and requirements against the official tax authority before filing.