Surprise tax bill? Six possible reasons

Did you, or someone you know, get a tax bill they weren’t expecting?

Several Kiwis have recently received tax bills that took them by surprise, and they’ve been asking Inland Revenue what’s going on.

An Inland Revenue spokesperson has provided six likely reasons that more people seem to have been caught out this year:

• Last year, tax bills below $200 were written off as part of the pandemic support measures. This year, it’s back to the usual write-off threshold of $50.
• Inland Revenue is now doing tax assessments for everyone, so some people are getting bills or refunds who never have before, including some children with KiwiSaver funds or other investments.
• Anyone paid 27 fortnightly wage packets may have underpaid their tax – that can be fixed once IR has the correct information.
• Many incorrect tax codes were corrected last year, and for a few people (mainly aged over 65) the IRD made errors which they are correcting.
• Pension tax code changes were delayed, leading to some undertaxing which is now being rectified.
• Some people’s tax codes are still incorrect

We can sort out any tax issues

Ultimately, the Inland Revenue calculates your tax based on the information they have about you and your business. If they have the wrong information, you may be paying too much tax or too little tax.

We can look at your surprise tax bill and help you work out what’s gone wrong. We can also deal with Inland Revenue on your behalf to give them the right information and ensure you’re paying exactly what’s required and no more. We’ll work with Inland Revenue to get your refund sorted out or to come up with an affordable payment plan.

Get in touch – we’re here to help.