RealMe®
RealMe® is a secure login service that uses the same username and password for a range of online government services, including:
- checking if a jobseeker can legally work in New Zealand
- filing a Companies Office annual return
- registering a trademark.
RealMe® is a registered trademark of the New Zealand Government and New Zealand Post.
New Zealand Business Number
The New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) is a unique identifier, which any business in New Zealand can have. Over time, the NZBN will become the main identifier for all businesses.
Using your NZBN will speed up your interactions with government, suppliers, customers and other businesses. Your NZBN lets other businesses get your details quickly and accurately – for example, for invoicing or placing orders.
Companies
If you register a company in New Zealand, you automatically get an NZBN.
Sole traders, partnerships and trusts
If you’re a sole trader, in a partnership or a trust, you can register for an NZBN on the NZBN website for free.
You’ll need:
- a RealMe login
- an IRD number of the sole trader, partnership or trust you’re registering for an NZBN
- basic details that vary according to your business structure.
Watch: About the New Zealand Business Number
Transcript
[Audio/Visual: Gentle music starts playing. The screen shows an animation of a white licence plate with the word “MUSHMAN” in black and the illustration of a black fern on the lefthand side of the plate. The letters get replaced by scrolling black numbers, which then become white numbers on an orange background. This becomes a New Zealand Business Number. The screen zooms out, the NZBZ gets smaller to give space to an animated van with a big mushroom on top and a signage on the side that reads “Pete’s Portable Portobellos”. The van drives through a town where other orange blocks with NZBN business numbers are above individual buildings. Music continues to play throughout the entire video.]
Just like every car has a number plate, now every New Zealand business has an official way to identify itself. Introducing the New Zealand Business Number: a unique number that sets your business apart from the rest, both here and overseas.
[Visual: The screen changes to show the animation of a person with a beanie and a big ginger beard carrying a crate with a pile of mushrooms up to a restaurant doorway, where a person is standing with an apron and a clipboard. Two NZBN in white on orange background hover over their heads.]
Over time the New Zealand Business Number will become the main identifier of your business.
[Visual: The screen changes to show the mushroom van driving through town again. A NZBN in white on orange background is above it. New buildings pop up with NZBN in orange blocks above them, including the Beehive building.]
Using it will speed up your interactions with government, your suppliers, customers and other businesses.
[Visual: The screen changes to show a teal blue background. A tablet is in the centre, showing the New Zealand Business Number webpage with a business address being typed in. On the screen around the tablet, logos of different government agencies pop up in white text. In clockwise order from the top right corner, these are: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Statistic New Zealand, Callaghan Innovation, Inland Revenue, ACC, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.]
Basic facts about your business are held in the NZBN register, and in time these can be shared across government agencies and the businesses you work with.
[Visual: Close up of tablet in centre screen. The government agencies logos disappear. A new address is typed in. The screen zooms out again and the tablet gets smaller. The government agencies logos appear again with an empty tick box next to each of them. From the centre of the tablet, dashed lines in a gold colour reach out to each logo, and a tick appears in every tick box.]
This means, when you update your details in the register, they'll automatically update across your business network.
[Visual: The tablet tilts and flies off the screen towards the viewer. The screen changes to show the animated town again. A concrete truck is in the centre, in front of the Beehive building, with people working on a scaffolding next to it. The unfinished frame of a new building replaces the scaffolding.]
Plus, the New Zealand Business Number will create a truckload of new services and business opportunities, and these will grow with time.
[Visual: Five blocks with animated images appear at the four corners of the screen.
In the top left corner, someone’s hand moves a mouse. The image changes to show a document with the words “APPLICATION APPROVED” at the bottom. The cursor clicks in an empty tick box next to the text and a blue tick appears.
In the left bottom corner, a diagram over a dark blue background spreads to illustrate the concept of networking. A large yellow circle in the middle is connected to smaller yellow circles through grey outwards lines. Each yellow circle has a grey icon of a person inside.
In the right top corner, on a wooden-looking background, a document with the words “TAX INVOICE” at the top is quickly replaced with another document that says “REMITTANCE”.
The right bottom corner is split into two blocks. The one on the left shows two business people in an office. The one on the right shows the mushroom person next to a crate of mushrooms, holding a mushroom. The mushroom person and one of the business people shake hands and smile to each other. They all have a NZBN number in white on orange background hovering above them.
The middle of the screen still shows the building frame getting taller, with a person working on it.]
Using the NZBN to identify your business and share your basic information is an easy way to start.
[Visual: The individual blocks slide out of sight and the scene opens up to the town. In the centre, the building is now complete and has a mushroom on top. Vans and trucks quickly drive past. Vehicles and buildings all have their own NZBN number in white over orange background about them.]
We're working with government agencies and large New Zealand businesses to grow the NZBN network.
[Visual: A white screen slides in from the lefthand side. The NZBN logo in black and green appears in the centre, with the text “NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS NUMBER” in black below. Below that, the text “Find out more at nzbn.govt.nz” appears.]
So, activate your NZBN now, and together we can make doing business in New Zealand easier. Visit nzbn.govt.nz to find out more today.
[Video ends.]
MyIR
Set up an online myIR account on the Inland Revenue website to:
- keep your personal and business details up to date
- check your tax, KiwiSaver and other Inland Revenue accounts
- work out your income tax return filing requirements
- file business returns, including employer returns and GST
- work out tax payment options.
Taxes
How your income is taxed depends on the business structure you choose.
|
Business structure |
How you’re taxed |
|
Sole trader |
You pay income tax as an individual on profits your business makes. If you don’t have an IRD number, apply by filling out an IRD number application – individual (IR595) form. |
|
Partnership |
A partnership must have its own IRD number, but partners return their share of profits and losses in their individual tax returns. If your partnership doesn’t have an IRD number, apply by filling out an IRD number application – resident non-individual (IR596) form. |
|
Company |
A company needs its own IRD number. Apply for your company IRD number through the Companies Office when you register your company. |
ACC levies
Inland Revenue forwards your income figures to ACC, which calculates:
- if you need to pay ACC levies
- how much you’ll need to pay.
To make sure ACC calculates your levy correctly, tell them what type of business you have.
Your first levy invoice will arrive after the end of your first year in business. After that, you’ll be invoiced once a year, usually in July or August.
Setting up a company
If you decide to set up a limited liability company, you must:
- reserve the company name
- apply to be listed on the Companies Register.
On the Companies Office website, you can:
- search the Companies Register to see if your business name is available
- reserve your company name
- register your company
- file annual returns setting out contact details for the company and its directors.
To apply for registration, you’ll need a RealMe login.
Filing your Companies Office annual return
Every company in New Zealand must file an annual return with the Companies Office each year to confirm it’s still operating as a company. If you don’t file your annual return each year, your company risks being removed from the national Companies Register.
An annual return is not a tax return. It includes:
- the company’s address
- names and addresses of its directors and shareholders
- details of its ultimate holding company, if applicable
- general filing information, like the month the company files its annual return every year.
There’s a fee to file an annual return. You can file online. If you haven’t done this before, you’ll need a RealMe login.
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