The Government has recently introduced two significant concessions to the employee share scheme rules, aimed at making these schemes more appealing by lowering compliance costs.

• From 1 April 2025 the threshold for tax free benefits provided under exempt employee share schemes was increased from $2,000 to $3,000; and 
• The tax bill introduced on 26 August 2025 proposes a deferral regime for the taxation of employee share scheme income for employees of unlisted companies. The deferral would allow for taxation to be deferred until a qualifying liquidity event takes place.

A liquidity event is defined as one of the following:

Where a divided is paid in respect of the shares;

• Where a company becomes a listed entity;
• The date the employee sells or transfers the shares outside of their control; or
• The date the shares are cancelled.

Remembering the filing and payment deadlines for your business can be challenging. And forgetting about upcoming tax payments can seriously disrupt your cash flow planning. We have summarised tax deadlines coming up in October & November for you to prevent you from missing any deadlines and facing a penalty.

6 Oct

• Employer deductions payment due for 16 to 30 September for large employers.

20 Oct

• Employer deductions payment due for 1 to 15 October for large employers.
• Your FBT quarterly return and payment are due for the period ending 30 September if you have a March balance date.
• Employer deductions payment due for September for small to medium employers.

28 Oct

• Your GST return and payment are due for the taxable period ending 30 September.
• Provisional tax payments are due if you have a March balance date and use the ratio option.
• AIM instalments are due if you have a March balance date.

5 Nov

• Employer deductions payment due for 16 to 31 October for large employers.

20 Nov

• Employer deductions payment due for 1 to 15 November for large employers.
• Employer deductions payment due for October for small to medium employers.

28 Nov

• Your GST return and payment is due for the taxable period ending 31 October.
• AIM instalments are due if you file GST monthly and have a March balance date.

Make sure to plan for your tax obligations in your monthly cash flow forecasting. Reach out to your Walker Wayland Accountant if you need to review your forecast and look at options.

For the full list of key dates click on the button below.

Non-Resident individuals visiting NZ on a visitors visa can undertake remote work for an overseas employer while they are visiting NZ. There are certain conditions that apply which includes:

• The work must not be for a NZ employer
• The work does not require them to be physically present at a workplace in NZ
• Remote work is not in itself a lawful purpose for visiting NZ

Remote work includes:

• answering emails and phone calls
• coding and testing
• writing reports
• attending online meetings or giving presentations to colleagues outside New Zealand
• creating content as a social media influencer 

For qualifying remote work undertaken, the non-resident individual may not be required to pay tax in NZ if they are here for no more than 92 days in a 12 month period. This can extend to 183 days for tax residents of countries who have a tax treaty with NZ.

There has been a probate threshold increase, effective from 24 September 2025.

The threshold is now $40,000 (was $15,000), and this allows families to access assets of less than that amount, without going through the High Court process of applying for probate

From 16 March 2026, new gift card rules come into effect in New Zealand. The changes are designed to protect consumer rights, and ensure consistency in the gift card market.

The new rules don’t apply to any gift cards sold prior to this date.

What is a gift card?

• Includes any card or voucher, whether physical or digital, that is redeemable for goods or services.
• Excludes cards issued for retuned goods, prepaid cards for telecommunications or utilities, and cards used in loyalty programs.

What is changing?

• Cards must last at least three years – this is the minimum expiry period and applies from the date of sale. It brings New Zealand into line with international standards.
• The expiry date must be prominent – the date, or a statement indicating no expiry date, must be clearly printed or shown on the card itself.

There is more information available on the Commerce Commission website 

If you haven’t yet provided us with the information to prepare your 2025 financial statements, now is a good time to do so.

Please go to our website and complete our online questionnaires, for each entity that you have. Information can be uploaded with the questionnaire, so there is no need to send a separate email with attachments.

Contact your friendly team member if you have any questions.

P O Box 2175 Auckland 1140

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