IRD

IRD is New Zealand’s Inland Revenue Department; an IRD number is the unique tax identifier for individuals and businesses in NZ.

IRD (Inland Revenue) administers New Zealand’s tax system: income tax, GST, PAYE and other employer taxes such as FBT — plus the social policy programmes that run through the tax system, including KiwiSaver, student loans, Working for Families, child support and paid parental leave.

An IRD number is an eight- or nine-digit identifier (formatted 99-999-999 or 999-999-999) issued once and kept for life. Individuals need one to work, open a bank account, join KiwiSaver or apply for social policy entitlements; companies, partnerships, trusts and estates each need their own. Buyers and sellers must also provide an IRD number on the land transfer tax statement for essentially every NZ property transaction — even when the sale itself is not taxable.

Applying is free through ird.govt.nz — individuals verify identity in person or apply with form IR595, and companies are usually issued a number automatically at Companies Office incorporation. Most day-to-day interaction then happens in myIR, IRD’s online portal.

For accountants, IRD work starts with paperwork from the client: a signed authority to act (required before an agent can link a client in myIR), the client’s IRD number, and source records for GST returns, PAYE filings and the annual income tax return. IRD’s own income summary in myIR covers salary and withheld tax, but everything else — invoices, expense receipts, bank statements, logbooks — has to come from the client.

Most engagements with NZ accounting clients require an IRD number on file. RequestLoops collects it as a structured field item with format validation.

IRD-related document workflows (annual returns, GST, PAYE) are handled with recurring runs.

Documents NZ accountants typically request for IRD work

• • IRD number confirmation (IRD letter or myIR screenshot)
• • Signed authority to act, required to link the client in myIR
• • Government photo ID for new-client verification
• • Bank statements covering the tax year
• • GST records — tax invoices, expense receipts, adjustments
• • Payroll summaries for PAYE reconciliation
• • A copy of the prior-year return for a new engagement

FAQ

What is an IRD number?

An IRD number is New Zealand’s tax identifier — eight or nine digits, issued by Inland Revenue once and kept for life. Individuals, companies, partnerships and trusts each hold their own, and one is required to work, open a NZ bank account, register for GST or transfer property.

What documents do accountants request for IRD filings?

Typically: the client’s IRD number, a signed authority to act so the agent can link the client in myIR, then the source records per filing — bank statements and expense receipts for income tax, tax invoices for GST, payroll reports for PAYE. RequestLoops collects the lot through one portal link with reminders until every item is in.

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