How to Use myIR — Complete NZ Inland Revenue Online Account Guide 2026

myIR is Inland Revenue’s secure online portal where every New Zealander manages their tax affairs — from viewing income tax assessments to filing GST returns to checking student loan balances. This comprehensive guide covers every major function in myIR so you know exactly what it can do and how to do it.

Setting Up Your myIR Account

What You Need Before You Start

• Your IRD number (find it on any IRD letter, payslip, or KiwiSaver statement)
• Your date of birth
• A current NZ address
• A valid email address you have immediate access to
• A mobile phone for two-factor authentication (recommended)

Step-by-Step Account Creation

1. Go to ird.govt.nz
2. Click Log in to myIR
3. Click Create account
4. Enter your IRD number and date of birth
5. Enter your current address — IRD verifies this against their records
6. Set a username and strong password (use a unique password; store it in a password manager)
7. Enter your email address and verify it via the link sent to your inbox
8. Set up two-factor authentication (2FA) — enter your mobile number and verify with the code sent by text

Total time: Around 10–15 minutes for a new account.

I Don’t Know My IRD Number

If you don’t have your IRD number, you can find it on:

• Any letter from Inland Revenue
• Your payslip (employer should have it on file)
• Your KiwiSaver statement
• A tax return from a previous year

If you genuinely cannot find it, call IRD on 0800 775 247 with your full name, date of birth, and address — they can tell you your IRD number after verifying your identity.

Linking Multiple Accounts

If you have both personal and business (sole trader, company director) tax obligations, you can switch between accounts within a single myIR login. After logging in, look for the Switch account option at the top of the page to toggle between personal and business views.

Navigating myIR — What Each Section Does

Once logged in, the myIR dashboard shows your tax accounts. Here’s what each section covers:

Task 1: Responding to an Automatic Tax Assessment

Every year between May and July, IRD issues automatic income tax assessments to most PAYE earners. This is IRD’s calculation of whether you’ve overpaid or underpaid tax based on information they already hold (employer summaries, bank interest, etc.).

How to Check Your Assessment

1. Log in to myIR
2. Go to Income tax
3. Click Tax assessments
4. Open the assessment for the relevant tax year (e.g., “2025–26”)
5. Review the result — it shows either a refund or amount to pay

If the Assessment is Correct

Click Confirm — or do nothing before the deadline (IRD auto-confirms after the response period). Your refund will be paid to your registered bank account within 1–2 weeks.

If the Assessment is Wrong

Click I want to update this assessment or Dispute this assessment. Common reasons to update:

• Missing income (e.g., bank interest from an account IRD doesn’t have on file)
• Missing deductions (e.g., charitable donations, rental property expenses)
• Incorrect employer income (contact your employer for a corrected employer summary)
• You have income IRD doesn’t know about (rental, business, overseas) → you need to file an IR3 instead

Deadline: You typically have until 31 August of that year to respond to an assessment. After that, it auto-confirms.

Task 2: Filing an IR3 Income Tax Return

If you have rental income, self-employment income, overseas income, or need to claim deductions IRD doesn’t know about, you must file an IR3 return. myIR handles this entirely online.

Who Needs to File an IR3

• Self-employed / sole traders
• Rental property owners
• People with overseas income
• Those with investment income over $200 not fully taxed at source
• Anyone who used the wrong tax code and needs to correct it

How to File Your IR3 in myIR

1. Go to Income tax → File a return
2. Select the relevant tax year (e.g., 2025–26)
3. myIR pre-populates available data — check each section:
   • Wages and salary: pre-loaded from employer summaries — verify against your payslips
   • Interest income: pre-loaded from bank reporting — check against bank statements
   • KiwiSaver: employee contributions shown
4. Add any income IRD doesn’t know about: rental income, business income, overseas income
5. Enter allowable deductions: rental expenses, home office, vehicle costs, charitable donations
6. Claim tax credits: IETC, donation tax credit
7. Review the calculated result
8. Click Submit

The system confirms submission and shows your IRD reference number. Keep this.

Filing deadline: 7 July (if filing yourself) or 31 March the following year (if using a registered tax agent).

For full detail on the IR3 process, see How to File an NZ Tax Return (IR3).

Task 3: Paying Tax Through myIR

Paying Directly in myIR

1. Go to the tax account you want to pay (Income tax, GST, etc.)
2. Click Make a payment
3. Enter the amount
4. Choose payment method:
   • Credit or debit card (surcharge may apply — typically 1.42% for credit cards)
   • Bank account / direct credit — myIR shows you the bank account number and the reference to use

Paying by Bank Transfer (No Surcharge)

Use your bank’s internet banking to pay IRD directly. You need:

Reference: Always use your IRD number as the reference. Without it, IRD cannot allocate the payment to your account. Payments without a correct IRD number reference are held as unallocated and may attract late payment penalties.

Setting Up a Direct Debit

For regular obligations (GST, PAYE, provisional tax), set up a direct debit to automate payments:

1. Go to the relevant account (e.g., GST)
2. Look for Direct debit or Payment arrangements
3. Enter your bank account details and authorise the debit
4. IRD will debit the amount due on the payment date automatically

This is particularly useful for GST-registered businesses and employers to avoid late payment penalties.

Task 4: Filing a GST Return

If your business is GST-registered, file your GST returns through myIR.

GST Return Due Dates

How to File GST in myIR

1. Go to GST
2. Click File a return for the relevant period
3. Enter:
   • Total sales (GST-inclusive income for the period)
   • GST on sales (total sales ÷ 1.15 × 0.15 if all sales include GST)
   • Total purchases (GST-inclusive expenses for the period)
   • GST on purchases (total purchases ÷ 1.15 × 0.15 if all purchases include GST)
4. myIR calculates your GST refund or payment
5. Submit

If you owe GST, pay by the same date the return is due. Use the bank transfer method above with payment code GST to avoid credit card surcharges.

GST registration threshold: $60,000 in 12-month turnover. Register via myIR under GST → Register for GST.

Task 5: Managing Your Student Loan via myIR

What You Can See

• Current loan balance (approximate — updated periodically)
• Repayment history
• Whether you’re on an auto-repayment arrangement
• Status (NZ-based or overseas-based)

If You Are Moving Overseas

If you plan to leave NZ for more than 6 months, your student loan moves to an overseas-based repayment schedule. You must:

1. Notify IRD via myIR (Loans and savings → Student loan → Update overseas status)
2. Set up repayment arrangements (flat rate repayments based on loan balance)
3. Failure to notify and repay can result in a repayment holiday or default

Applying for a Repayment Holiday

If you are in financial hardship, you can apply through myIR for a repayment holiday (pause on repayments) for up to 12 months at a time:

1. Student loan → Repayment options → Apply for repayment holiday
2. Explain the grounds (financial hardship, medical, etc.)
3. IRD reviews and responds

Task 6: Updating Personal Details

Keep your details current to ensure assessments, letters, and refunds reach you correctly.

Updating Your Address

1. Profile → Update details → Change address
2. Enter your new address
3. Save

This updates IRD’s records. If your address is wrong, assessments and correspondence go to the old address and you may miss important notices.

Updating Your Refund Bank Account

1. Profile → Bank accounts → Add or update
2. Enter your bank account number in the format xx-xxxx-xxxxxxx-xx
3. IRD may ask you to verify with a small test deposit

Important: Your myIR bank account is where ALL refunds go — income tax, GST, and others. Ensure it’s current before you expect a refund.

Updating Contact Details (Email, Phone)

1. Profile → Contact details
2. Update email and phone number
3. 2FA codes are sent to your registered mobile — keep this current

Task 7: KiwiSaver via myIR

myIR does not show your full KiwiSaver investment balance — that’s held by your KiwiSaver provider, not IRD. What myIR shows is:

• Contributions IRD has processed (employer and employee amounts)
• Contribution rate on file with IRD (your elected employee rate)
• Government contributions (member tax credit)
• Your KiwiSaver scheme (provider name)

Changing Your KiwiSaver Contribution Rate

To change how much you contribute from your salary (3%, 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10%):

1. myIR → KiwiSaver → Contribution rate
2. Select your new rate
3. Notify your employer separately with a KiwiSaver deduction form (the myIR change alone may not update your employer’s payroll immediately)

Applying for a Savings Suspension (Contribution Holiday)

If you want to pause KiwiSaver contributions temporarily:

1. myIR → KiwiSaver → Apply for savings suspension
2. You must have been a KiwiSaver member for 12 months
3. Suspension lasts 3–12 months and can be renewed

Government Member Tax Credit

The annual member tax credit (formerly government contribution) of up to $521.43 is credited to your KiwiSaver account each July. myIR will show whether you qualified based on your contributions.

Task 8: Working for Families (WFF) via myIR

Viewing Your Entitlements

myIR shows your current Working for Families entitlement calculation based on IRD’s records. Check this under Working for Families in the main menu.

Updating Family Details

If your family situation changes (new child, change of custody, relationship change), update via:

1. Working for Families → Update details
2. Enter changes to family composition, income estimate, or childcare hours

WFF entitlements are based on your estimated annual family income. If your actual income differs significantly from your estimate, you’ll either receive a top-up or owe a repayment at year end.

Choosing Payment Method

WFF can be paid:

• Periodically (fortnightly or weekly) — calculated on your income estimate
• As a lump sum at year end — calculated on actual income

For most families, periodic payments help with cash flow, but lump sum means you know the exact entitlement.

Task 9: Sending Messages to IRD

Rather than calling IRD (and potentially waiting), you can send secure messages directly through myIR:

1. Go to Messages (envelope icon at top of page)
2. Click New message
3. Select the topic (income tax, GST, general enquiry, etc.)
4. Type your message
5. Attach documents if relevant (e.g., bank statements, receipts)
6. Send

IRD typically responds within 3–5 working days. For urgent matters, call 0800 775 247.

When to message vs call:

• Routine queries, requests for information, disputes about assessments → message
• Payment arrangements, urgent issues, identity verification → call

Task 10: Granting Access to an Accountant or Tax Agent

If you want your accountant to manage your tax affairs in myIR:

1. Profile → Manage access → Agents and representatives
2. Click Add agent
3. Enter your accountant’s tax agent number (they’ll give you this)
4. Specify the access level (view only, or file and view)
5. Your accountant will be notified and can then access your account

To remove access, return to Profile → Manage access and remove the agent.

Task 11: Employer Obligations (PAYE Filing) in myIR

If you employ staff in NZ, you file employment information monthly or twice-monthly through myIR.

Filing Employment Information (EI)

Employment information tells IRD how much PAYE you’ve withheld from each employee:

1. Employer → File employment information
2. Select the pay period
3. Enter each employee’s IRD number, gross pay, PAYE withheld, and KiwiSaver contributions
4. Submit by the due date (20th of the month following payroll)

Payday filing: NZ uses payday filing — you file employment information within 2 days of each payday (or monthly if you have fewer than 10 employees).

Paying PAYE

PAYE payments are due by the 20th of the month following payroll (small employers may have different due dates). Pay via bank transfer using payment code EMP, or set up a direct debit.

myIR Mobile App

IRD has a myIR mobile app available on iOS and Android. The app allows:

• Viewing income tax, GST, and student loan information
• Checking assessments
• Confirming simple refunds
• Viewing messages from IRD

The app has fewer features than the full web portal — complex tasks (filing returns, updating business details) are better done on desktop.

Security Best Practices

• Enable two-factor authentication — always. It prevents unauthorised access even if your password is compromised.
• Use a unique, strong password — don’t reuse your myIR password for anything else
• Log out after each session — especially on shared or public computers
• Don’t share your login details — even with family members or employers. Grant proper agent access instead.
• Beware phishing emails — IRD will never ask for your myIR password by email. If you receive an email asking you to click a link and log in, go directly to ird.govt.nz instead.

If you suspect your account has been compromised, change your password immediately and call IRD on 0800 775 247.

Common myIR Problems and Solutions

Problem: I’m Locked Out of My Account

After multiple failed login attempts, myIR locks the account temporarily.

Solution: Wait 30 minutes for the lockout to clear, then try again. If you’ve forgotten your password, use the Forgot password link — IRD sends a reset link to your registered email.

If you can’t access your registered email, call IRD on 0800 775 247 to have your access reset after identity verification.

Problem: My IRD Number Doesn’t Work When Creating an Account

Check that you’re entering your IRD number correctly — it’s 8 or 9 digits, no spaces or dashes. If you’ve recently arrived in NZ and applied for an IRD number, it may take up to 10 working days to activate in the system.

Problem: My Assessment Shows Income I Don’t Recognise

Contact the income source first (your employer or bank) to verify the figures. If the income is genuinely incorrect on the employer’s side, they need to file a corrected employer summary. If it’s a bank issue, contact the bank. Then update your assessment via myIR.

Problem: I Filed the Wrong Amount — Can I Amend?

Yes. You can amend a filed return in myIR:

• Income tax → Tax assessments → select year → Request amendment
• GST → Returns → select period → Request amendment

Amendments within 4 years of the original filing are generally accepted. After 4 years, amendments require IRD approval.

Problem: My Refund Hasn’t Arrived

1. Check that your bank account is correctly entered in Profile → Bank accounts
2. Check that you actually confirmed the assessment (not just viewed it)
3. Wait at least 10 working days from confirmation
4. If still not received, send a message via myIR or call 0800 775 247

Key Deadlines Summary

Related Guides

• How to File an NZ Tax Return (IR3)
• NZ Tax Refund — How to Claim
• Provisional Tax Explained
• GST for Small Businesses NZ
• NZ Tax Codes Explained
• Filing Home