IRD Numbers, Tax and Bank Accounts in NZ

Last updated: 11 July 2026

Three pieces of admin stand between landing in New Zealand and being paid properly: a bank account, an IRD number, and a tax code. Do them in that order, ideally in your first week — without an IRD number you’ll be taxed at the punishing no-declaration rate.

1. Open a bank account

Most travellers just need a standard everyday account with one of the main banks. Several let you start the application online before you arrive and verify in a branch after landing.
Bring your passport and visa, plus proof of a NZ address — banks vary in what they accept (a hostel or campground letter often works; ask the bank first).
Employers pay into NZ accounts. Being paid into a foreign account, or only in cash, makes underpayment hard to prove — and is a pattern covered in our dodgy-employer guide.

2. Get an IRD number

Your IRD number is your tax ID for life in New Zealand. Apply free online with Inland Revenue — as a new arrival you’ll typically need your passport, visa details and a NZ bank account. Processing usually takes days, not weeks.
Why it’s urgent: without an IRD number on file, your employer must deduct tax at the no-declaration rate — roughly half your pay — until it’s sorted.
It’s free. Anyone charging you to “arrange” an IRD number is selling you a form.

3. Choose your tax code

Each employer gives you a tax code declaration form (IR330) when you start. Your main job is usually code M; a second concurrent job uses a secondary code. The form itself walks you through it, and IRD’s website has the current rules.
PAYE (pay-as-you-earn) means your employer deducts income tax before paying you. Your payslip should show gross pay, PAYE, any other deductions, and net pay. No PAYE on the payslip usually means no tax being paid on your behalf — which becomes your problem at the border or at tax time.
KiwiSaver (the retirement savings scheme) is generally only for NZ citizens and residents — on a working holiday visa you shouldn’t be enrolled. If a KiwiSaver deduction appears on your payslip, query it and check the opt-out rules with IRD.

Refunds and leaving the country

The NZ tax year ends 31 March. IRD calculates most people’s tax automatically after that — many seasonal workers are owed a refund because deductions assumed full-year work.
Register for myIR (IRD’s online portal) while you still have your NZ phone number — chasing a refund from overseas without it is painful.
Keep your final payslips until any refund lands. If you leave partway through a tax year you may be able to file early — check IRD’s current guidance.

Sorted? Then the admin’s done and the good part starts — find your first job on the jobs board and check the employer’s reviews before you say yes.

Guides cover the general rules — your situation is your own. For official, current details always check the government links above, and see our resources page for who to contact when something isn’t right. And before you accept a job, check what other travellers said about the employer on Farmdoor’s employer reviews.