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Inland Revenue survey provides early insight into whether Investment Boost has had the desired effect.

EXPENSES  •  30 JUNE 2026  •  3 MIN READ

One year into the Investment Boost policy, is it driving real capital growth? We analyze IRD survey data to see where businesses are using it and why some are holding back.

Is Investment Boost working? How NZ businesses responded in the first year

Investment Boost was introduced in 2025 to encourage businesses to bring forward spending on assets and capital investment. A year on, Inland Revenue's early data gives a clearer picture of how it's actually being used in practice.  

While some businesses are already using the policy to bring forward purchases or adjust how they invest, others haven't seen much immediate impact, either because of how their costs are structured or because they're not making capital decisions right now.  

In most cases, it comes down to the kind of spending the business makes and whether there was already purchases planned in the first place.  

Inland Revenue's survey of over 800 businesses gives an early view of how firms are responding to the policy. 

Data showed that while Investment Boost is influencing behaviour, the impact is still modest.

Among respondents, there appeared to be a large visibility gap, with 36% of businesses reporting limited awareness of how the policy works. This means a portion of the market is not yet in a position to make use of Investment Boost at all.

Of those who knew about the policy, 18% reported not being in a position to make use of Investment Boost.

Respondents who had some awareness of the policy and had engaged in recent investment spending (over the 12 months prior) represented a core sub-group of 46% of total survey responses. From that group, 58% had either claimed or planned to claim the Investment Boost deduction. In terms of the actual impact of the policy, 40% reported it had a positive impact on their investment spending, but only 11% reported it had a significant impact.

When thinking about future spending (over the next 5 years), 49% of those who were aware of the policy say it’s shaping future business decisions. This points to many businesses factoring it into plans rather than acting on it immediately.

What's driving the difference in uptake 

The variation in responses comes down to how businesses are set up and their existing plans.

For those already planning to spend on equipment or other capital assets, Investment Boost is easy to act on.

For others, the conditions simply aren't there. If business spending is mostly on wages or services, there's little that falls within the scope of the policy. Other reasons include tough economic conditions, assets only purchased as needed (rather than due to a specific policy), and a perceived lack of material benefit in moving a tax deduction forward.

That's why the response looks uneven. The policy hasn't created entirely new behaviours so much as it has shaped decisions that were already on the table. 

What to consider before acting on Investment Boost 

The survey shows some businesses are bringing forward purchases. Before doing the same, it's worth checking how the numbers stack up in your situation.  

The upfront cost vs the tax benefit: Investment Boost can improve your tax position in the current year, which is useful if you’re already planning to spend. However, the full cost still goes out the door upfront, so it’s worth checking that the cash side of the decision still feels comfortable.

Whether you can use the deduction this year: If you’re making a profit, the benefit shows up sooner and can support bringing a decision forward. If not, the value is still there, just pushed out, which can make timing less important. 

What you are bringing forward: Bringing a purchase forward only works if the asset is needed now. If a vehicle, machine, or fit-out will be used immediately, the business starts getting value from it straight away. If it won’t be used for several months, you’re paying for something that isn’t yet contributing, which can leave cash tied up without improving daily operations.

The impact on day-to-day cash: Before bringing a purchase forward, map it against your next 3-6 months of cash needs. Look at wages, supplier payments, tax dates, and any existing finance commitments. If the purchase means you’ll be tighter than usual in any of these periods, it’s worth reconsidering the timing or adjusting how it’s funded. If it fits without creating pressure, the earlier tax benefit is easier to take advantage of. 

How the asset will actually help the business: Be clear on what the asset is expected to change. Will it reduce costs, increase capacity, or help generate more revenue? If the answer isn’t clear, the decision is being driven more by the tax outcome than the business need. Where the impact is obvious and measured, the tax benefit becomes a useful extra rather than the main reason for the spend. 

What happens longer term: The upfront deduction improves your position early on. If the asset holds its value and is sold later, part of that benefit may be adjusted. It doesn’t change the initial decision, but it’s worth being aware of. 

Investment Boost can improve the outcome of a decision, but it doesn't change the fundamentals behind it.  

If there is already an asset purchase on the cards, it's worth checking how the timing affects your tax position and whether bringing it forward makes sense alongside your current cash flow. In some cases, the benefit is clear. In others, the cost of acting early may outweigh it. 

Where there is uncertainty, the detail matters. Small differences in profit, timing, or how an asset is treated can change the outcome.  

For Beany clients looking at making a capital purchase, your accountant can help you understand how Investment Boost applies to your situation and whether acting early actually improves your overall position.

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Expenses

Ongoing unpaid PAYE is coming under more scrutiny from the IRD and may be treated as a serious offence if non-compliance continues.

Is your business behind on PAYE obligations? Learn about the IRD’s increased focus on unpaid payroll deductions and the serious legal risks for directors.

Unpaid PAYE risks and how to avoid prosecution and personal liability

Unpaid PAYE is getting more attention from the Inland Revenue Department. An April Revenue Alert flags a pattern the department is seeing more often and makes clear that where this behaviour continues, it may be treated as a serious offence, including potential prosecution. 

The Revenue Alert isn't about payroll mistakes or one-off delays. It's focusing on a specific pattern where PAYE is deducted from employees but is not being passed on to the IRD. The same issue can apply to other amounts withheld through payroll, such as KiwiSaver contributions and student loan repayments.  

What matters here is how these amounts are treated. They are collected on behalf of the IRD and are expected to be paid over in full. The alert is drawing attention to situations where that isn't happening, particularly where it’s become an ongoing rather than a one-off issue.  

If PAYE is deducted and knowingly used for anything other than paying the IRD, it can be treated as a criminal offence. That can carry penalties of up to five years imprisonment and fines of up to $50,000. Directors can also be held personally liable. 

The same applies to anyone involved in the behaviour. Aiding, encouraging, or being part of the decision not to pay PAYE can also fall within the scope of the offence. 

The Revenue Alert hasn't introduced any new rules or consequences. The IRD are simply keeping a closer watch over this.

Unpaid PAYE isn’t usually just a single missed payment that gets fixed in the next cycle. It tends to build and escalate gradually.  

Shortfalls carrying over into the next period 

Repeated reliance on "catching up next cycle” 

Payments being made, but the balance with the IRD isn't reducing 

PAYE being used to cover other expenses, even temporarily 

The problem typically starts with a partial payment or a small delay that the business intends to catch up before the next cycle. However, the next due date arrives and there’s a new PAYE amount due on top of what’s already outstanding. If the original balance hasn’t been cleared, the amount owed begins to grow. The longer it goes on for, the harder it gets to manage.

Penalties and interest also start to apply, and the outstanding balance becomes more visible to the IRD. What began as a short delay can quickly turn into a situation that takes time and planning to overcome.

If your business’s PAYE has started to fall behind, the priority is to stop it from rolling into the next cycle. That means dealing with both the current balance and the next due amount at the same time.  

Start by checking exactly how much is outstanding with the IRD.

What needs to be paid to stay current this period 

If you can't clear everything, prioritise staying current first. That prevents the balance from growing while you deal with what's already owing.

From there, make a plan to tackle the overdue amount. That might mean setting aside a fixed amount each week or allocating a portion of incoming payments specifically to PAYE until the balance starts reducing.  

If it's clear the full amount can't be paid soon, contact the IRD. Early engagement gives more room to arrange a payment plan before the balance grows further.  The key is to stop the balance from continuing to roll forward and become even more unmanageable.

Keeping PAYE from becoming a bigger problem

What the Revenue Alert makes crystal clear is that this is now an area the IRD is watching closely. Where a pattern of non-compliance continues, the response can go beyond penalties, and the harsher consequences become a very possible reality.

For employers, the priority is to stay on top of it. Once unpaid PAYE (or any other tax) starts snowballing, it becomes harder to bring back under control.

If you need help establishing a plan to manage unpaid PAYE and your business's cash flow, this is where advice from your accountant can be extremely beneficial.

Not working with an accountant? Beany is an online accounting and business advisory firm with clients all across New Zealand. Our team are based nationwide, from Auckland to the deep South. Get in touch or book a free discovery call to discuss how we can help your business.

IRD cracks down on unpaid PAYE and what it means for employers

Industry news

Talking points from Budget 2026 with a focus on measures that may impact business owners.

No major tax rate hikes, but a few compliance shifts. Discover how Budget 2026 impacts your FBT, R&D cash flow, shareholder loans, and NFP rules.

Budget 2026 summary for NZ business owners

Yesterday afternoon, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered the 2026 Budget, with a focus on fiscal restraint, reduced spending, and working toward a faster return to surplus by 2029.

As a business owner, you won't find any changes to personal or company tax rates this year. Instead, the focus is squarely on "strengthening" the existing framework, reducing a few compliance headaches, and encouraging investment.

Here is our breakdown of the budget measures that could impact your business and cash flow.


Please note, budget measures are only proposals until they have been officially passed into law.

FBT vehicle rules simplified: A ‘close enough’ approach

If you provide company vehicles to your team, you know how painful keeping meticulous logbooks can be. In a welcome move to slash red tape, the Government is simplifying the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) rules for private motor vehicle use. They are doing away with detailed logbook requirements in favour of a "close enough is good enough" approach. 

While the exact operational details will roll out soon, it is designed to significantly reduce the compliance hours you spend tracking company vehicles.

Changes to Research & Development tax incentives

If your business invests in innovation, the Research and Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) is getting a highly practical tweak. Instead of making you wait until the end of the tax year to claim your credits, the Government is introducing in-year payments. This should ease the cash flow burden of ongoing research projects.

The big catch. To balance the books, the cap on non-administrative internal software expenditure for R&D is being slashed from $25 million down to $3 million. If your business develops heavy internal software, you’ll want to review your thresholds.

Shareholder loans face a strict 6-month countdown after company closure

This is a critical one for company directors to note. Following recent consultation on how shareholder advances are handled, the Government has introduced an integrity measure targeting liquidated companies. 

Six months after a company is liquidated or removed from the Companies Register, any outstanding loans it previously made to its shareholders will now be taxed as income in the hands of those shareholders. If you are tidying up or closing down an entity, ensuring shareholder loans are properly cleared or accounted for will be more important than ever.


Non-Resident Contractors Tax (NRCT) gets a modern overhaul

If you hire offshore contractors to help with projects, the Non-Resident Contractors Tax (NRCT) is getting its first major update since 2003. 

The proposed changes (set to apply from 1 April 2027) include:

A higher threshold: The monetary exemption threshold is rising significantly from a low $15,000 up to $75,000 in a 12-month period, adjusting for decades of inflation.

The "Single-Payer" view: Previously, you had to know about a contractor's activities with third parties to see if they breached thresholds. Now, you only need to consider your own contractual activity with them.

Low-risk exclusions: Overseas branches, limited partnerships, and representative offices with a good track record will be excluded from the regime entirely, saving them from having to constantly apply for exemptions.

Better admin: IRD is introducing a NRCT tax code to make tracking and filing smoother within the PAYE system.

This aims to reduce administrative friction for kiwi businesses leveraging international talent for smaller or short-term contracts.


If you hold offshore investments or shares (or if your business acts as a trustee), the FIF de minimis exemption threshold is doubling from $50,000 to $100,000 for individuals and trusts. This means fewer small-scale investors will fall into the complex FIF tax net. 

Additionally, a calculation method previously only available to new migrants (ensuring tax is only paid on realised gains and actual dividends) is being extended to all NZ taxpayers.


If your business currently relies on natural gas, there is a major new incentive to help you transition to cleaner energy alternatives. Under this newly announced scheme, the Crown will guarantee 80% of bank lending (up to a $50 million cap per loan) to support eligible businesses looking to reduce or eliminate their natural gas dependency.

To access these cheaper, government-backed loans, your business must currently consume at least 1,000 GJ of reticulated natural gas annually and achieve a gas savings reduction of at least 15%. The Budget has also allocated an extra $5.9 million to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to help businesses map out their transition options.


Practical relief and tighter boundaries for Charities and Not-for-Profits

If you sit on the board of a grassroots sports club, manage a community group, or run a registered charity, Budget 2026 brings some of the most practical compliance relief seen in years, balanced by some sharp new integrity measures.

A 10x lift in the tax-free threshold: For taxable not-for-profits, the amount of net income you can earn before paying any income tax is being aggressively raised from a tiny $1,000 up to $10,000. This ensures small community groups aren’t dragged into complex filing regimes over minor earnings.

Locking in subscription rules: The Government explicitly confirmed that membership subscriptions and levies received by not-for-profits will remain entirely non-taxable, providing long-term certainty for clubs and associations.

Faster and ‘recyclable’ donation tax credits: To encourage charitable giving, donors will soon be able to claim in-year donation tax credit refunds rather than waiting for the end of the financial year. Even better, a new mechanism will allow donors to transfer their tax credit directly back to the charity, magnifying the value of their original gift.

Simplifying volunteer honoraria: In a massive payroll simplification win, NFPs will now be allowed to treat volunteer honoraria as standard salary or wages, clearing up decades of administrative confusion around the PAYE treatment of token payments.

To help fund these changes and close off structural loopholes, the Government is introducing three strict boundaries:

A new donation cap: There will now be a hard cap of $100,000 per year on donations made by an individual claiming a donation tax credit. This limits the maximum annual tax credit an individual can claim to $33,333.

Trust distributions under scrutiny: New integrity measures are being introduced to crack down on how trusts allocate income to tax-exempt beneficiaries.

No more exemptions for offshore charities: The tax exemption for non-resident charities is being completely removed, ensuring NZ tax benefits remain focused locally.


Budget 2026 isn't a landscape-shifting event for businesses, but rather a cleanup of the technicalities. The in-year R&D payments, relaxed FBT logbook rules, and streamlined NRCT regime are genuine wins for cash flow and admin reduction. Meanwhile, the Gas Transition scheme offers a practical, funded path for businesses looking to upgrade their infrastructure. On the flip side, the tighter rules around liquidated shareholder loans mean compliance needs to stay sharp.

To discuss how any of the budget measures are likely to impact your business, get in touch with your accountant.


Budget at a glance - overview of the 2026 budget from The Treasury NZ

Taxation (Budget Measures) Bill (No 3) - full commentary on tax-related proposals from Inland Revenue​

Inland Revenue Information Sheet for NRCT - the policy proposal for non-resident contractors' tax 

Ben Male has built, sold, and reinvented. Now, he's more excited about what's coming than anything he's done before.

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT  •  25 MAY 2026  •  3 MIN READ

It started, as many good things do, with a cousin and a half-baked idea. Back in 2015, Ben Male was pitched into the world of digital marketing almost by accident. His cousin was freelancing in search engine optimisation, Ben had a business idea, and the two started tinkering. Others joined. Ben found his feet in digital, and a direction he didn't know he was looking for.

Together, the pair co-founded Inbound, a HubSpot partner agency doing inbound and digital marketing. They bootstrapped it, figured things out on the fly, and ran it for four years before selling in 2019. It was the kind of formative chapter that looks obvious in hindsight but felt anything but at the time.

Then 2020 arrived. Ben briefly tried his hand at an Airbnb business, a venture that COVID made short work of. He regrouped, returned to digital, and started asking a different question: not just what kind of work he wanted to do, but what kind of life he wanted to build around it.

The answer was Team Empathy, founded in 2020 with what Ben calls a "chillpreneurship" ethos at its core. High-impact, high-value work. Delivered without being glued to a screen for twelve hours a day. Walk the dog. Walk the baby. Do good work and actually live your life. That philosophy hasn't changed. The work, however, has evolved considerably.

Team Empathy began as an SEO agency, helping local and sustainable businesses rank better on Google. It was solid, purposeful work. But then AI arrived and Ben's decade of search experience suddenly felt like the foundation for something far more interesting.

"I was starting to get a bit bored of SEO," he admits. "But AI has made it way more exciting because we're basically creating a new layer of the internet."

That new layer is what Ben calls Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). Where SEO was about ranking on Google, AEO is about being found and recommended by AI agents. The shift is significant. These agents don't just search, they query, contextualise, and recommend. They know their user's demographics, preferences, and needs, and they're looking for businesses that can answer questions clearly and credibly. If your brand isn't visible to AI, it increasingly isn't visible at all.

Team Empathy is now an agency partner of AirOps, a New York-based platform that helps businesses build the infrastructure to show up in this new environment. The goal isn't to do the work for clients indefinitely, it's to install the system, transfer the knowledge, and hand over the keys. Ben's team brings in their own workflows, calibrates everything to the client's brand voice, trains the internal team, and within six to twelve months, the business owns it entirely.

The ideal client right now is a seven or eight-figure e-commerce company ready to stop guessing and start owning their narrative in an AI-driven world. It's a tighter focus than before and a deliberate one.

"We're providing AI transformation," Ben says. "And you need a system like this. The future of the internet lies here."

For someone who built, sold, and started again more than once, Ben Male has earned the right to say that with confidence. Team Empathy isn't chasing the next thing, it's leading it.

Team Empathy features in this Beany Business Spotlight. Celebrating the businesses that know where they've come from and exactly where they're going. 

Beany works with ambitious, forward-thinking businesses like Team Empathy, handling the numbers so founders can focus on what they do best.

You can find Ben and Team Empathy at teamempathy.co.nz

From side hustle to AI frontier: Team Empathy is just getting warmed up

Business spotlight

Discover how the impacts of global events show up in your numbers and what signals to monitor.

BUSINESS  •  18 MAY 2026  •  1 MIN READ

From increasing fuel costs to slower customer payments, global tensions are showing up in everyday business data. Here's what to look out for and how to respond.

What NZ businesses should watch as global tensions rise

New Zealand businesses are in a delicate position. The economy is still recovering from the downturn in 2024, which marked the country’s sharpest contraction since 1991. While sales activity began improving through 2025, based on the latest data from Xero, many businesses are still operating with tight margins and cautious demand.

At the same time, global tensions are beginning to push new pressures into the system. Fuel volatility, shipping disruptions, and shifting supply costs are early signs that international developments may once again influence local business conditions. 

For SME owners, the key question is about recognising the signals that may affect costs, demand, and cashflow in the months ahead.

In uncertain conditions, the most useful signals show up in everyday business data and operational changes. 

A few indicators that we recommend watching include: 

Cost pressures often appear first in supplier communications rather than economic reports. Businesses may start receiving notices about updated pricing, fuel surcharges, or revised freight costs. Rather than viewing these changes individually, it can help to track them collectively. 

If several suppliers begin adjusting prices within a short period, it often indicates broader cost pressure building upstream in the supply chain. 

When that happens, it may be worth reviewing a few things early: 

Whether current pricing still protects margins

Which cost increases can realistically be absorbed

Whether inventory purchasing or supplier mix should be adjusted

Spotting these patterns early can give you more time to plan before higher costs fully work their way into your financial results.

Fuel volatility tends to move through transport and logistics fast. Freight forwarders may revise rates or adjust schedules as shipping conditions change. Businesses that rely on imported goods or materials often see these shifts before they appear in official inflation data. 

If freight costs begin changing, it can be helpful to assess how exposed your business is to transport pricing. For example, how much of the product cost is tied to shipping, whether current freight assumptions in pricing still hold, and whether inventory planning should be adjusted to manage cost volatility. 

For some, even small changes in freight rates can significantly affect margins, particularly when goods are imported or move frequently through distribution networks. 

Monitoring these changes early can help business owners adjust purchasing or pricing decisions before higher transport costs begin showing up in financial results.

Monitoring customer demand remains critical in uncertain economic conditions. Changes in order volumes, booking activity, or sales cycles can provide early signals about changes in the broader economy. 

Rather than waiting for a clear drop in revenue, watch for more subtle changes, such as: 

Customers delaying purchases or extending decision timelines

Smaller order sizes or more cautious buying patterns

A shift toward lower-cost products or services

These usually appear gradually before they show up in monthly revenue figures. Recognising them early can help you adjust inventory, marketing activity, or cost planning before a slowdown becomes more visible in financial results. 

One of the earliest signs of economic pressure often appears in accounts receivable. If customers start taking longer to pay, it usually reflects tightening cashflow somewhere in the supply chain. This doesn’t always appear as outright late payments. Sometimes invoices simply sit longer before they are processed or approved. 

Looking at trends in receivables can reveal these changes early. If average payment times begin drifting upward across multiple customers, it may indicate that financial pressure is building within the wider community. 

In these situations, keeping a closer watch on outstanding invoices and projected inflows can help businesses avoid unexpected cashflow gaps. 

Turning uncertainty into better financial decisions

Periods of global uncertainty tend to expose weak spots in a business's financial structure. When costs move quickly or demand shifts unexpectedly, the businesses that respond faster are usually the ones with the clearest visibility over their numbers.

Here are a few practical steps that can help strengthen that visibility:

Rising costs don't always appear immediately in profit figures. Monitoring margins regularly helps identify when freight, supplier pricing, or operating costs are beginning to erode profitability. 

2. Update cashflow forecasts more frequently

Forecasts are most useful when they reflect current conditions. Updating projections regularly helps businesses anticipate potential pressure points rather than reacting once cashflow tightens.

When suppliers begin adjusting prices or adding surcharges, it can indicate broader cost pressures across the supply chain. Identifying these patterns early gives businesses more time to review pricing or purchasing decisions. 

In volatile environments, pricing models built on last year's cost structure may no longer hold. Periodically reassessing pricing assumptions helps protect margins. 

Changes in how quickly customers pay invoices can reveal early signs of financial stress across an industry. 

While global events are outside of your control, how quickly you see their impact on your business and respond to them isn't.

In uncertain times, financial visibility is especially important as it helps separate reactive decisions from informed ones.

At Beany, our accounting and advisory services can help clients gain insight and understanding from their numbers. If you're looking for a full-service accounting firm that helps with not only tax but can also provide regular CFO-level insights, book a free discovery call.

What New Zealand businesses should watch as global tensions rise

Business advice

Find out what can trigger an IRD audit and what reduces the risk of being on IRD's radar.

COMPLIANCE  •  18 MAY 2026  •  6 MIN READ

Find out how the IRD selects businesses for audit, what patterns trigger a review, and what business owners can do to reduce their risk.

How the IRD chooses businesses to audit

Most business owners assume an IRD audit happens because someone has done something wrong. 

In reality, audits are often the result of uncertainties or inconsistencies in the information a business reports. It’s very rarely a single issue that leads to an audit, but rather a lack of clarity in how the numbers fit together.

Understanding IRD’s selection process can help remove some of the uncertainty and reduce the stress that an audit can bring.

It can feel like audits happen out of nowhere, but the IRD generally selects businesses based on risk rather than at random.

Tax information is regularly assessed against risk indicators. The information filed with IRD is analysed and compared with what would normally be expected for businesses of a similar size, structure, and industry. Current figures may also be compared with previous filings to identify any unusual changes or inconsistencies. When something stands out, it can trigger a review.

Inland Revenue also regularly updates its compliance focus. This means certain industries, activities, or behaviours may be under closer scrutiny at different times.

If you’re selected for an audit, the IRD may not tell you exactly why you were selected. This is done to protect the integrity of their selection process.

Signals the IRD may look for in small and medium businesses

When Inland Revenue reviews a business, they are not looking for small mistakes. They are looking for patterns that don't make sense when compared with the information they hold. 

These patterns usually appear across your tax returns, bank activity, and reported income and expenses. 

Common signals that may attract IRD's attention include:

Spending that does not match reported income

Bank deposits that don't align with declared sales

Gross profit margins that sit well below industry norms

Regular cash jobs while materials and expenses are paid on credit

Using undeclared cash for personal expenses or asset purchases

Credit card use in places that don't match the nature of the business

Links to other people or businesses already under investigation

Transfers between personal and business accounts without clear explanation

On their own, any one of these may not mean much, but when several appear together, they can form a pattern that IRD's systems flag for further review.

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