Skip to main content

Budget 2024: The Government has announced FamilyBoost, a proposed new childcare payment to help eligible families with the rising costs of Early Childhood Education (ECE). Find out more: Beehive.govt.nz

Most people file their GST return in myIR which does the calculations for you. If you file a paper return the form tells you what calculations to make.

Regardless of how you file you need to work out your total:

  • sales and income
  • zero-rated supplies
  • debit adjustments
  • purchases and expenses
  • credit adjustments

Sales and income

The way you work out your total sales and income depends on the accounting basis you use.

You use the invoice or hybrid basis You use the payments basis

In your GST return for the period include:

  • amounts you’ve notified customers to pay by invoice, even if you have not been paid yet
  • the full sale price amount if customers have paid any amount before you’ve invoiced them.

In your GST return for the period include:

  • amounts you've been paid by customers.

Zero-rated supplies

Add up all your zero-rated supplies for the taxable period.

Zero-rated supplies

Debit adjustments

Add up all your debit adjustments for the taxable period.

Other GST debit adjustments

Purchases and expenses

The way you work out your total purchases and expenses depends on the accounting basis you use.

You use the invoice basis You use the payments or hybrid basis

In your GST return for the period include:

  • amounts you’ve paid to or been invoiced by suppliers if you hold taxable supply information, even if you have not paid the full amount yet.

In your GST return for the period include:

  • amounts you've paid to suppliers if you hold taxable supply information.

Find out more about taxable supply information.

How taxable supply information for GST works

You can only claim part of the GST charged on a purchase that will not be exclusively used in your business.

GST adjustments for business, private and exempt use

Credit adjustments

Add up all your credit adjustments for the taxable period.

GST credit adjustments

GST to pay or refund?

myIR will tell you how much GST you have to pay or will be refunded. If you file a paper return, the form tells you what calculations to make.

Paying GST

GST refunds

Last updated: 01 Apr 2023
Jump back to the top of the page