By law you must file your tax returns by their due dates. If you do not, you may have to pay a late filing penalty. Late filing penalties apply to:
- income tax returns
- employment information
- GST returns
- residential land withholding tax
- foreign investment PIE period returns
- PIE annual reconciliation statements.
We may charge penalties if you do not have an extension of time or valid reason for not filing.
Late filing penalties for income tax
The penalty amount for filing your income tax return late depends on your net income.
If you have not filed your return, the penalty is based on net income shown in your previous year's return.
After you file the late return, the penalty will be adjusted for the actual net income shown for the current year.
| Net income | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Less than $100,000 | $50 |
| $100,000 to $1 million | $250 |
| More than $1 million | $500 |
Late filing penalties for employment information
The late filing penalty for employment information is $250.
This is a single penalty imposed monthly, no matter how many times an employer does not file employment information on time for that month.
The penalty is due 30 days after the month the employment information was due.
If we think you have not filed your employment information, we will let you know. We will also let you know what to do next.
The 1st time you file a late return, we will send a letter to warn you that we may apply a penalty if you file late again. If we receive a 2nd late return within 12 months of the 1st, we may apply a penalty for late filing. If we do, we will send a letter to let you know.
See Standard Practice Statement SPS 19/04 - Late filing penalties for more information
SPS 19/04 - Late filing penalties
If you have agreed to file your employment information online but you file by paper instead, we may charge you a non-electronic filing penalty. The penalty is the greater of:
- $250
- $1 for each person employed at any time during the month.
Late filing penalties for goods and services tax (GST)
Late filing penalties for GST depend on your accounting basis at the time the GST return is due. There is a late filing penalty of $50 if you’re on the payments basis. There is a $250 penalty for late filing on the hybrid or invoice basis.
These penalties are usually due on the 28th day of the month after the return was due. However, where the late filing penalty would normally be due on:
- 28 December, it's due on 15 January.
- 28 May, it's due on 7 June.