There is a lot of publicity in the media at the moment from companies setup to secure Tax Refunds for employees.  They can do this by becoming the individual’s Tax Agent and therefore can query the IRD system on behalf of their clients (they also receive all correspondence from the IRD in respect to any tax matters so make sure they are passing that on).

Now I have no idea what these companies charge but the reality is any individual can work it out themselves, for FREE.

All you need to know is your Total Gross Income for the year and Total Tax Paid and then all you do is use the Tax Calculator from the IRD.

The process is totally anonymous (you don’t have to enter your name or IRD number) and the results will show if you are entitled to a tax refund or owe the IRD money (I don’t understand why the IRD can’t just refund you automatically).

If you have income from multiple sources then you may need to request a Personal Tax Summary from the IRD, BUT BE WARNED,  requesting a Personal Tax Summary triggers the IRD system into doing its own calculations and if they see you owe them money, then you are obliged to pay it.  So the best strategy initially is to try and get an Earnings Certificate from all sources of income and work from these.  This way, if you find you owe the IRD money you are entitled to ignore it.

Certain Individuals must file a Tax Return each year (IR3) so by default a Personal Tax Summary will be generated for them by the IRD.  If you want to see if you need to file a Tax Return, or will get a Personal Tax Summary click HERE!

The Tax Refund Calculator can be found HERE!