News
Investment Boost Scheme – What You Need to Know (Including the Tricky Bits)
The 20% Investment Boost has been a welcome change for many taxpayers. It gives businesses an upfront tax deduction when buying new assets — which is great for cash flow.
Short-Term Rental GST 2026
GST and short-term rentals are no longer simple. Between the definition of commercial dwellings, the marketplace rules introduced from 1 April 2024, registration thresholds, apportionment rules, change-of-use adjustments and exit implications, many…
IRD takes tough stance on tax debt in 2026
Inland Revenue has stepped up its approach to overdue tax with faster follow-ups, closer monitoring, and earlier enforcement for businesses that fall behind.
What to Think About as Retirement Approaches
Retirement is one of the biggest transitions in life — and being financially ready can make all the difference to your peace of mind and quality of life. Whether you’re a few years away or it’s just around the corner, now is the time to take stock and…
Short-Term Rental Structuring & Tax Rules in New Zealand (2025 Guide)
A friendly, easy-to-understand guide for Airbnb hosts, bach owners, and everyday property investors. Short-term rentals remain one of the most popular ways for New Zealanders to generate extra income. But along with the opportunity comes increasing…
Gift Vouchers and Cards - Quick Facts
Businesses sometimes provide gift cards or vouchers to employees as a benefit. And they may also provide gift cards or vouchers to clients as gifts. In each case, there is a range of tax treatments, depending on the circumstances and type of card.
Market & Economic Update — Insights from Michelle Perkins, Craigs Investment Partners
We recently hosted an excellent presentation from Michelle Perkins, Director of Wealth Research at Craigs Investment Partners, who shared her insights on what’s driving global and local markets right now. For those who couldn’t make it, here’s a short…
FamilyBoost Changes Now in Law – What Families Need to Know
If your family receives FamilyBoost support to help with early childhood education (ECE) costs, there’s good news — the Government’s changes announced in July have now officially become law.
FREE SEMINAR: An Economic Update with Craigs Investment Partners
Join us for a complimentary morning tea as we hear from Craigs Director of Wealth Research, Michelle Perkins, on the current economic outlook and the implications for markets. There will be time after the presentation for questions and networking with…
Trusts and Blended Families – Protecting Your Assets
Blended families are increasingly common in New Zealand, and with them comes a rise in complex trust and relationship property issues. We are seeing more situations where a new partner gains access to a trust they have not contributed to at all. Without…
Think you’re ready to grow?
Growth is exciting, and with the right planning, it can be a turning point for your business. But whether you're taking on more clients, expanding your services, or launching into a new market, it's important to first make sure your financial foundations…
The Investment Boost & What it Means for Your Business
Following Nicola Willis’s Budget announcement on 22 May 2025, several key initiatives stood out—one of the most talked-about being the Investment Boost. This new scheme has raised several questions around how it works and what it means for different…
ACC CoverPlus Extra (CPX) - What Business Owners Need to Know
Running a business comes with enough challenges—your ACC cover shouldn't be one of them. If you're a self-employed business owner or contractor, you've probably heard about ACC CoverPlus. But have you heard about ACC CoverPlus Extra (CPX)?
What You Need to Know About Commercial Leases in New Zealand
If you’re a business owner leasing commercial premises in New Zealand, it’s important to understand what’s in your lease agreement. From who’s fixing the roof to how rent gets reviewed, there are a bunch of key terms that can affect your bottom line.…
Essential Cash Flow Tips for Small Business Owners
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. Even a profitable company can struggle if it doesn’t have enough cash on hand to cover expenses. For small businesses in New Zealand, effective cash flow management is critical, especially during challenging…
Navigating Financial Hardship as a Small Business Owner
Running a small business comes with its fair share of ups and downs. Financial hardship can arise from economic downturns, unexpected expenses, or changes in customer demand. Here’s a practical guide to help you navigate financial challenges and keep your…
Our Christmas Drop-In Party
The festive season is in full swing, and we couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up the year than with our Christmas Drop-In event. This year's celebration was a huge success, and it was an absolute joy to see so many familiar faces come together…
Tips to Smooth Your Payroll Over Summer
The Christmas season can bring payroll headaches, but knowing the rules will help you stay compliant. In this latest blog post we cover the topline topics to help smooth out your payroll stress over the holiday period.
Five Ways to Boost Your Income During the Post-Holiday Slowdown
While industries like tourism and hospitality flourish in the summer, many businesses face a drop in activity after Christmas and New Year’s. Does this sound like your situation? If so, don’t worry. Here are five effective strategies to maintain your cash…
Understanding Farm Accounting - Deductions and Tax Implications
Farm accounting is a specialized area of tax, and it’s crucial for farmers to understand the deductions and tax implications that can apply to their operations. From the cost of developing the farm to managing livestock and vehicle expenses, proper…
Can AI help you speed up returns and lower your tax bill?
We get it: getting your financial data organised for your accountant can be a headache. It takes time away from your business, and can delay getting your tax return sorted. At Real CA, we understand how valuable your time is, and that's why we're excited…
FREE SEMINAR: Looking Ahead to 2025 - A General Economic Update
Join us as we "Look Ahead to 2025" with an in depth presentation from Senior Research Analyst Michelle Perkins of Craigs Investment Partners. Michelle will provide a general economic update and discuss markets and why we invest.
The Importance of Supplying Your IRD Number for Interest and Dividends
It's important to keep your financial matters in order. One crucial aspect is ensuring that your IRD number is supplied to all entities from which you receive interest or dividends. This small but vital step can significantly impact the efficiency of…
Emerge Bank: A Digital Bank Built by Kiwis, for Kiwis
Last month at Xerocon, we had the chance to meet with some of the team behind Emerge Bank, an exciting new player in New Zealand’s financial landscape.
Rob Egan Receives Prestigious CAANZ Fellowship Award
We are proud to announce that our managing director, Rob Egan, has been awarded the esteemed CAANZ Fellowship Award. This prestigious honour recognizes Rob's outstanding career achievements and his significant contributions to the business community, the…
Enterprise Angels: Empowering Early Stage Companies
We recently attended an event hosted by this exciting local organisation, and agreed that more business owners in our community should hear more about what they do too.
Unclaimed Money at the IRD: Your Guide to Reclaiming Forgotten Funds
Discovering unclaimed money can be like finding a hidden treasure. In New Zealand, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) safeguards unclaimed funds, offering a lifeline to those who may have forgotten about their assets.
Fixed Asset Schedule Reviews
Overlooking your fixed asset schedule might seem trivial, but it's a key aspect of financial management. In this blog post, we will take a look at the crucial role this plays in your business.
GST Changes for Online Marketplaces
There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the changes to GST regarding Uber, Airbnb and other electronic marketplaces. Particularly about whether GST registration is required or not.
Keep Debtors and Creditors Up-to-date
Debtors (accounts receivable) are individuals or entities that owe money to your business for goods or services you have provided. Conversely, creditors (accounts payable) are those to whom your business owes money to.
Writing Off Bad Debts
Bad debts represent accounts receivable (invoices) that are unlikely to be collected due to various reasons. In this latest blog post we give you a quick summary as to why it is important to write off your bad debts.
What's Your Money Mindset?
Money Mindset refers to an individual's beliefs, attitudes, and emotions concerning money, wealth, and financial decisions. It significantly influences how people manage and interact with their finances.
Improving Profitability
As the economic slowdown hits more businesses, we are encouraging all our clients to keep a close eye on profitability and strategies to improve this.
Side Hustles: Hobby or Business?
In today's digital landscape, many individuals are exploring side hustles to supplement their income and achieve financial goals. One such option gaining popularity is participating in online surveys. Engaging in online surveys can be a convenient and…
Earning Online Income
As the digital world continues to grow, so do the opportunities for earning income online. One such opportunity is affiliate marketing, where individuals can earn commission by promoting products or services on their social media platforms.
Tips for Getting Paid
Get some help with managing your cashflow with this latest blog post showing ways you can get paid promptly for your products and services. Contact your REAL Client Manager for more help with cashflow management and forecasting.
Making Cash Flow Your Priority
Good cash flow management is important – particularly for new and growing businesses. Having a plan in place is pivotal to your success. Hoping for the best is not a strategy.
Family Succession Planning
Putting some thought to your succession plan is task best done sooner rather than later. Your succession plan can change over time but having some direction in mind is useful.
Lifestyle Block – Business or Hobby?
Before purchasing a lifestyle block, particularly one being sold as +GST (if any), it is important to consider what you intend to do with the property.
Christmas Expense Management Without the Tax Headache
As we move into your budget/spending for the silly season, here's a timely reminder of the rules around entertainment expenses so you know what’s deductible and non-deductible before you fork out for your staff and customers.
Operating a Business in Gloomy Economic Times
As a business owner, there are steps you can take to navigate through this period successfully. Firstly, you must have a firm grip on your finances. If you don’t understand your numbers, reach out to your REAL Client Manager as they can help.
Beneficiary Current Account Balances
Recent Trust law changes mean we are required to take a closer look at beneficiary account balances.
Welcoming Some New Faces to Our Team
Like most other businesses out there, we’ve had a few changes to our team this year with people retiring, moving on or changing their roles. This allowed us to also look at the way we were delivering our services to ensure we are remaining as efficient as…
Celebrating Our 20yrs in Business
Monday, 13th May, 2002 was the date Cronin Cullen & Egan Ltd officially amalgamated, making this year the anniversary of our 20yrs in business here in Tauranga.
Forecasting - Why it's important
A new financial year is almost upon us and now is the perfect time to put plans in place for the next financial year.
Tax Obligations When Renting Your Family Home
Are you thinking of renting out your family home during the holidays or did you rent out your family home during the holidays? If so, then ensure you’re aware of your tax obligations, deductible expenses, rental agreements and more key points.
Consent Phishing: The Emerging Phishing Technique That Can Bypass 2FA
Consent phishing is an emerging technique attackers are using to compromise user accounts, even if they have Multi-factor Authentication (MFA or 2FA) enabled. Consent phishing is particularly effective because it doesn’t exhibit many of the indicators…
How Job Management Software Can Help You Grow Your Business
For businesses in the field service industry, an efficient job management process is the foundation that leads to ongoing success and growth potential. At its core, good job management is about the efficiency of processes and workflows that your business…
Selling Business Assets
The main advice we give to all our clients is that you talk to us before making any property transactions. Changes to the NZ Property Tax rules are yet to be finalised by law, possibly sometime in September this year. In the meantime, you are best to err…
Important Update on Bright-line Test
This is an important update for anyone who owns a property and is possibly looking to sell a property. Please contact us if you are thinking of selling and BEFORE you sell as your income tax may be affected depending on when the property was purchased or…
Residential Land Sales - Getting you up-to-speed on the Bright-line Rules
REAL Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors are updating clients on changes to the bright-line rules which came into effect on the 1st of October 2015. Inland Revenue has advised that residential land sales will be a compliance focus in 2021.
Advice for Liquidating a Company
The time may have come to close your business due to an asset sale, a business sale, a business failure, or possible liabilities in the future. It’s important to remember that a company continues in existence until it is removed from the company register.
Budgeting and Financial Literacy
Having a budget in place gives you the knowledge and insight to eradicate wasteful spending and increase your profit. A budget will show what your sales need to be to cover your expenses, help you plan for investments which is where your personal…
Cashflow Forecasting & Budgeting
Did you know that we offer Cashflow Forecasting and Budgeting? Having a Cashflow Forecast is important for business planning. It can help you set financial targets, know where you are heading and help determine those periods where cash may be lean.
Protect Your Business with Audit Shield
We can now offer Audit Shield to anyone wanting peace of mind and protection if required to participate in an IRD or other government agency audit.
Low-value asset threshold for depreciation
The Government has recently passed legislation that temporarily increases the low-value asset threshold for depreciation from $500 to $5,000. This will allow you to deduct the full cost of your business assets with a value of less than $5,000 in the year…
Renting to Tenants - What you need to know
Income earned from rent is taxable and you can claim deductions for costs related to earning that income. Different tax rules apply depending on the circumstances. For tax purposes, renting to tenants is different from short-stay accommodation or that…
Holiday Pay & Public Holidays
Employment New Zealand published this excellent article on holiday pay for your staff and their minimum rights for public and annual holidays. Employees get a paid day off on public holidays if it’s an otherwise working day for them. If they work on a…
Is a Family Trust Right for Me?
Family trusts are a popular way to protect and manage your assets, such as the family home, for you and your family, now and in the future. They can have a valuable role to play, but they’re not suitable for everyone. Here are the pros and cons of family…
Bright-Line Test - Residential Sales & Purchases
On the 1st of October 2015 the IRD introduced a ‘Bright-Line test’ for the sale of residential property.
GST & Houses
Houses and GST can be a complicated and misunderstood area. It is important to understand when a house comes into and exits the GST net and what and when GST adjustments need to be made.
AIM - Accounting Income Method
By now you may have heard about the new AIM system that IRD have in place for small businesses. This is the new provisional tax option to help small businesses with their cash flow where they only pay tax when the business makes a profit
Payday Reporting
IRD have introduced Payday filing. This is currently voluntary, however from 1 April 2019 it will be compulsory.
International Tax Obligations
Have you recently moved to NZ from overseas? Are you aware of the current NZ tax laws regarding internationally-sourced income?
GST basis - Payments basis or Invoice basis?
Are you new to GST? Do you need help to decide which GST calculation basis to use?
Claiming Expenses When Travelling for Work
You can claim for a lot of expenses when you’re travelling for work. If you take a holiday as part of the same trip, you can only claim for the portion of the trip that was work related.
Subdivisions and Developments
If you are planning on undertaking a subdivision or development, or are in the process of completing one, its pays to get some advice on your tax obligations. Unless your subdivision is on a very small scale (minor subdivision), it is likely to be…
Company Liquidations
Due to an asset sale, a business sale, a business failure or possible liabilities in the future, it may be time to liquidate a company.
Winding up a Trust
When a trust is at the end of its life, no longer fulfilling the purpose intended or hopelessly insolvent it may be time to wind the trust up.
How to Maximize your Assets before Retirement with Tactical Investing
Risk tolerance, time horizon, and asset allocation – you’ve dealt with these factors for a good part of your life, but now, in the face of retirement, they take on a more urgent and significant role. These factors – particularly tactical asset allocation…
KiwiSaver for the Self-Employed
If you are self-employed, you are not required to contribute a percentage of your income.
How Accounting Software Can Increase Profits
Most small business owners who use accounting software quickly master the basics. They automate processes like invoicing and payroll, track expenses and view real time financial reports to manage cash flow and make better business decisions. But what…
ACC Cover Plus Extra
ACC CoverPlus Extra CoverPlus Extra is an optional product that lets self-employed people negotiate a pre-agreed level of cover. This way you will know exactly how much money you will receive if you have an accident. The differences between ACC…
Changes to IRD penalties and interest
Great news! The IRD has changed the safe harbour threshold before UOMI (Use-Of-Money Interest) applies to be increased from $50k to $60k for individuals and non-individuals alike.
Tax Season Tips for Small Business Owners
Preparing for tax season is really a year-round endeavor. Tip number one for SMB owners is to update financials on a monthly basis, using a streamlined software or cloud-based system. This way, come tax time, everything you need is all in one place.…
