Getting Your IRD Number (and Why You Can't Work Without One)

An IRD number is New Zealand’s tax identification number, and you need one before you can legally be paid by an NZ employer. It’s free, quick to apply for online, and worth sorting out in your first few days — skip it and your first pay packet loses far more to tax than it should.

Why you can’t skip this

Employers are required to deduct tax at this higher “no-notification” rate whenever you haven’t given them an IRD number, so every payday without one is money you don’t need to lose.

What you need to apply

Apply online through Inland Revenue (IRD) using their “new arrival to New Zealand” process, built specifically for people who’ve just landed on a visa. As a Working Holiday Visa holder, you’ll need:

• Your passport details
• Your Immigration New Zealand application number (from your visa approval email)
• Your most recent overseas tax number, if you have one

This process also lets IRD confirm your identity directly with Immigration New Zealand, so you don’t need to send certified ID copies separately.

The bank account question

IRD’s application supports applying either with or without a NZ bank account already open — if you don’t have one yet, select the “no bank account” option rather than waiting. In fact, many working holidaymakers do it in whichever order suits them: some open a bank account first and add the IRD number afterward, others get the IRD number first and use Inland Revenue’s confirmation letter as proof of address when opening the account. Check your chosen bank’s specific requirements, since some ask for a fully operating NZ account before you can apply.

Timing: there’s a real deadline

This new-arrival application path is only available up to the final arrival date shown on your visa — the same date you had to enter New Zealand by. Miss that window and you’ll need to apply through the standard “living in New Zealand” process instead, which asks for extra identity documents. Apply as soon as you’ve landed rather than leaving it for later.

How long it takes

Once approved, you’ll get your IRD number by text or email within a couple of days of the decision, or by post if you asked for that instead.

What to do with it

Give your IRD number to your employer, along with a completed tax code declaration, before or on your first day of work — that’s what stops you being taxed at the higher no-notification rate. Keep the number for your whole stay: you’ll use it again if you claim a tax refund when you leave.

Where to go next

• WHV requirements: funds, insurance, medical — explained
• Your first week in New Zealand: exact to-do list
• How to find a job in NZ on a working holiday
• Claiming your tax refund when you leave NZ

This page is general information, not tax or immigration advice. For guidance on your specific situation, contact Inland Revenue or a licensed tax adviser directly.