If you've received an invoice from us

If you’ve received an invoice but you’re not sure what it means, we can help explain some of the terms.

Explaining your invoice

Why do you have to pay levies?

Everyone in New Zealand who is in business, an employer, self-employed or a contractor has to pay levies.

The levies you pay are separate from general tax. They’re used to cover the cost of injuries caused by an accident.

Paying levies if you work or own a business

How we get your business details

When you file a tax return or register for GST with Inland Revenue, you'll choose a Business Industry Classification (BIC) code. This describes the business activity you do, eg your BIC code for gas plumbing services would be 'E323120 Gas plumbing'.

Inland Revenue passes these details on to us, along with your liable income or payroll, and contact details so we can invoice you for levies. 

Assigning a classification unit

When we get your details from Inland Revenue we assign you a classification unit (CU) based on your BIC code. This is connected to the levy rate you pay.

You can check your BIC code on the BIC website.

Find your BIC code 

If your business details are wrong

We get your income details from Inland Revenue. If they don’t look right on your invoice, you’ll need to get in touch with them to get this sorted. They’ll then send any updates on to us.

Let us know if any other details on your invoice are wrong, as this could affect the levies you're paying. You can update your contact or business details online, and tell us if your business is no longer operating.

Login or register for MyACC for Business
What if my business changes?

When you’ll get an invoice

The timeframe depends on the type of business you are:

• self-employed and contractors - after you file a tax return you'll receive an invoice from us based on your income from the year before
• employers and shareholder-employees - you’ll receive an invoice from us every year based on your liable payroll filed with Inland Revenue. This invoice includes both your final levy and a provisional levy.

Paying your invoice

You need to pay your invoice within 30 days after the issue date shown on the invoice, unless you've set up a payment plan with us. You can pay your invoice online or find out other ways you can pay.

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Ways to pay

Already paying by direct debit or instalments?

If you’re on a standard 3, 6 or 10 month payment plan, this should automatically roll over. We'll then send your payment schedule out with your invoice. Your payment schedule will tell you when any payments will come out of your account.

If you're not on a standard plan, you’ll need to contact us to set this up when you receive your invoice. We'll then send your payment schedule separate from your invoice.

If we owe you a refund

If you received a credit note that shows we owe you a refund you can:

• email or post the direct credit slip at the bottom of your credit note
• phone or email us if you want this paid into your bank account.

If we don’t hear anything from you after 15 days from the date on your invoice, we’ll automatically send you out a cheque.

The type of cover you're on

If you've just started out you'll be on our standard cover:

• self-employed and contractors – CoverPlus
• shareholder-employees – Workplace Cover
• employers – Workplace Cover.

Choosing the best cover option

Cover for you and your business

You're covered by us as soon as you start your business or start working for yourself. The cover we provide helps with payment towards medical bills, treatment, help at home and work, and loss of income.

Work out how much you need to pay

The amount of levies you pay each year depends on:

• your CU – what work you do and the industry you're in
• if you have staff – how much you pay them
• if you're self-employed or a contractor – how much you earn and if you work full-time or part-time
• the type of cover you're on.

Estimate your levies

If you’re new to business or just want an idea of how much your levies will be, try our levy estimator.

Estimate your levy

Calculate your levies

If you know your business and income details you can calculate your levies.

Calculating your levies

Contact us

If you have any questions or want to know more, contact our business team:

Phone 0800 222 776  (Monday to Friday 7am – 7pm) 
Phone (self-employed) 0508 426 837 
Phone (overseas) +64 4 816 7880
Email business@acc.co.nz