Why you've received an invoice

Why you have to pay levies

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

Cover for you and your business

The levies you pay are separate from general tax. They’re used to cover the cost of injuries caused by an accident and to help protect your most important asset – you and your people.

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.

What your levies pay for
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
Update your business details

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
• if you’re a new business, your invoice will be triggered when you file your first tax return. This is usually in your second year of business.

Work out how much you need to pay

If you’re new to business or just want an idea of how much your levies will be, try our levy estimator. Or if you know your business and income details you can calculate your levies.

Estimate your levy
Calculating your levies

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.

Ways to pay

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.

Explaining your invoice

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

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

Contact us

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

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