Global Payroll Services in New Zealand

Already have a New Zealand entity, or running payroll across several countries? We place you with a vetted New Zealand payroll partner who keeps PAYE, the ACC levies, and KiwiSaver filings exactly right, while you stay the legal employer and we stay on your side.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Multi-country ready

What running payroll in New Zealand involves

If you already employ people through your own New Zealand entity, you stay the legal employer, but you still have to run payroll correctly every payday: PAYE to Inland Revenue, the ACC Work Levy and Earners’ Levy, and KiwiSaver contributions, three distinct obligations rather than one combined tax. This is where a specialist payroll partner earns its place: you keep the employment relationship, they keep the mechanics right across all three.

01

You stay the employer

You stay the legal employer of your New Zealand staff. The payroll partner runs the payday mechanics; you keep the employment relationship.

02

Accurate every cycle

PAYE, ACC levies, and KiwiSaver calculated and withheld correctly, payslips issued, and Payday Filing submitted to Inland Revenue within two working days, every pay cycle.

03

Multi-country consolidation

Run payroll across several markets under one partner and one process, rather than a different vendor and standard in every country.

How managed New Zealand payroll works, step by step

From onboarding your employee data to filing and reconciliation.

01 — Scope & onboard

We map your entity, headcount, and where you employ people, place you with the right vetted New Zealand payroll partner, and onboard your employee data.

02 — Set up calculations

PAYE, ACC levies, KiwiSaver, and any statutory benefits configured correctly to current New Zealand rules, so every payslip is right from the first run.

03 — Run payroll on schedule

Salaries calculated, PAYE, ACC levies, and KiwiSaver withheld, payslips issued, and people paid on schedule, whatever your payday cadence.

04 — File & reconcile

Payday Filing submitted to Inland Revenue within two working days of each payday, with annual reconciliation handled for you.

What payroll in New Zealand costs

Your statutory employer costs, plus a payroll partner fee. New Zealand’s employer burden is genuinely low by international standards but split across an industry-rated levy and a separate retirement contribution; the value of the partner is getting your classification and filings right the first time.

ACC levy & KiwiSaver

The ACC Work Levy, rated to your industry classification and averaging NZD 0.69 per $100 of liable earnings, plus a minimum 3.5% KiwiSaver contribution, both calculated to the NZD 156,641 liable-earnings cap, configured correctly every payroll run.

Minimum wage (2026)

NZD 23.95 per hour for adult employees, checked against every payslip regardless of pay frequency.

Income tax (employee)

Five progressive bands from 10.5% to 39%, with no tax-free threshold, calculated and filed correctly on every payslip.

Payroll partner fee

A transparent per-employee or per-payslip fee. We benchmark across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Why run it through Bradford Jacobs

One partner, many countries

If you run payroll across several markets, we consolidate it through vetted partners under one point of contact, not a different vendor and a different standard in every country.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

Pricing you can’t get direct

New Zealand’s ACC Work Levy is rated to your specific industry classification rather than a flat percentage, and getting that classification wrong on a payslip is an easy, visible mistake. We benchmark across our payroll network for rates typically 15 to 25% below going direct, and renegotiate for you at renewal.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

The industry rating that exposes risk

Getting your ACC Classification Unit wrong, missing a Payday Filing deadline, or under-setting a KiwiSaver contribution. We place you with partners who get the specifics right, and we stay on your side if anything needs escalating.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

20+ years and the local detail

Two decades running compliant payroll across global markets, including the ACC classification, KiwiSaver settings, and Payday Filing deadlines that expose risk in New Zealand.

  • Two decades of payroll
  • Deadlines & filings
  • Year-end handled

Built to scale across markets

Run payroll in one country or twenty through one partner and one process. As you add markets, the standard does not fragment, you keep a single point of contact and consistent compliance everywhere.

  • One process everywhere
  • Single point of contact
  • Consistent compliance

The payroll slips Inland Revenue never misses

These are the ones that catch foreign employers, and the reason a specialist partner pays for itself.

Tax & deduction rates

Misapplying the five-band PAYE withholding. Using the wrong ACC Classification Unit for the employer levy. Missing a KiwiSaver enrolment or contribution-rate change. Each is easy to get wrong alone and visible to Inland Revenue and ACC when you do.

Filings, deadlines & reporting

Late Payday Filing, submitted more than two working days after payday, where penalties and interest can apply. None of these are hard for a specialist; all are easy to get wrong alone. That is the whole case for getting your New Zealand payroll partner right.

What managed payroll covers

One transparent fee covers the full monthly payroll cycle. No hidden extras.

PAYE, ACC levies & KiwiSaver

Compliant New Zealand payroll processed every pay cycle, with PAYE, ACC levies, and KiwiSaver correct every run.

Payroll & filings

Payroll run on your cadence, with PAYE, ACC levies, and KiwiSaver calculated, withheld, and Payday-Filed correctly every time.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: annual leave, sick leave, and government-funded parental leave, alongside whatever notice and severance terms the employment agreement sets.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on running compliant payroll in New Zealand.

Do I need a New Zealand entity to use payroll services?

Yes. Payroll outsourcing assumes you are the legal employer, which usually means you have a New Zealand entity. If you have no entity and do not want one yet, you need an EOR instead, where the partner is the legal employer. We will confirm which applies to you.

PAYE calculation and remittance, employer and employee ACC levies, KiwiSaver contributions, statutory benefits and leave, payslips, and Payday Filing to Inland Revenue. You keep the employment relationship; they keep it compliant and on time.

The minimum KiwiSaver contribution rate rose from 3% to 3.5% for both employer and employee (with a further step to 4% from 1 April 2028), and the adult minimum wage rose to NZD 23.95 per hour. A good payroll partner updates every affected payslip and enrolment automatically, one of the most common payroll mistakes when a rate changes.

The ACC Work Levy (rated to your industry, averaging NZD 0.69 per $100 of liable earnings) plus a minimum 3.5% KiwiSaver contribution, both capped at NZD 156,641 of liable earnings per employee. Add the transparent payroll partner fee and you have your all-in cost.

Yes, and it is one of the main reasons companies come to us. One point of contact and a consistent process across markets, rather than a separate provider and a different standard in every country.

Yes. When you incorporate and become the legal employer, we move your people from the EOR arrangement onto your own compliant New Zealand payroll, and manage the handover so nothing is missed.

Need compliant payroll in New Zealand?

Tell us your entity setup and headcount and we will come back with the right partner and pricing you will not get direct, usually within a day. One process, every country you operate in.

Tax and labour data verified July 2026 (Inland Revenue, ACC, Employment New Zealand). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your payroll.