Tax & Income guide · New Zealand
How to Check Your Tax Refund in NZ
Check your NZ tax refund in myIR, read your income tax assessment, confirm your bank account, and work out why an expected IRD payment has not arrived.
Key points
Check the assessment, not just your bank balance
Sign in to myIR from the official IRD website and open your Income tax account for the correct tax year.
Read the assessment result and any request for information before assuming the displayed estimate is ready to be paid.
Confirm the refund bank account and check whether IRD has transferred the credit to another debt.
Use the Income summary to check the income and tax-deduction figures behind the result.
Recommended next step
Compare your figures with a refund estimate
Enter your own income details and turn the guide into a practical New Zealand estimate.
How to check a tax refund in myIR
Go to the official Inland Revenue website, choose the myIR login and open your Income tax account. Select the year ending 31 March that you want to check. Your income tax assessment will say whether you are due a refund, have tax to pay or have paid the right amount.
Do not rely on a refund estimate from a calculator or an unfinished assessment as if it were a payment notice. Look for the final assessment and read any linked letter. If IRD needs more information, myIR will show a task explaining what must be supplied before the result can be completed.
See when refunds are normally paidLearn when you must file an IR3
Check the income and tax behind the refund
From the Income tax account, open Income summary. IRD displays income by source and the deductions reported by each payer. Use “View breakdown” when you need the gross amount and deductions for a particular employer, bank or pay period.
Check for a missing employer, duplicated income, the wrong tax year or an investment amount you do not recognise. The ACC earners’ levy, KiwiSaver deductions and student-loan repayments are not extra income tax paid. Mixing those figures into a home calculation can make an expected refund look much larger than IRD’s assessment.
Confirm where IRD will send the money
In myIR, check the bank account recorded for income-tax refunds. The name and account must belong to an account that can receive the payment. Update old details before relying on the expected date, especially after changing banks or closing a joint account.
A completed assessment does not always mean the same amount will be deposited. IRD may apply a refund against debt first. Check letters and transactions for a transfer, offset or returned payment rather than repeatedly resubmitting the same bank details.
What each common status means
“More information required” means IRD cannot finish the assessment until you answer the request. A completed assessment with a refund means the tax calculation is final for the information then held, but payment can still be affected by bank details or debt. An income summary by itself is simply a record of reported income; it is not a confirmed refund.
If a figure is wrong, use the option to change the assessment rather than ignoring it because the result is favourable. An incorrect refund may later need to be repaid. Keep the documents supporting income, expenses and credits, and ask Inland Revenue or a tax adviser when the right treatment is unclear.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see my IRD refund amount?
Open your Income tax account in myIR and view the completed income tax assessment for the relevant year. It will show a refund, tax to pay or a nil result.
Is an income summary the same as a tax assessment?
No. The income summary lists income and deductions reported to IRD. The income tax assessment uses the relevant information to determine your end-of-year position.
How do I check which bank account my refund will use?
Use the bank-account update service in myIR for your Income tax account. Check it before changing anything, because repeatedly replacing correct details will not make processing faster.
Why does myIR say more information is required?
IRD may need you to confirm income, expenses or another part of the assessment. Open the request, provide accurate details and submit it so the assessment can be finalised.
What if the refund amount looks wrong?
Compare the assessment with the Income summary and your records. Use myIR to change missing or incorrect information, or contact IRD before spending a refund you believe is wrong.
Can I check another person’s refund?
Not without proper authority. Tax records are private. An authorised person or tax agent must use the access and authority process required by Inland Revenue.
Your next step
Get an estimate based on your own details
Enter your own income details and turn the guide into a practical New Zealand estimate.