Despite our best efforts, many of us are familiar with the consequences of making late tax payments to the IRD. Often, the problem is not just that we forget and leave it to the last minute, but that the payment we make is not processed or received by the IRD in time.
Late payment penalties and use-of-money interest can often be prevented by simply paying tax on time. The IRD has released an updated Standard Practice Statement (SPS 14/01) setting out when different types of tax payments will be accepted as having been paid by the due date. Importantly, it contains several amendments to the previous standards, particularly in relation to payments by post and payments made at Westpac. These changes took effect from 1 October 2014. To ensure your next tax payment is not late and subject to interest and penalties, it is important to familiarise yourself with the standards, as summarised below.
PAYMENTS BY POST – previously, the IRD based the payment date on the post date on the envelope. This is no longer the case. Instead, the IRD will deem the payment date to be the date the envelope is received. As a result, if your routine is to post the cheque on the due date, you may need to put it in the post a day or two earlier.
ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS – payments made electronically or by direct credit into an IRD account must be completed before the end of the bank’s online “business hours”.
For example, if a GST payment is made on 28 April at 10.30pm but the bank’s internet banking cut off is 10.00pm then the payment will not be processed that day and could be treated as late. This also applies to payments made from overseas (bearing in mind the international time difference).
PHYSICAL DELIVERY – payments made by cheque must be delivered to an IRD office before it closes, by the due date.
CASH & EFTPOS – all cash and EFTPOS payments must be paid over the counter at a Westpac branch by the due date. It is important to note that returns must still be filed electronically, posted or delivered to the IRD (Westpac will accept the payment but not the actual tax return).
POST-DATED CHEQUES – post-dated cheques will not be banked by the IRD until the specified date. If it is post-dated after the due date then it will be treated as a late payment (even if it was received before the due date).
Take note that from 1 October 2014, Westpac stopped accepting cheque payments so these must now go directly to the IRD.
WEEKENDS & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS – if a due date falls on a weekend or a public holiday then electronic payments will be accepted on the next working day. This includes all provincial anniversary days.
Whatever your preferred method of payment, adhering to these updated and clarified standards will enable you to avoid unwanted interest and penalties.