Phone lines too will not be available from February 26 to March 1
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Wellington, February 24, 2021
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has announced that its online services and phone lines will be closed this weekend for transformation of the country’s tax system.
The closure will be in effect from 5 pm on Friday, February 26 to 8 am on Monday, March 1, 2021, during which myIR and voice services (SPK2IR) IRD phone lines will not available.
An IRD statement said that customers using software will also be affected.
“It also means applications for the Resurgence Support Payment will not be made over the weekend because application is through myIR. All systems and services will resume by 8 am on Monday, March 1, 2021,” IRD said.
Other Services
Monthly and bi-monthly GST payments, returns, and provisional tax instalments are due by February 28, 2021. This date falls on a Sunday and hence as per the normal process, the deadline will be Monday, March 1, 2021 to submit before late fees apply.
Provisional tax instalments are also due Monday 1 March.
GST filing cannot be completed during this closure, but customers can file early before 5pm on Friday or when our systems are back up and running on Monday morning.
“Employment Information (EI) returns for Payday Filing that are due over the weekend closure can also be filed early. The days during the temporary shutdown will not count as working days for filing periods,” IRD said.
Tax Payments
Customers can still pay their tax bill through their bank as normal and the IRD website will remain available. Tax agents can still submit returns by E-File during this period – IRD will process them when all systems are back online.
Working for Families payments will not be affected. If a customer normally receives their weekly payment on a Tuesday, their next payment will be Tuesday, March 2, 2021. If normal payment day is a Wednesday, the next payment will be Wednesday, March 3, 2021.
During the shutdown changes will be introduced to (a) paid parental leave for individuals (b) New Zealand foreign trusts and (c) for unclaimed money
Even during the current COVID-19 alert levels, IRD will continue to implement transformational changes so it can continue to respond quickly to the flow-on effects of the pandemic. For more information about tax relief and income assistance for people affected by Covid-19 visit www.ird.govt.nz/covid19
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