Today I registered for GST using the online form at the IRD website (https://www.ird.govt.nz/cgi-bin/form.cgi?form=ir360) after calling the IRD the other day and asking for a bit more information (they sent me some booklets). This was relatively painless, but necessitated by the fact that I am collecting GST from Slyce on my invoices. The good thing is you can apply to file every six months, which means I don’t have to worry about it for a while. They also say they might get in touch with you to give you a bit of advice on how to file a GST return. Which sounds pretty good to me.
Another thing I thought about today is ACC. It seems as a self employed person they calculate my ACC levies from my IR3 tax return at the end of the year. So I get stung with more bills around tax time. One thing I need to ring them and ask about is what happens if I stop being self employed half way through the year. Hopefully this should be just a case of ringing them and telling them when the time comes.