FBT Filing Frequency And Due Dates
FBT filing frequency and due dates start with quarterly returns. Inland Revenue says every employer can file quarterly and no election is required. You must file quarterly unless an election to file an income year return or an annual return has been approved. File the return and pay the FBT by the due date.
Quarter 1 is 1 April to 30 June, due 20 July. Quarter 2 is 1 July to 30 September, due 20 October. Quarter 3 is 1 October to 31 December, due 20 January. Quarter 4 is 1 January to 31 March, due 31 May. There is no 20 April FBT date. If a due date falls on a weekend or public holiday, you have until the next working day to pay the FBT. This page is the calendar. Who registers sits on the employer hub.
| Return | Period | File and pay |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter 1, IR420 | 1 April to 30 June | 20 July |
| Quarter 2, IR420 | 1 July to 30 September | 20 October |
| Quarter 3, IR420 | 1 October to 31 December | 20 January |
| Quarter 4, IR420 | 1 January to 31 March | 31 May |
| Annual, IR422 | 1 April to 31 March | 31 May, after the period ends |
| Income year, IR421 | Same as the company income tax period | Same as the company end of year income tax payment due date |
Which frequency can you use?
Inland Revenue’s filing frequency page splits the choice by who gets the benefit. Quarterly needs no election. Income year and annual need an accepted election, and each has its own test on last year’s PAYE and ESCT. Registration itself sits on FBT for employers.
Quarterly IR420
All employers. No election. This is the default until Inland Revenue approves something else. Four returns. Quarter 4 on 31 May is also where an alternate rate wash up lands if you used 49.25% earlier. That rate map is on single 63.93% vs alternate 49.25% and Q4.
Income year IR421
Close company, benefits to shareholder employees, and in the previous income year one of these: gross PAYE (excluding ACC earners levy) plus ESCT was $1,000,000 or less, or you only provide 1 or 2 motor vehicles for private use to shareholder employees, or you were not an employer.
Annual IR422
Benefits to employees who are not shareholder employees, and in the previous tax year one of these: the same PAYE plus ESCT figure was $1,000,000 or less, or you did not employ any employees. Due 31 May. Not the income year date.
Inland Revenue does not accept late elections. If yours is late, they notify you it has not been accepted and you keep filing quarterly until the end of the tax or income year. Change frequency in myIR under the FBT account: More, then Manage account, then Change FBT filing frequency. If you are not in myIR, send the election in writing.
When must the election be in?
Annual, existing employer: by 30 June in the year it applies to. IR409’s example: a first annual return for the year ending 31 March 2026 needed the election by 30 June 2025. A new employer elects by the last day of the quarter they started employing. IR409: a business that starts employing on 10 October 2025 must elect by 31 December 2025 to file the first annual return for the year ending 31 March 2026.
Income year, existing close company: by the last day of the first FBT quarter in the income year the election applies to. That is not always 30 June. IR409: a company with a 30 September balance date must elect by 31 December 2025 to file an income year return for the year ending 30 September 2026. A new employer elects by the last day of the quarter they started employing. IR409: a 30 June balance date company that starts employing on 1 July 2025 must elect by 30 September 2025 for the year ending 30 June 2026.
The income year due date follows the company’s income tax payment due date, not a fixed 31 May. IR409’s labelled case: a 30 June balance date means the FBT period is 1 July to 30 June, and filing and paying is 7 February after that income year if no extension of time applies. A March balance date uses that company’s own income tax payment date. Close company rules are on Inland Revenue’s close companies page. The 1 or 2 vehicle test for an income year return is not the same as opting out of FBT on vehicles. Opting out also needs no other fringe benefits, and it is a separate election.
Can one employer use two frequencies?
Yes, if you elect dual returns and you meet the income year tests and the annual tests. Inland Revenue lists three mixes. Quarterly for ordinary employees and income year for shareholder employees. Quarterly for shareholder employees and annual for ordinary employees. Annual for ordinary employees and income year for shareholder employees. You do not get to skip the election because both groups are small.
| Final quarterly return | Usual due date | Extended final due date |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter 1, stopped employing and stopped all benefits | 20 July | 31 August |
| Quarter 2, same stop | 20 October | 30 November |
| Quarter 3, same stop | 20 January | 28 February |
| Quarter 4, income year, or annual final return | No change to the usual due date | |
IR409: file the final return before you cancel. In myIR, select the final return option. Paper filers call 0800 377 772. You cannot cancel while you are still providing fringe benefits. A low interest loan stays on the file until it is repaid. That rate is on low interest loan prescribed rate. Benefits to former employees also keep the returns going. If you still employ people but gave no benefit in a quarter, keep filing and show 0.00. If you used 49.25% in an earlier quarter, quarter 4 still needs an alternate calculation. A quarter’s taxable value, once you know it is in, can be priced on the FBT calculator.
A quiet quarter is not a skipped quarter. Inland Revenue: if you file quarterly and you still have staff, you file until the end of the tax year and show 0.00 when you provided no fringe benefits. The extended August, November, and February dates apply only when you have stopped employing and stopped all benefits in quarters 1 to 3.
Hamilton Ltd missed 30 June
Labelled Hamilton employer. Ordinary staff only. PAYE plus ESCT last year was under $1,000,000. They write to Inland Revenue on 15 July asking for an annual return. Action: the election is late. Stay on IR420. Next chance is an election in time for a later year, by 30 June of that year.
Auckland close company, 30 June balance date
Labelled Auckland company. Benefits only to shareholder employees. Income year election was accepted. Action: the FBT period is 1 July to 30 June. IR409 says file and pay on 7 February after that year if no extension of time applies. Do not put this return in the 31 May annual slot.
Tauranga still employing, no perk this quarter
Labelled Tauranga cafe. Quarterly. No gifts and no vehicle in quarter 2. Staff are still on the payroll. Action: file IR420 and show 0.00. Do not wait for 31 May and do not use the 30 November final return date. That later date is for a quarter 2 in which you have stopped employing and stopped every benefit.
What people get stuck on
r/PersonalFinanceNZ talks about quarterly, income year, or annual returns as something to avoid, and about journaling private use instead of filing. Inland Revenue still requires the frequency it has approved. A contribution can reduce taxable value. It does not delete the return. Quora this run had no New Zealand FBT due date thread. Medium was not a New Zealand filing calendar.
A 2026 tax calendar that lists FBT on 20 April, then 20 July, 20 October, and 20 January, does not match Inland Revenue. Quarter 1 ends 30 June and is due 20 July. There is no 20 April FBT payment on the filing frequency page. Another firm page puts both the income year return and the annual return on 31 May. Only the annual return, and quarter 4, are 31 May. Income year follows the income tax payment date. A guide that calls IR421 the annual form has the codes swapped: IR421 is income year, IR422 is annual, IR420 is quarterly. A threshold written as less than $1,000,000 drops the employer who is exactly on $1,000,000. Inland Revenue says $1,000,000 or less.