End of Financial Year Checklist for NZ Businesses (2026)

The end of the financial year in New Zealand is typically 31 March, which means it’s the perfect time for business owners to review their finances and make sure everything is in order before year end.

As we move through March, it’s a great opportunity to get organised for the end of the financial year.

Each year, we create a simple End of Year Questionnaire that you’ll be invited to complete via email. This helps us collect everything needed to prepare your 2026 accounts and tax returns accurately.

Even before submitting it, you can start gathering the information now - invoices, receipts, payroll, asset purchases, and stocktake details - so the final process is quicker and stress-free.

To make it easier, we’ve pulled out the most important things you should be organising now:

What to do now (mid-March reminders)

Even though the year isn’t closed yet, there are a few things you can do to make the year-end smoother:

• Review your invoices, receipts and bank records to ensure they’re up to date

• Begin tidying your workspace and filing documents

• Check for any asset purchases that might affect the 20% investment boost claim, depreciation or deductions

• Reconcile payroll, KiwiSaver, and leave balances

• Gather stocktake information and other relevant year-end details

• Debtors and creditor balances

  
  

Doing these small tasks now will make the final week of March much less stressful and allow us to focus on completing your accounts sooner rather than later.

Preparing before the end of the financial year can make tax time significantly easier and help ensure you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to.

This guide was prepared by the team at Dennis Curin & Associates, a New Zealand accounting firm helping business owners stay compliant and make confident financial decisions.