Wage Subsidy Extension Link, Redundancies and Kiwisaver Contributions (Free Money)

Small Business Cash flow Loan Scheme ExtensionThe Small Business Cash flow loan scheme applications were due to close today, but this has now been extended until 24 July 2020. If you missed our previous newsletters, you can find out more about this here. KiwiSaver Government Contribution ReminderJust a reminder that if you are wanting the … Read more

Employee Redundancies and Reminders

Here are a few COVID-19 Updates and reminder’s you may find useful: RedundanciesThe Government announced a $570million scheme called the COVID Income Relief Payment. This is aimed at people who have lost their job due to the impact of COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 30 October 2020, to help people adjust and find new … Read more

2020 Wellbeing Budget & Clarification Of The Wage Subsidy Extension

Yesterday, the Government announced a $50 Billion Rebuilding Together 2020 Well-being budget. This response and recovery fund is the biggest NZ Government spend in history. Below is what I think is most relevant for business: The Wage Subsidy Extension I will start by saying do not apply for this straight away without understanding the 50% … Read more

What You Can Expect At Alert Level 2 & IRD Updates

The Government is announcing when we will be moving to Alert Level 2 next Monday (11/05). As we move into Alert Level 2, some restrictions will ease, but here is some more information about what life will look like for businesses: • Most businesses can reopen as long as they can do so safely. This … Read more

COVID-19 – A Big Government Announcement today

Here are some things we think you might find interesting for the first week of Level 3 for your business:   Important Business Government Updates A big announcement today – Interest Free LoansThe Government will provide interest-free loans of up to $100,000 to small businesses grappling with the impacts of COVID-19, after banks failed to … Read more

COVID-19 Are you ready?

On Tuesday I was at a really interesting talk put on by the ExportNZ through the Chamber of Commerce, and as you would guess, the hot topic was “how is Coronavirus affecting New Zealand’s exports, business and economy? This is my basic interpretation of the two very intelligent speakers, Westpac Senior Economist Satish Ranchhod and … Read more

The busy person’s guide to stress-free performance reviews

How well are your staff performing? Do they love their job? Performance reviews, an open two-way conversation held once or twice a year, are a great way to find out. While you’re not legally bound to do appraisals, they’re a great tool to keep your business running smoothly.

Work. Sleep. Eat. Repeat?

Find a better balance with these helpful hacks Working harder is not always smarter. Burnout is common among business owners and staff who are pushed to the limits. Ultimately, it’s not good for business or your personal life to be burning the candle at both ends. But how on earth are you expected to fit … Read more

New Trusts Act – What do you need to do?

If you’re protecting your family property in a trust, there may be changes you need to make before the new Trusts Act comes into force in January 2021. The changes to the Trusts Act (the first in more than 60 years!) aim to make trust law more efficient and accessible, lower admin costs, simplify core … Read more

How to collect your debtors faster

Did you know that you still have to pay tax on your debtors, even if you haven’t yet collected them? This is because you pay tax on your sales figures, whether you’ve collected the cash or not. So, how do you collect your debtors faster? Reducing the average time frame on payments for your business … Read more

Are you struggling to sell goods and services to your customers?

Are you selling the wrong thing to the wrong person, not defining the value, or selling inadequately? Here are the top 4 reasons why you may be struggling to sell goods or services to your customers: 1. Selling the wrong thing One of the biggest challenges when selling is accurately understanding customer needs. It’s all … Read more

8 Things To Consider When Choosing An Accounting Firm

Choosing an accountant NZ

Every year legislators make small changes and tweaks to existing compliance and tax laws, that can leave businesses scratching their heads, and with a myriad of financial decisions encompassing everything from cash flow management to minimising tax liability. Accounting firms make it their mission to keep on top of new tax laws, and many offer … Read more

Join us at our Building a Better Business in 10 Steps Seminar!

Join us for our Building a Better Business in 10 Steps seminar – presented by Louise Neville and learn the strategies you can implement in your business to reach its true potential. Date: Tuesday 13th of AugustStarts at: 4pmDuration: 1.5 hoursVenue: Accounting Solutions Limited77 Gasson Street, Sydenham, Christchurch 8023Price: $20 Donation per person (incl GST)All proceeds from this seminar will be … Read more

Where is our economy heading?

According to where all the statistics are pointing, our economy over the next 2 years will provide a great opportunity for business, not just in Christchurch but nationwide. If you take a look at the above graph the predicted Gross Domestic Profit (GDP) is expected to rise another 1% over the next 2 years. So … Read more

Make sure you get your KiwiSaver Government contribution

Have you checked your KiwiSaver contributions for the year to make sure you will get your government contribution? Just a reminder that if you are wanting the full government contributions to your KiwiSaver which is $521.43, you’ll need to have contributed a total of $1,042.86 between 1 July 2018 to 30 of June 2019. This … Read more

Understanding the 10 departments in your business is crucial for productivity

Every business can be broken down into 10 core departments with unique functions – two are strategic and the rest are operational. It’s essential to understand the 10 departments, the function of each, and the key responsibilities of each person in each department. The 10 departments and their functions are: 1. Shareholder: Funds the business.2. … Read more

The Wellbeing Budget has placed emphasis on mental health, but what’s in it for businesses in NZ?

Wellbeing Budget 2019 New Zealand

It’s great to hear the government has broken the budget into a Wellbeing and Economic budget. With mental health now affecting business productivity, it’s about time that this was addressed. While there were no new tax announcements and very little in the budget to help transform the economy, there were aspects of the budget that … Read more

New IRD system issues and how you can avoid them

IRD system issues

I’m sure you are all aware of the recent changes to the myIR page. The IRD has now officially switched off their old system and completely transitioned onto the new system. The new system is meant to be a significant upgrade to the old, however we have come across a number of issues and some … Read more

2019 Guide to Tax and Employment Changes

Guide to Tax and Employment Changes

There are a number of tax and employment changes coming into effect on 1 April 2019 and some of which have already been implemented. Our handy guide below has been created to let you know what is changing, what those changes mean to business owners and when they take effect to help you meet your … Read more

Join us for our Information Hour

Information hour

If you answered yes to any of the above, I’d like to extend an invitation for you to join me and Matt Cave from Employsure who will share what impact the below changes will have on you and your business and how to prepare for them. The topics we’ll be covering include: Event Details Tuesday … Read more

Gear up for payday filing 2019

Gear up for compulsory payday filing

Hundreds of Kiwi business owners are enjoying the benefits of payday filing – are you? If not, you’ll need to be by 1 April when payday filing becomes compulsory. Now’s the time to work out how you’re going to integrate it into your payroll processes and save time on your tax obligations. Here’s what payday … Read more

Hiring staff? Look for traits not talent.

Hiring staff? look for traits over talent

Soft skills are the personal qualities that make people easy to work with and they’re key for business success. Here are 6 important soft skills and the best open-ended interview questions you can ask to help find out whether a candidate is right for your business.  1. Communication  Give me an example of a time … Read more

When trust and relationships are your #1 priority

When my husband Brett died Louise was one of the first people I turned to. At the time I had a whole host of complicated estates, trust accounts, companies and financial affairs to sort out. She flew to Queenstown and handled it all for me. She dealt with the IRD, our solicitors and other family … Read more

What Robyn and Rick did when their business needed a lift

Rick and Robyn Bennett, Premier Plastering Christchurch, Accounting Solutions clients

“The LIFT – Wealth & Lifestyle Mentoring programme was fantastic and it helped us take our business to the next level.” These are the words of Robyn Bennett who is part owner with husband Rick in one of Christchurch’s leading plastering companies, Premier Plastering Christchurch. We recently talked to Robyn to find out where things … Read more

Richard & Aimee’s Story

Richard Trent, Christchurch Accounting Solutions client

Over the past 10 years, Richard and Aimee Trent have grown their business, Trent Building Solutions Ltd, from a ‘one-man-band’ out of the back of a shed to a thriving building business with a team of 15, based in Christchurch. As the business grew so did Richard’s workload; from managing projects and making final decisions … Read more