IRD and ACC will no longer accept cheques for payment

IRD and ACC have announced today that from March next year they will no longer accept cheques as payment for tax and ACC liabilities  from customers who are able to use alternative payment options. They have stated that “cheques are part of a paper-based world and don’t mesh with the increasingly digital world we now operate in.”

This means that from 1 March 2020 IRD won’t process cheques if taxpayers have an alternative payment option available. They have not clarified how they will determine this, but suggest if you have that situation, you should contact them or your bank in the six months leading up to that deadline.

Although most of our clients do use electronic payment methods to pay tax and ACC levies, it is important to note that cheques will no longer be an option. If you have any concerns about this announcement, feel free to contact us. The full announcement from IRD can be read here https://media.ird.govt.nz/articles/calling-time-on-cheques/ (downloaded  10 September 2019).

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