Foodbank Donations

/in , /by

Even in Nelson, the place we love to call home and where we own businesses, or work and play there are people who miss out on some of the very basic things many of us take for granted – like food on the table! The Nelson organisations who provide precious food to those who need it are running very short on supplies, in fact their cupboards are almost bare.

We want to help and we need you to help us do that. For the months of October and November we will be collecting donations for the Nelson Foodbank.

And to encourage your generosity we have two Magnums of Delaplace French Champagne to give away, all you need to do is drop an appropriate item of food in to our office to help those who need it and we will put you in the draw to win one of the magnums. Every food item you bring in gets you one entry so if you drop off 5 cans you get five entries.

We will give away one magnum each month.

Non-perishable food items like cans of baked beans, cans of fruit, packets of cereal and even cans or bags of pet food (for the household pets not the people) are needed urgently.

Just one can of food can make a difference to a family in Nelson so next time you are at the supermarket buy an extra item to help someone who will really appreciate your gift.

Changes to Annual Company Returns

/in , /by

More detail in Companies Office annual returns

From 1 July, annual returns to the Companies Office must include extra information about company directors so if we manage your annual company return we will be asking you for extra information. The following is from a recent Business Insider Newsletter from www.business.govt.nz :

Filing an annual return will remain a quick and easy process, but you will need to take the time to gather the following details:

  1. Date and place of birth for each director of the company you’re filing the annual return for (don’t worry – this information will not be publicly available).
  2. Details of an ultimate holding company, if applicable, including where the holding company is registered. (If you’re unsure what an ultimate holding company is, check the shares and shareholders section of the Companies Office website.)

If this information is missing, the annual return will not be accepted and the company may be removed from the register.

Remember, by 28 October 2015, all New Zealand incorporated companies must have at least one director who lives in New Zealand, or a director who lives in Australia and who is also a director of an Australian incorporated company.

See Companies Act: what to do and when to do it  for more information and case studies

IRD and Tax Refunds

/in , , /by

IRD are now only paying refunds you may be due for into a bank account, they are no longer issuing cheques.

This means it is vital we have your correct bank account number on record for the account you want refunds paid to. Please ensure you advise us of the preferred bank account number(s) when you deliver your accounts information to us.

If you do not provide us with your bank account number there will be a delay in preparing your tax return while we confirm the information with you.

Once assessed by IRD, we will check your assessment and notify you that the refund has been issued, but sometimes the refund goes through before we receive the assessment. Please await our confirmation that the assessment has been checked before you spend the money. In the case of an incorrect refund we will notify you and advise you how to pay the money back to IRD.

IRD and tax free allowances

/in , , /by

IRD are currently looking at tax free allowances paid to employees and whether they are actually tax free. To be a tax free allowance it has to be a reimbursement of an employment related expense, this can be actual cost or a reasonable estimate (however if it includes a portion above the employment related cost that part is taxable). There are also new rules and time limits to tax free allowances for accommodation, meals, clothing and relocation.

IRD are initially targeting the forestry sector and if that proves successful they are likely to extend their investigations. If  you pay your employees allowances now is a good time to revisit the tax status. If you get it wrong, the employer may need to pay backdated PAYE with added interest and the employee could end up with extra income affecting their Working for Families Tax Credits or Student Loan repayments.

How to promote your business using the internet

/in /by

The ANZ offer a range of FREE workshops that are open to every business, ANZ customer or not.

The next workshop free business training workshop is designed to help you understand how you can best make use of the internet to grow your business

Today more people find products and services online than through traditional marketing media.

If you do not have an online presence, you may be missing out. To get the best return for your efforts it is critical to put a plan in place to ensure that any online marketing that you do, from having a website to a social media presence, will give you the best return on your investment.

This workshop will provide you with realistic insight to help you make the most of digital marketing.

DATE:        Thursday 2nd July 2015

TIME:        9.00am – 12 noon.  Meet for coffee 8.45am

VENUE:      Nelson Suburban Club, Tahunanui Dr, Nelson (Ken Ching Room)

Please RSVP by:

Email: georgie.kay@anz.com  Phone:03-5463407

ANZAC Day holiday pay

/in /by

ANZAC Day this year is on Saturday 25th April and this is the first year ANZAC Day has fallen on a weekend since the observance of the day has been ‘Mondayised’.

This can be a bit complicated so here is a quick and hopefully easy to understand summary.

  1. If you are usually open on a Saturday you can’t trade before 1pm on Saturday 25th.
  2. If your staff normally work on a Saturday you will pay them for a Public Holiday on Saturday 25th. That means you pay a stat day if they do not work and time & half plus a lieu day if they do work, just like a normal public holiday.
  3. If your staff members don’t usually work on a Saturday but do work Monday then their public holiday will be on Monday 27th. That means you pay a stat day if they have the day off on Monday and time & half plus lieu day if they do work.
  4. If your staff members normally work both Saturday 25th and Monday 27th and you close on Saturday then they get a public holiday (Stat day) on Saturday and ordinary pay on Monday.
  5. If you normally open for business on Saturday and have Saturday as the public holiday but decide to close on Monday as well then staff who got Stat pay on Saturday get ordinary pay on Monday and staff who don’t normally work on Saturday will have Monday as their Stat day.

If you are totally confused you can call Neil at our office or talk to your employment adviser to discuss your personal situation.

 

 

Are you ready to GROW your business now for free?

/in /by


Barbican Training Centre

Ready to take the next step in business?

This programme is designed for owners and managers of businesses that want to ramp up their business.

Are you Ready to grow your business now for FREE?

This FREE part-time 24 week programme gives you time to work “on your business”.

It’s designed for serious business owners and key staff who want to tackle the prickly stuff, with help from a one-on-one mentor to keep you on track.

»  Examine your business

»  Identify changes in your business

»  Implement and manage key projects of your choice

»  Get help from a one-on-one mentor to keep you on target

 Quick Facts:

Tutor :                                    Susan Piket – Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), MBA (Henley)

Face to Face Mentor:          Anne Harvey – Member ICF and approved Coach and Mentor

Class:                                      Monday evenings at Barbican Training Centre

Cost:                                       No fees!

To register for a free information session on Monday 20th April at 6pm, please call Pip on  03-547 6138 or visit our website today.

If you have already registered, you don’t need to do anything more!  We look forward to seeing you on the 20th April.

Pip Bruce

Barbican Training Centre Limited

www.barbicantc.com

Visit us on Facebook

+64-3-547 6138

pip@barbicantc.com

Welcome aboard Flight BTC2015 … sit down, strap in and turn on everything you’ve got!

 

IRD refund changes

/in , , /by

IRD have removed the option to request an income tax refund by cheque and they will now issue refunds by direct credit where they have a valid bank account number on file. If IRD do not have a valid bank account number the refund will be issued by cheque.

There are a couple of potential issues that clients need to be aware of, the first being in the case of an incorrect assessment. As the refund will reach your bank account at the same time as we receive the assessment from IRD, we won’t have time to stop an incorrect refund before it is direct credited. This means we would have to ask the client to make a payment of the refund amount back to IRD to return the funds and this will take time and therefore have a cost attached. Secondly, if your bank account details change but are not updated with IRD, the refund might be issued to a valid but not preferential bank account  (if the bank account has been closed IRD would be alerted to that fact). This could result in the funds sitting in an old bank account for some time, before your check the balance and notice the refund has been received.

 

 

Minimum Wage Increase

/in /by

The adult minimum wage will increase from $14.25 to $14.75 an hour from 1 April 2015. The starting-out and training hourly minimum wages will increase by 40 cents to $11.80 an hour.

Mondayising Anzac & Waitangi Day

/in /by

From Chapman Employment Relations:

This year Anzac Day falls on a Saturday. Do you know how to pay your staff regardless of whether they work on Saturday 25th or not? To understand your obligations around these public holidays read on.

From 1 January 2015 the public holiday for ANZAC Day and Waitangi Day will be “Mondayised” if they fall on a Saturday or Sunday.

This means, if Waitangi Day or ANZAC Day fall on a Saturday or Sunday:

For employees who would not otherwise work on that Saturday or Sunday, the public holiday must be treated as falling on the following Monday. The employee is then entitled to be paid for the Monday (as a Stat Day) at their normal rate.

For employees who would otherwise work on that Saturday or Sunday, the public holiday must be treated as falling on that day. The employee is then entitled to an alternative holiday (a day in lieu) in addition to being paid at least time and a half for the hours worked.

For the employee who is required to work on a public holiday, and that day would not normally be a working day, they are entitled to be paid at least time and a half for the hours worked.

In the situation where a public holiday has been transferred by agreement to another day, the employee is entitled to be paid at least time and a half, and be given a day in lieu if the employee is required to work on the agreed transfer date.