Calculating your levies

Your levies are calculated differently depending on whether the Accident Compensation Act 2001 treats you as an employee who pays their own levies, self-employed, an employer, a shareholder-employee or earning income from overseas. Find out how we calculate them.

On this page

    Self-employed

    What you need to calculate your levies if you are self-employed or a contractor

    Before you can calculate your levies, you need to know your:

    If you're self-employed or a contractor you have two options for your ACC cover, either our standard CoverPlus or CoverPlus Extra.

    Unless you've applied for one of our optional cover products, you'll be on our standard cover.

    View your current CU in MyACC for Business. If you don’t already have an account registering is easy, all you need is your ACC ID or IRD number. All of your details will be visible once you’ve logged in.

    Log in to MyACC for Business

    Register for MyACC for Business

    If you still need help finding you CU code, use this site to search for your BIC code, once you have found the BIC code relating to your profession, your CU code will be listed. 

    Find your BIC code and CU code.

    Your liable income is based on the income information you declared with Inland Revenue on the IR3 individual income return (for self-employed people). 

    No matter what your employment status, you’ll only pay levies on your liable income up to the maximum level.

    Your work hours include all the hours you work per week, even if you have more than one job.

    If you work part-time

    Part-time work is an average of 30 hours or less a week over a tax year. If you work part-time you won’t be affected by the minimum level. We’ll levy you based on your actual liable income.

    If you work full-time

    Full-time work is more than 30 hours a week on average over a tax year. If you work full-time and earn less than the minimum over a tax year, we’ll use the minimum amount to calculate your levies for that year.

    If you work full-time and earn more than the minimum over a tax year, we'll levy you based on your actual liable income.

    If you have income from multiple sources

    If you have multiple sources of income, you may be eligible for a Multiple Employer Adjustment if the combined earnings in the levy calculation exceed the maximum liable income level for that levy year.  

    If your levy calculation is above the maximum liable income level across different sources, please contact us by submitting the form below: 

    Multiple employer adjustment form

    Calculate your levy

    Use our levy calculators to calculate your levies. Unless you've applied for one of our optional cover products, you'll be on our standard cover.

    CoverPlus – for self-employed (standard cover)

    CoverPlus Extra

    If you are new to business, or just want an estimate of how much your levy will be, try our levy estimator tool:

    Estimate your levies

    Minimum and maximum income you’ll pay levies on if you're self employed

    Year starting from 1 April

    Minimum liable income level

    Maximum liable income level

    2024 - 2025

    $44,250

    $142,283

    2023 - 2024

    $43,349

    $139,384

    2022 – 2023

    $42,465 

    $136,544

    2021 - 2022

    $36,816 

    $130,911 

    2020 – 2021

    $36,816

    $130,911

    2019 – 2020

    $36,816

    $128,470

    2018 – 2019

    $32,760

    $124,053

    2017 – 2018

    $31,720

    $122,063

    2016 – 2017

    $30,680

    $120,070

    2015 – 2016

    $29,640

    $118,191

    CoverPlus Extra

    CoverPlus Extra uses your nominated level of cover instead of your liable income.

    Year starting from 1 April

    Minimum level of cover

    Maximum level of cover

    2024 - 2025

    $35,400

    $113,826

    2023 - 2024

    $34,679

    $111,507

    2022 – 2023

    $33,972

    $109,235

    2021 - 2022

    $29,453                         

    $104,729

    2020 – 2021

    $29,453

    $104,729

    2019 – 2020

    $29,453

    $102,776

    2018 – 2019

    $26,208

    $101,029

    2017 – 2018

    $25,376

    $99,242

    2016 – 2017

    $24,544

    $97,650

    2015 – 2016

    $23,712

    $96,056

    Contact us if you need information from previous years.

    Employer or private domestic worker

    What you need to calculate your levies if you are an employer or private domestic worker

    Before you can calculate your levies, you need to know your:

    As an employer you will be on our standard Workplace Cover, unless you have applied to be part of our Accredited Employers programme (AEP)

    AEP suits employers who pay an annual Work levy of over $250,000. AEP lets you manage your employees’ injuries by ‘standing in the shoes’ of ACC.

    Find out more

    View your current CU in MyACC for Business. If you don’t already have an account registering is easy, all you need is your ACC ID or IRD number. All of your details will be visible once you’ve logged in.

    Log in to MyACC for Business

    Register for MyACC for Business

    If you still need help finding you CU code, use this site to search for your BIC code, once you have found the BIC code relating to your profession, your CU code will be listed. 

    Find your BIC code and CU code.

    Your liable income is based on the income information you declared with Inland Revenue on the Employer monthly schedule (IR348)

    Other IR56 taxpayers, such as embassy workers or New Zealand-based employees of overseas employers, are not required to pay Work levy, and should contact ACC for a levy adjustment if they have received an invoice based on this income.

    Calculate your levy

    Use our levy calculators to calculate your levies. Unless you've applied for one of our optional cover products, you'll be on our standard cover.

    If you are new to business, or just want an estimate of how much your levy will be, try our levy estimator tool:

    Estimate your levies

    If your business has paid at least three Work levy invoices, we may add you to the Experience Rating programme. This adjusts your Work levy based on historical claims and health and safety performance.

    Your levy can stay the same, be discounted or have a loading. You could reduce your Work levy by preventing injuries at work and helping your injured employees get back to work sooner.

    Understanding the Experience Rating programme

    Supporting your injured employee to recover at work

    You’ll only pay levies on an individual’s earnings up to the maximum level. If an employee on your payroll earns more than the maximum, we’ll only levy you for the maximum.

    Year starting from 1 April

    Maximum liable income for employees

    2024 - 2025

    $142, 283

    2023 - 2024

    $139,384

    2022 – 2023

    $136,544

    2021 - 2022

    $130,911

    2020 – 2021

    $130,911

    2019 – 2020

    $128,470

    2018 – 2019

    $126,286

    2017 – 2018

    $124,053

    2016 – 2017

    $122,063

    2015 – 2016

    $120,070

    Contact us if you need information from previous years.

    Shareholder-employee

    What you need to calculate your levies if you are a shareholder-employee

    Before you can calculate your levies, you need to know your:

    If you're a shareholder-employee, you have two options for your ACC cover, either our standard Workplace Cover or CoverPlus Extra.

    Unless you've applied for one of our optional cover products, you'll be on our standard cover.

    View your current CU in MyACC for Business. If you don’t already have an account registering is easy, all you need is your ACC ID or IRD number. All of your details will be visible once you’ve logged in.

    Log in to MyACC for Business

    Register for MyACC for Business

    If you still need help finding you CU code, use this site to search for your BIC code, once you have found the BIC code relating to your profession, your CU code will be listed. 

    Find your BIC code and CU code.

    Your liable income is based on the income information you declared with Inland Revenue on the IR4 Companies income tax return (for shareholder-employees)

    Calculate your levy

    Use our levy calculators to calculate your levies. Unless you've applied for one of our optional cover products, you'll be on our standard cover.

    If you are new to business, or just want an estimate of how much your levy will be, try our levy estimator tool:

    Estimate your levies


    Receiving income from overseas

    This includes overseas employees and contractors

    If you’re a New Zealand tax resident receiving income from overseas, your levies are calculated  depending on your circumstances. In some cases, ACC does cover injuries to New Zealanders which happen overseas.

    If you're a New Zealander injured overseas 

    ACC will invoice you for levies based on the foreign employment or service income you report to Inland Revenue in your IR3 Individual income tax return and IR1261 Overseas income summary.  

    If you work in New Zealand for an overseas employer who is registered for New Zealand PAYE, your employer will handle your ACC levies, including Earners’ levy. You will not receive an invoice from ACC. 

    If you work in New Zealand for an overseas employer who is not registered for New Zealand PAYE, but you file and pay your own PAYE as an IR56 taxpayer, Inland Revenue will collect your Earners’ levy. You will not receive an invoice from ACC. 

    If you’re a New Zealand tax resident working as an employee outside New Zealand and are not an IR56 taxpayer, ACC will send you an invoice for Earners’, Work and Working Safer levies based on the foreign income you report to Inland Revenue in your IR3 Individual income tax return and IR1261 Overseas income summary. For ACC levy purposes you are considered self-employed. 


    LevyGuidebook2425 thumbnail

    Current levy rates for businesses

    We calculate your levies based on your liable income multiplied by your levy rate, per $100 of your liable income. Our levy guidebook has the full list of CUs and their levy rates.

    Download pdf 3.5 MB

     

     

    Contact us

    If you have any questions or want to know more, contact our business team:

    Email business@acc.co.nz
    Phone 0800 222 776  (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
    Phone (from overseas) +64 7 859 8675

    Use live chat through MyACC for Business

    Talk to us using live chat:

    Log into or register for MyACC for Business

    Last published: 26 August 2024