Kindred.Co

Key tax dates for September: PAYE on the 20th for payments made to your team during the month of August. Save this so you don't miss a date.

The September newsletter has landed! This month: how much you should pay yourself, whether your Xero subscription still fits your business, and a personal note from Lisa-Jean on keeping your own passions alive while running a business. Sign up for next month’s here: https://www.kindredaccounting.co.nz/newsletter-signup

Quick Xero tip: your dashboard can be customised to show what matters most. Drag, drop and reorder widgets like bank accounts, invoices owed or bills due. If cash flow is your biggest concern, move “Invoices Owed to You” to the top so it's the first thing you see when you log in.

Ever wondered where our name "Kindred.Co” comes from? Our logo has a single connecting stroke linking the K to the i and on to .Co. The i stands for you, the individual. The .Co stands for business, yours and ours, connected. Even the small dot before “Co” is deliberate, a nod to how we like to leave things: sorted, not half done. Founded by Lisa-Jean Foote to shift what people expect from an accountant, it's accounting done differently.

New on the blog: Benchmarking Your Business Against Competitors. No business exists in a vacuum. Benchmarking your key metrics against industry averages shows exactly where you're winning, where you're falling behind, and where the growth opportunities are. Read the full article: https://www.kindredaccounting.co.nz/blog

POSITION FILLED. We’re hiring - and we’re on the hunt for someone who will play a crucial role in creating an outstanding experience for our clients. You are warm, unflappable, naturally organized, and may have been hassled in the past by friends and family for your need to meticulously line things up or stick to schedules.

The role is full Time, 40 hours per week — 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday, at our Paraparaumu Beach based office.

Sound like you?

Apply via SEEK: https://nz.seek.com/job/93940169

Heads up: Xero is increasing its subscription prices in New Zealand from 1 October 2026.

All four plans, Ignite, Grow, Comprehensive and Ultimate, are affected, with increases ranging from $2 to $10 a month (excluding GST). If you're on the Ultimate plan with Payroll for more than 10 employees, the per-employee overage rate is also increasing from $1 to $2.

Visit Xero's website for the full details: https://www.xero.com/nz/pricing-plans/update

New on the blog: How Much Should You Pay Yourself? Deciding your own salary or drawings means weighing up what the business can afford, what the market rate for your role would be, and whether reinvesting profits could grow your income faster long-term. We break down how to find the right number. Read the full article: https://www.kindredaccounting.co.nz/blog

From 1 April 2026, ACC introduced changes to how Work levies are calculated. Here's what matters for our clients:

No Claims Discount is ending. If you're part of this programme, your claims history has been adjusting your levy up or down. ACC's data shows it hasn't actually improved health and safety outcomes, so it's being phased out. Good news for most small businesses and self-employed people: levies will now be based purely on your business activity (Classification Unit), and most will end up paying less. Employers will see the change on their 2026 provisional invoice, self-employed clients on their 2027 invoice.

Instalment plans now attract interest. Any instalment plan set up after 1 April 2026 will have interest added, calculated from the floating first mortgage rate. Paying in full and on time avoids this. Late payments (outside a plan) also now attract a formula-based interest rate rather than the old flat 1%.

Experience Rating changes affect larger levy payers only. You're in this programme if your business (or business group) has paid a Work levy of $10,000 or more a year for three years in a row — it's based on levy size, not staff numbers or turnover. If that's you, a new “Work Levy (ER)” rate (currently 7.2%) will appear on invoices from 2026, as the programme moves to fully self-fund rather than being subsidised by businesses outside it. If your Work levy is under $10,000, this doesn't apply to you.

The takeaway: if your levy invoice looks different this year, it's not a mistake, it reflects these system-wide changes.

Get in touch if you'd like us to walk you through what it means for your business.

New on the blog: Rolling Cashflow Forecasts: The Benefits For Your NZ Business. 17% of Kiwi SMEs operate with less than a month's cash reserves, and around 30% hold just one to three months, according to Prospa. A rolling cashflow forecast helps you see cash shortages coming, so you can act before a crisis hits. Read the full article: https://www.kindredaccounting.co.nz/blog