Mr's Aussie–Kiwi business jargon translator

Mr has a confession. The first time he crossed the Tasman on business, he asked a Wellington accountant when the BAS was due. The accountant blinked, smiled kindly, and said, “You mean your GST return?” That’s the trans-Tasman experience in a nutshell: same language, same accent (nearly), completely different business words.

So here’s the translator Mr wishes he’d had. Use it when you’re reading the other side’s paperwork, talking to an adviser across the water, or filling in a funding enquiry on the other country’s site.

The big-picture swaps

Australia says	New Zealand says	What it is
ATO	IRD, or Inland Revenue	The tax office
ASIC	Companies Office	The company register
ABN	NZBN	The business number most people quote
ACN	Company number	The company’s registration number
BAS	GST return	Where GST is reported (Australia’s BAS covers more)
PAYG withholding	PAYE	Tax taken from employees’ wages
PAYG instalments	Provisional tax	Paying the business’s income tax during the year
Super (super guarantee)	KiwiSaver	Employer retirement contributions
Payment plan	Instalment arrangement	Paying overdue tax over time
EOFY, 30 June	Balance date, 31 March (standard)	Year-end
State land registry	LINZ	Who keeps property titles
Stamp duty (transfer duty)	No stamp duty	Tax on buying property

Tax words, explained

ATO vs IRD. The Australian Taxation Office and Inland Revenue do the same job. Kiwis say “IRD” all the time, even though the official name is Inland Revenue. Our ATO vs IRD side by side compares how each handles tax debt.

BAS vs GST return. This one trips up everyone. Australia’s business activity statement is a combined form: GST, PAYG withholding and PAYG instalments, usually quarterly. New Zealand’s GST return is just GST, filed monthly, two-monthly or six-monthly. Payroll and income tax instalments go through different channels.

PAYG vs PAYE. Australia uses “PAYG” for two different things. PAYG withholding is tax taken from wages, which New Zealand calls PAYE. PAYG instalments are a business pre-paying its own income tax, which New Zealand handles through provisional tax.

Provisional tax. New Zealand’s system for paying income tax during the year if your last return showed more than $5,000 of tax to pay. Usually three instalments under the standard option.

GIC vs UOMI. Australia charges a general interest charge on overdue tax; New Zealand charges use-of-money interest, plus late payment penalties. GIC incurred from 1 July 2025 isn’t deductible in Australia; New Zealand’s UOMI is deductible for business purposes.

EOFY vs balance date. Australians talk about EOFY sales and EOFY planning around 30 June. New Zealanders talk about their balance date, usually 31 March. Some New Zealand businesses have a different approved balance date.

Translation stuck on a funding question? The friendly humans on each country site speak both languages. Asking won’t touch your credit file. Pick your country and start a 60-second enquiry.

Business and register words

ABN vs NZBN. Australia’s 11-digit Australian Business Number versus New Zealand’s free 13-digit New Zealand Business Number. Companies in New Zealand got their NZBN automatically; sole traders, partnerships and trusts can apply. See ABN vs NZBN.

ACN, ARBN and company number. An Australian company has an ACN from ASIC. A foreign company registered in Australia gets an ARBN. A New Zealand company has a company number on the Companies Register (and an NZBN).

Director ID. A 15-digit Australian identifier that every director of an Australian company needs before appointment. New Zealand’s director rules focus instead on residency: at least one director living in New Zealand, or in Australia while directing an Australian company.

Annual review vs annual return. Both countries ask companies to confirm their details each year. Australians usually talk about the ASIC annual review; New Zealanders file an annual return with the Companies Office.

Payroll words

Super vs KiwiSaver. Australian employers pay super guarantee at 12%, now no later than 7 business days after each payday, under Payday Super. New Zealand employers put in a minimum of 3.5% of gross wages for KiwiSaver members, rising to 4% in 2028, plus ESCT.

ESCT. Employer superannuation contribution tax: New Zealand’s tax on employer contributions to KiwiSaver and complying funds. No direct Australian equivalent for the employer.

Payday filing. New Zealand’s system for reporting employment information to IRD every payday. Australia’s equivalent idea is Single Touch Payroll.

Lending and property words

Good news: most lending words mean the same on both sides.

• First mortgage: the first-ranking mortgage on a property.
• Second mortgage: a mortgage ranking behind the first lender.
• Caveat: an entry on the title recording someone’s claimed interest in the land. In New Zealand, lodged with LINZ; in Australia, with the state or territory registry.
• LVR: loan-to-value ratio, the loan as a share of the property’s value.
• Personal guarantee: a director or owner promising to repay if the business can’t.
• Bridging finance: short-term funding until a sale, refinance or payment comes through.

In both countries, property-secured business lending spans $20,000 to $5,000,000, and unsecured or cash-flow facilities usually fall between $5,000 and $500,000.

The words that differ around property are mostly about buying it. Australian states charge transfer duty (stamp duty) on purchases; New Zealand doesn’t charge stamp duty. Australians talk about state “land titles offices”; Kiwis talk about LINZ.

Everyday words that change meaning

A few casual words cause surprisingly real confusion in business:

• “Jandals” and “thongs” won’t appear on a loan form, Mr promises.
• “Tea” might mean dinner on either side, so a “tea meeting” could run late.
• “Arvo” is understood in both countries.
• “Across the ditch” means across the Tasman, in either direction.

Words that look the same but aren’t

A handful of terms exist on both sides but behave differently. These are the ones most likely to cause a mix-up in a meeting or on a form:

• GST. Same name, different rate (10% in Australia, 15% in New Zealand), different registration point ($75,000 versus $60,000) and different filing rhythms. Our GST side by side unpacks it.
• “Return”. An Australian talking about their “return” in July usually means their income tax return. A New Zealander might mean a GST return due any month of the year.
• “The financial year”. In Australia it’s 1 July to 30 June, almost without exception. In New Zealand, people often say “tax year” and mean 1 April to 31 March, but the business’s own balance date might differ.
• “Director”. Both countries have company directors with serious duties, but the identity and residency rules differ: Australia’s director ID versus New Zealand’s resident-director requirement.
• “Caveat”. The idea is the same, but in Australia the caveat is lodged with a state or territory registry, while in New Zealand it goes to LINZ under the Land Transfer Act 2017.
• “Super”. To an Australian, it’s compulsory retirement savings from the employer at 12%. To a New Zealander, “super” more often means NZ Super, the government pension, and workplace savings are simply “KiwiSaver”.

When in doubt, ask “which country’s version do you mean?” Nobody minds, and it saves a lot of untangling later.

How to use this translator

1. Before a call with an adviser on the other side, scan the big-picture table so you can ask the right questions.
2. When filling in a funding enquiry, use the right country’s words: BAS and ABN on the Australian site; GST return and NZBN on the New Zealand site. It helps the person reading it.
3. When reading the other side’s letters, map each term back to the one you know.

For deeper dives into each pair, every side-by-side page on this site starts with a comparison table. The Australian site also has a handy loan jargon explainer if you want lending terms in detail.

Speak to someone who speaks both

You don’t need to be fluent in both countries’ business-speak to get good help. When you’re ready to talk funding, enquiring costs your credit file nothing, your details aren’t handed from lender to lender, and the person who reads it will happily translate anything confusing. Answer the form in your own words, accurately, and you’ll get a match that suits. Choose Australia or New Zealand to begin.