Financial reporting fees and penalties
Avoiding late fees and infringement penalties
If you're filing financial statements under the Companies Act 1993 the fee is different than if you need to file them under Financial Markets Conduct (FMC) Act 2013. Fees must be paid at the time you submit your financial statements to the Companies Office.
All fees are in New Zealand dollars (NZD) and the fees shown below are effective from 1 July 2022.
Service |
Companies Office fee excl GST | FMA levy excl GST | Total excl GST | Total incl GST |
---|---|---|---|---|
File financial statements under the Companies Act 1993 | $175 | N/A | $175 | $201.25 |
File financial statements under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 | $175 | $80 | $255 | $293.25 |
Late fees
No late fees are charged to FMC reporting entities.
You must, however, pay a late fee if your financial statements aren't filed under the Companies Act by the due date. No GST is applied to this fee as it's a penalty. The late fee is:
- $25 for financial statements filed up to 25 working days after the due date
- $100 for financial statements filed more than 25 working days after the due date.
The late fee, and original filing fee, must be paid at the time you file your financial statements.
Penalties if you fail to submit financial statements
If your company fails to file audited financial statements, we're able to issue a $7,000 infringement penalty to each director of your company.
When we issue an infringement penalty notice, we notify directors of the new date by which they must file financial statements, and pay the registration fee, late fee and infringement penalty.
If audited financial statements haven't been submitted by that date, and the $7,000 fee hasn't been paid:
- the infringement penalty notice is referred to the Department of Courts for collection of the fee, and
- your company may be referred to our investigation team.
We can also prosecute your company and directors under Section 209G of the Companies Act, resulting in fines of up to $50,000.
Read more about our enforcement approach
Penalties issued by the Financial Markets Authority
If an FMC reporting entity fails to lodge its financial statements by the due date, we notify the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).
The FMA can issue an infringement penalty notice or prosecute any FMC reporting entity that doesn't comply. The infringement penalty is $7,500, and prosecution can result in a penalty of up to $50,000.
All help topics
Before you start a company
7 guides
Get an overview of how companies are structured, find out about the company records you need to keep, and what's involved when you incorporate with and report to the Companies Office.
Starting a company
11 guides
You need to comply with New Zealand laws when you incorporate your company with the Companies Office, including reserving a company name, appointing directors, issuing shares and registering for tax.
- Incorporating a company
- Reserving a name for a new company
- Company addresses
- Tax registration
- Registering the appointment of a director
- Registering a shareholder
- Filing director and shareholder consent forms
- Issuing shares in a company
- Incorporating with a company constitution
- How overseas companies set up as a NZ business
- Ultimate holding companies
Keeping company details up to date
13 guides
Once your company is registered with the Companies Office, nominate who will have authority to file your annual returns, and update your name, address, constitution, director and shareholder details.
- Confirming your authority to manage information
- How to file an annual return
- Getting a copy of your company information
- Updating company addresses
- Updating a director's details
- Registering the appointment of a director
- Updating a shareholder's details
- Managing share allocations
- Changing the name of a company
- Adding, amending or removing a company constitution
- Changing your financial reporting month
- Adding or updating additional NZBN information
Shares and shareholders
7 guides
When you incorporate, you must provide details of all company shares and shareholders. As changes occur, you must update this information on your own share register and in your company's annual return.
Company directors
8 guides
Directors have responsibilities to their company and shareholders, and under the Companies Act 1993. You must register all your directors with the Companies Office and they must sign a consent form.
Filing annual returns
8 guides
Find out about filing an annual return — the information you need to update, how to change your filing month or request a time extension — and what happens if you don't file your annual return by the due date.
Complying with the law
11 guides
Find out how New Zealand law affects the directors and shareholders of your company, and your responsibility to create and maintain accurate company records, report to us and file financial statements.
Financial reporting
7 guides
Some large New Zealand and overseas companies, and all FMC reporting entities must submit audited annual financial statements to the Companies Office.
Managing an overseas company in New Zealand
11 guides
Before they can carry out some business activities, companies incorporated in other countries, including Australia, must register with the Companies Office and then keep their company details up to date.
- Registering your company to do business in NZ
- How overseas companies set up as a NZ business
- How to transfer incorporation to NZ
- Financial reporting for overseas companies
- Reporting for NZ companies registered in Australia
- Annual returns for overseas companies
- Updating directors' details
- Updating addresses of overseas companies
- Changing the name of an overseas company
- Updating the constitution of an overseas company
- How to remove a company from the Overseas Register
Closing a company
11 guides
When your company closes down you need to remove it from the register. Your company can be removed if it amalgamates with another company or doesn't file its annual return.
- Before you close your company
- Removing your company from the register
- When the Registrar removes your company
- How to remove a company from the Overseas Register
- Objecting to the removal of a company
- Withdrawing an objection
- How companies amalgamate
- Before you apply for amalgamation
- Preparing documents for a short-form amalgamation
- Preparing documents for a long-form amalgamation
- Applying for company amalgamations
Restoring a company to the register
4 guides
Only some companies can be reinstated to the Companies Register once they've been removed. Find out who can apply, what evidence to provide and if you should apply to the Registrar or the High Court.
When your company fails
9 guides
Find out about voluntary administration, receivership and liquidation (external administration), and the roles and responsibilities of those appointed to manage your company's affairs.
- What happens during voluntary administration
- Appointment and responsibilities of administrators
- What happens after a watershed meeting
- What happens during receivership
- Appointment and responsibilities of receivers
- What happens during liquidation
- Appointment and responsibilities of liquidators
- Filing by administrators, liquidators or receivers
- Holding creditors' meetings
Managing your online account
8 guides
Creating an account with the Companies Office allows you to complete the majority of your transactions online. It's free to set up, but fees apply for some transactions, such as filing annual returns.
- Setting up your online services account
- Confirming your authority to manage information
- Updating your online services account details
- Forgotten your RealMe® username or password
- Customising your online services account
- Schedule of fees
- Managing payments on the Companies Register
- Lodging other documents
Getting support to use the Companies Register
8 guides
Get help with any technical problems you have using the register, such as uploading documents or searching for companies, directors and shareholders.
- Uploading documents to the Companies Register
- Filing documents with electronic signatures
- Forgotten your RealMe® username or password
- Searching the Companies Register
- Searching the PPSR from the Companies Register
- Searching using other applications
- NZBN and the Companies Register
- Suppressing a residential address on the register