Tax guides for drivers

Plain-English tax guides for New Zealand Uber, Uber Eats, Bolt, DiDi and DoorDash drivers. Written and kept current by chartered accountants.

Written by Tax Accountant Limited, chartered accountants and IRD registered tax agent. Figures checked 10 November 2026.

Plain English answers to what New Zealand rideshare and delivery drivers actually ask us. Written by chartered accountants, and kept current when Inland Revenue changes its rates.

Uber tax return NZ: what you owe, and how to file it What an Uber driver in New Zealand actually owes, what you can claim, and how to file your IR3. Written by a chartered accountant. The 8.5% GST flat-rate credit, explained Since April 2024 platforms pass 8.5% of GST back to unregistered drivers. What it is, whether it is taxable, and the choice you get. Why Uber's "on trip" kilometres cost you money Uber reports on-trip kilometres only. Your real work driving is far higher, and using their figure can cost thousands in deductions. Behind on your tax returns? Here is what actually happens Haven't filed for a year or more as an Uber or delivery driver? What IRD already knows, what it costs, and how to put it right. Free tax calculator Put in your earnings and kilometres and see an estimate.

Why these four

Driving for a platform in New Zealand makes you self employed, and that brings a set of rules nobody explains when you sign up. You are not an employee, so nothing is deducted before the money reaches you. You are running a small business, so you can claim what it costs to run. And the platform economy rules that came in during 2024 changed how GST works for every driver, whether they noticed or not.

These are the four things we spend most of our time explaining to new clients. Three of them involve money most drivers are leaving behind, and the fourth is what happens if you have not filed in a while, which is a far more common position than people think and a far less frightening one than it feels.

Who writes these

Tax Accountant Limited, a New Zealand accounting practice. Returns are prepared and reviewed by a chartered accountant and filed by an IRD registered tax agent. We work with rideshare and delivery drivers every day, so what is here is what comes up, not a general article about tax with the word Uber added to it.

The figures and rules change, usually at the start of each tax year in April. Every guide carries the date it was last checked.