Plain-English guides

FIF tax guides, without the jargon.

Short, practical guides to Foreign Investment Fund tax for New Zealand investors: what it is, how the methods differ, and exactly what to put on your IR3. Written by the people who built the calculator.

Methods9 min read

FDR vs CV: which FIF method should you actually use?

How the FDR and CV methods for FIF income differ, when you're allowed to choose, and a worked example of which gives the lower tax bill.

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Methods9 min

Exchange rates and FIF tax: which one to use (and how it changes your bill)

Which exchange rate to use for FIF tax, the methods IRD lets you choose, and worked examples of how the rate quietly changes your FIF income.

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The basics8 min

FIF exemptions: does your Australian share actually count?

Which investments escape NZ's FIF rules: the ASX-listed Australian share exemption, why ASX ETFs miss out, PIEs and KiwiSaver, and IRD's checker tool.

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Filing & forms7 min

FIF income and provisional tax: when IRD wants paying in advance

Owe more than $5,000 after your IR3? FIF income can tip you into provisional tax. The instalment dates, the $60,000 safe harbour, and when to estimate down.

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Brokers8 min

FIF tax by broker: Hatch, Sharesies, IBKR and Tiger, sorted

What Hatch, Sharesies, IBKR and Tiger each give you for FIF tax: which files to export, what each one is missing, and how multi-broker portfolios combine.

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Filing & forms7 min

Foreign tax credits: how the US 15% offsets your FIF tax

How US 15% dividend withholding becomes a credit against NZ tax on FIF income: the treaty cap, the per-holding limit, W-8BEN, and why unused credits vanish.

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Filing & forms8 min

How to file FIF income in your IR3, step by step

Where FIF income goes in your IR3 (boxes 17A and 17B), the IR1261 overseas income summary, when you need a FIF disclosure, and what to attach.

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The basics9 min

Moved to NZ with foreign shares? Transitional residence, then RAM

New and returning NZ residents get up to 48 months exempt from FIF tax. How the transitional exemption works, what ends it, and the Revenue Account Method.

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The basics12 min

PIE fund or direct shares: which is better for tax?

Holding foreign shares through a NZ PIE caps tax at 28% and skips FIF admin. Direct holding gives method choice and the $50k exemption. See which suits you.

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Thresholds7 min

The $50,000 de minimis threshold, explained

Under NZ$50,000 of overseas shares (proposed to rise to $100,000 from 2026/27), the FIF rules may not apply. How the threshold is measured, and the traps.

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Methods8 min

The FDR quick-sale adjustment, explained with IRD's own example

When buying and selling the same overseas share in one tax year triggers FDR's quick-sale adjustment, with IR461's example worked line by line.

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The basics7 min

What is FIF tax, and do I even have to pay it?

What FIF tax is, who it catches, and the NZ$50k threshold that lets most small NZ investors skip it. The plain-English version.

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Ready to run your own numbers?

The calculator does FDR and CV side-by-side, picks the lower one, and hands you the IR3 figures. Free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.

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