New myIR Employment Information Changes: What NZ Employers Need to Know Before 12 September 2026
If your business files employment information through myIR, you may notice some changes from 12 September 2026.
Inland Revenue is introducing additional checks to make it easier to spot employee information that doesn't match its records. For example, you may see a warning about a missing IRD number, an employee tax code that does not align with the IRD number, or certain student loan information.
These myIR employment information changes do not introduce a new way to file payroll information. In many cases, a warning will not stop you from filing. However, you must acknowledge the warning before submitting the employee details file.
For employers and payroll teams, the priority is to understand what these messages mean, know which details to check, and have a clear process for dealing with them.
What Is Changing in myIR From 12 September 2026?
Inland Revenue says the changes are intended to improve the quality of Employment Information (EI) data and support a smoother move towards stronger validation rules in the future.
The update introduces several changes to how myIR checks and presents employment information.
| Change | What it means for employers |
|---|---|
| New warnings | myIR may flag employee information that does not match Inland Revenue records. |
| Warning acknowledgement | You must acknowledge applicable warnings before submitting your employee details file. |
| Filing can continue | You do not necessarily need to correct a warning before filing the return. |
| Pre-filing check | A new “Check your employment information” service will let you check EI files before filing. |
| Updated reports | Initial validation reports in myIR will show errors, warnings, or both. |
The changes give employers more visibility of potential issues in the information being submitted. They do not mean that every warning is an error or that every warning will prevent a return from being filed.
What New Employment Information Warnings Could Employers See?
Inland Revenue has identified four examples of information that may generate warnings from 12 September.
Invalid or Missing IRD Numbers
A warning may appear if an employee’s IRD number is missing or is not considered valid.
For payroll teams, this is a reason to check the employee information held in the payroll record and confirm that the correct details have been entered.
Tax Codes That Do Not Align With the IRD Number
A warning may also appear where a tax code does not align with the IRD number provided. Inland Revenue gives the example of a company IRD number being used with an individual tax code.
If this warning appears, check the employee details and the information used to set up the payroll record rather than assuming the existing entry is correct.
Student Loan Deductions That Do Not Match Account Status
Employers may see a warning where student loan deductions do not match the status Inland Revenue holds for the customer’s account.
This does not mean employers should assume an employee’s tax position. It does mean employers should check the information and address any uncertainty through the appropriate payroll or Inland Revenue process.
Missing Employee Names
A missing employee name can also generate a warning.
This may sound straightforward, but it reinforces the broader purpose of the changes: improving the completeness and accuracy of Employment Information being sent to Inland Revenue.
These are the examples Inland Revenue specifically identified. Employers should not assume other types of payroll information will generate the same warnings unless Inland Revenue issues further guidance.
Warning or Error? The Difference Matters
One of the most important parts of the myIR changes in 2026 is understanding the distinction between a warning and an error.
From 12 September, when myIR displays an applicable warning, the employer must acknowledge it before submitting the employee details file. Inland Revenue has made it clear, however, that you can still file the return without correcting that warning at the time.
That does not make the warning irrelevant.
A warning tells you that something in the information submitted does not align with Inland Revenue’s records and gives you an opportunity to check it. The right response will depend on what has been flagged and whether the information held by the business is correct
Payroll staff should avoid two opposite assumptions: treating every warning as something that blocks filing, or clicking past warnings without checking what caused them.
The updated validation reports will also identify errors and warnings separately, making that distinction easier to see.
What Is the New “Check Your Employment Information” Service?
Another useful part of the September update is a new validation service called “Check Your Employment Information”
The service lets you check an Employment Information file before you file it. This means an employer or payroll team can identify errors or warnings earlier, rather than first becoming aware of them during or after the filing process.
Inland Revenue says the service will be available through myIR file upload and through gateway services using the existing Returns API.
For businesses that regularly prepare Employment Information files, this creates an opportunity to identify issues before submitting. It does not guarantee that payroll records will be error-free, but it gives the person responsible for filing another point to review the information.
What Is Changing in myIR Validation Reports?
Initial validation reports in myIR are also being updated.
From 12 September, these reports can show errors, warnings, or both. Previously, the reporting did not provide the same visibility into these different validation outcomes.
For someone managing payroll, this should make it easier to understand the nature of an issue and decide what needs attention
The distinction remains important. A warning indicates information that should be checked, while Inland Revenue has specifically confirmed that employers can still file without correcting a warning at that point.
Are Payroll Software and Gateway Filing Changing?
If your business files Employment Information through payroll software connected to Inland Revenue, note that Inland Revenue says there are no changes to filing in gateway services as part of the 12 September update.
The new “Check your employment information” validation service will be available through gateway services using the existing Returns API, but that should not be confused with a change to gateway filing requirements.
Businesses using payroll software should still understand where validation messages appear within their normal process and how the people responsible for payroll are expected to respond to them.
The exact experience may differ depending on the system used, so check the guidance from your payroll software provider rather than assuming every platform will display the information the same way.
What Should NZ Employers Check Before 12 September?
You don't need to redesign your entire payroll process because of this update. A sensible preparation is to review the employee information you already rely on and make sure the person responsible for filing knows what to expect.
Before 12 September, consider checking:
Employee names recorded in your payroll system
Employee IRD numbers
Tax codes against the information held for employees
Relevant student loan deductions
Whether payroll staff understand the difference between a warning and an error
How your business currently files Employment Information
Where validation messages are likely to appear in your myIR or payroll workflow
Who will be responsible for checking a warning when one appears
Whether there is a process for investigating questionable information rather than automatically ignoring the message
The aim is not to create additional administrative work where none is required. It is to reduce the chance that a warning appears and nobody knows whether it needs attention.
Why Accurate Employment Information Matters Beyond 12 September
The September update also indicates Inland Revenue’s broader direction.
IRD says these changes are intended to improve the quality of Employment Information data and support a smoother move towards stronger validation rules in the future.
That wording should be taken as it stands. Inland Revenue has not said in this announcement that all warnings will eventually become errors, that employers will be prevented from filing, or that new penalties will apply specifically to these warnings.
Employers can reasonably take from the update that payroll information accuracy deserves regular attention.
If warnings repeatedly appear for the same employee records or the same type of information, it may be worth looking beyond the individual filing and checking whether the underlying payroll records or processes need attention.
What Do the myIR Employment Information Changes Mean for Growing Businesses?
Payroll administration tends to become more involved as a business grows.
More employee records to maintain, changing circumstances, varying deductions, and shared responsibility among business owners, payroll staff, finance teams, and external providers.
The new validation messages do not fundamentally change those responsibilities, but they can make inconsistencies in employee information more visible.
For a small team, resolving an occasional warning may be straightforward. For a growing employer managing a larger payroll, clear ownership of employee information and a consistent process for investigating discrepancies become more useful.
This is especially true when several people are involved in payroll. Someone needs to know who checks employee details, who handles a validation message, and when to raise an issue with Inland Revenue or an adviser.
Good payroll administration is therefore less about reacting to each new IRD update and more about maintaining reliable records and clear processes throughout the year.
When Should You Speak With Your Accountant?
Not every myIR warning requires a call to your accountant. In many cases, the first step is simply checking the information in your payroll records.
Professional advice may be useful where discrepancies keep recurring, you are uncertain about employee information, you have questions about PAYE or deductions, or it is unclear how an Inland Revenue change applies to your particular circumstances.
It may also be worth reviewing the wider payroll process if responsibilities are unclear or information is regularly being corrected after filing.
Bizdom provides accounting support, including day-to-day tax compliance and PAYE-related assistance, alongside broader business advisory services. If a payroll or Inland Revenue issue points to a wider accounting or process problem, discussing it with your accountant can help determine what actually needs to be addressed.
Final Takeaway
The changes taking effect on 12 September 2026 are not an entirely new Employment Information filing regime. They introduce additional validation and make potential problems in the information being submitted more visible.
For employers, preparation can remain fairly straightforward. Check that employee details are up to date, make sure payroll staff understand the difference between warnings and errors, and decide how to investigate warnings when they appear.
Most importantly, do not assume that seeing a warning means you cannot file. Inland Revenue has confirmed that applicable warnings must be acknowledged, but you can still file the return without correcting the warning at that point.
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Inland Revenue is introducing new warnings for certain employee information that does not match its records, a new pre-filing validation service and updated initial validation reports that distinguish between errors and warnings.
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Yes. Inland Revenue says you will need to acknowledge the warning before submitting the employee details file, but you can still file the return without correcting the warning at that point.
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Examples provided by Inland Revenue include invalid or missing IRD numbers, tax codes that do not align with the IRD number, student loan deductions that do not match the customer’s account status, and missing employee names.
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It is a new validation service that lets you check Employment Information files for errors or warnings before filing. Inland Revenue says it will be available through myIR file upload and gateway services using the existing Returns API.
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No. Inland Revenue states that this update includes no changes to filing in gateway services.