Can IRD tell credit bureaus about my tax debt?

For years, tax debt sat in a quiet corner between a business and Inland Revenue. Other creditors usually didn’t know about it unless the business told them. That’s no longer the full picture for companies with significant debt, and Mr thinks every director should know how the rules work — especially before applying for finance.

What can IRD share, and with whom?

Inland Revenue can share information about a company’s unpaid tax with approved credit reporting agencies. In practice that means a lender, supplier or landlord who checks the company’s credit file could see that it has significant overdue tax.

Which companies does it apply to?

IRD’s April 2026 update sets out the thresholds. A company can be in scope if it has:

• GST, PAYE or income tax debt over $150,000 that is 90 days overdue, or
• debt that has been unpaid for 12 months or more and equals at least 30% of its assessable income.

The update is specific to businesses and companies, not individuals.

What changed in 2026?

IRD made the process easier for itself to use:

Before	From the 2026 changes
Reasonable collection effort involved more direct contact	Two automated overdue tax notices can count as reasonable effort
Notice of Intent served on all directors	No longer needs to be served on every director
Notice delivered by courier	From 1 April 2026, can be issued in myIR or by standard post
Shared with the agency already approved	IRD is seeking to extend sharing to other approved agencies

The key protection remains the 30-day Notice of Intent — formal warning that IRD intends to disclose. Because it can now land in myIR, it’s worth checking your company’s myIR messages regularly, not just the letterbox.

Why does this matter when I want to borrow?

Lenders check credit files. If your company’s tax debt has been shared, a lender will see it during assessment. That doesn’t automatically mean no, but it changes the conversation:

• You’ll need a clear explanation of how the debt built up.
• You’ll need a credible plan to clear it — often the loan itself.
• Unsecured options become harder; property-secured lending (from $20,000 to $5,000,000) becomes the more realistic path.

The far better position is to borrow, or arrange to pay, before the threshold and the notice are reached. If your company is heading that way, talk to us early — asking doesn’t involve a credit check.

How do I keep my company off the radar?

1. File every return on time, even when you can’t pay.
2. Engage with IRD early. Call, message in myIR, and keep a note of who you spoke to.
3. Set up an instalment arrangement you can actually keep — see what’s an instalment arrangement and will a lender care?
4. Keep the balance from growing. Pay current GST and PAYE in full while you deal with the old debt.
5. Watch the 90-day and 12-month clocks. They matter under these rules.
6. Check your company’s credit file with Centrix, Equifax and Experian if you’re unsure what’s recorded.

What if a Notice of Intent has already arrived?

Don’t sit on it. Within the 30 days:

• read it carefully and confirm the balance in myIR;
• call IRD and your accountant;
• decide between paying, an instalment arrangement, or finance to clear it;
• if finance is the answer, start the application straight away, because property valuations and legal work take time.

Our guide IRD has called about your debt: what to do in the first week has a practical checklist.

An illustrative example: acting inside the 30 days

This is an invented case.

A transport company in Napier has accumulated GST and PAYE debt over $150,000 after losing a major freight contract. It filed its returns but stopped engaging with IRD. Two automated overdue notices went unanswered. Then a Notice of Intent appeared in the company’s myIR inbox.

Here’s how the director used the 30 days:

• Day 1–2: read the notice, confirmed the balance in myIR, called the accountant.
• Day 3: called IRD, explained what had happened, and said finance was being arranged.
• Day 4–5: gathered six months of bank statements, the myIR statement, new contract letters and property details for a commercial yard the company’s directors owned through another entity.
• Day 6: started a property-secured loan application, with the IRD balance to be paid directly at settlement.
• Following weeks: valuation, legal documents and the other entity’s agreement to provide security, with IRD kept updated.

By engaging quickly and lining up a credible plan, the director turned a looming credit-file entry into a resolved debt. The key was treating the notice as a deadline, not a letter to deal with later.

Who else might see a company’s credit file?

It’s not only lenders. Credit files are commonly checked by:

• suppliers deciding whether to give trade credit;
• landlords considering a commercial lease;
• equipment finance and leasing companies;
• some larger customers vetting contractors.

That’s why keeping significant company tax debt from being shared is worth real effort. It protects your trading relationships as well as your borrowing options.

Ask Mr before the clock runs down

If your company owes IRD a significant amount, the earlier you act the more options you’ll have. Tell us the balance, how long it’s been outstanding and whether any notice has arrived. There’s no credit check to ask, your enquiry isn’t spread around a list of lenders, and a real person will tell you what’s realistic.

Please include the exact IRD balance and any notice dates on the form — timing matters here, and accurate details let us move at the right pace. Ask about clearing company tax debt.