New Employee Onboarding Checklist NZ: Agreement, IR330 and KiwiSaver
Before a new employee's first payday in New Zealand, you need a few things from them and they need a few things from you. The employment agreement comes first, because most of it has to happen before they start work. Then come the tax code, KiwiSaver, Inland Revenue and the induction.
Here is the list, in roughly the order you do it. It covers employees. For contractors, see our contractor onboarding checklist for New Zealand.
Before they start: the employment agreement
Give them the intended agreement, and time to get advice
Every employee needs a written employment agreement. When you offer the job, you give them a copy and time to read it and get advice about it, before they start work. Be willing to discuss terms they are not happy with, and make sure they agree to the conditions before day one. You should both sign it.
Keep a copy of the intended agreement even if they never sign it. Not giving an employee a written agreement can mean a $1,000 infringement fee. The Employment Relations Authority can also order penalties of up to $10,000 for an individual employer and $20,000 for a company.
What the agreement must include
Employment New Zealand's list of what an individual agreement must include:
| Must include | Notes |
|---|---|
| Names of the employer and employee | |
| A description of the work | |
| Place of work | |
| Agreed hours, or an indication of them | Number of hours, start and finish times, days of work |
| Wage rate or salary, and how it is paid | At least the minimum wage |
| How to resolve employment relationship problems | Must say most personal grievances are raised within 90 days, and sexual harassment grievances within 12 months |
| A statement that they are paid for working on a public holiday | |
| Employment protection provision | For a sale or transfer of the business, or contracting out |
| Anything else you agreed | Such as a trial or probationary period |
| Fixed term, and the reason for it | Only for fixed-term employees |
You keep a copy of each employee's agreement. If they ask for a copy, you must give it to them within 7 working days.
If a collective agreement covers the work, new employees can now choose an individual agreement from day one instead of the old 30-day rule. You still give them information about union membership.
A 90-day trial period, if you want one
A trial period is only valid if:
- it lasts no more than 90 calendar days
- the employee has not worked for you before
- it is at the start of their employment
- it is written into the agreement, and they sign it before they start work
The agreement must say they are on a trial, how long it lasts, that you can dismiss them during it, and that they can't raise a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal, except in some circumstances. Notice must be given during the trial.
A trial period is not valid if they started work before signing, or didn't get a reasonable chance to get independent advice first. Immigration New Zealand doesn't allow trial periods for workers on an Accredited Employer Work Visa, and a collective agreement can rule them out.
Separately, since 21 February 2026 an employee earning $200,000 or more a year under a new agreement generally can't raise a grievance for unjustified dismissal. You can agree in writing, as a term of the agreement, that the threshold doesn't apply.
Collect from them
Tax code declaration (IR330) and IRD number
Employees give you a completed IR330. It needs their IRD number and their tax code.
If they don't give you one, or it is missing information, you deduct PAYE at the non-notified rate of 45% plus ACC earners' levy, with the tax code ND.
KiwiSaver: auto-enrol, or a KS2
You automatically enrol new employees aged 18 to 65 who meet the eligibility criteria, and give them their KiwiSaver pack within 7 days of their start date. Someone who is already a member isn't enrolled again: they fill in a KS2, which tells you their contribution rate and any savings suspension.
Temporary employees hired for 28 days or fewer aren't auto-enrolled, and neither are casuals engaged on an irregular and intermittent basis who get holiday pay with their wages. Both can opt in.
The rates, as of November 2026:
| What | Rate |
|---|---|
| Employee contribution | 3.5%, 4%, 6%, 8% or 10% of gross pay. 3.5% if they don't choose |
| Employer contribution | At least 3.5% of gross pay, plus ESCT |
| Members aged 16 and 17 | Employer contributions of 3.5% apply from 1 April 2026 |
| Temporary rate reduction | An employee can apply to stay at 3% for 3 to 12 months |
| From 1 April 2028 | The default rate rises to 4% for employees and employers |
Deductions start from their first pay. An auto-enrolled employee can opt out on or after day 14 and on or before day 56 with a KS10.
Bank account
Wages are paid in money unless the employee agrees or asks in writing to be paid another way, such as by bank deposit. The account must be in their name, or a joint account they are named on. You need the account name and the full account number, which includes the bank, branch and suffix.
Proof of the right to work
It is your responsibility to make sure a migrant worker is employed in line with their visa conditions. Employing someone who isn't allowed to work, or breaching their visa conditions, can bring an infringement fee of $1,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a company, per offence.
For a visa holder, VisaView shows whether they have a valid visa, its conditions and when it expires. They must consent to the check. VisaView doesn't confirm identity, so check original photo ID too. More in our guide to right to work checks in New Zealand.
Emergency contact
No law requires one, but you want a name, how they are related, and a phone number before anything happens at work.
Role-specific checks
Most roles don't need a police check. Some do. See police vetting and criminal record checks, and for anyone working with children, the Children's Act safety checks.
Tell Inland Revenue
Send their details to Inland Revenue in myIR or on an IR346K, before their first payday or with the employment information (IR348) that includes their first pay. That covers their name, contact details, IRD number, tax code, KiwiSaver status and date of birth if you know it. Payroll software usually does this for you.
Health and safety induction
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, a business must make sure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the information, training, instruction and supervision it gives workers is suitable and adequate. Workers either need enough knowledge or experience of similar work, or supervision by someone who has it. They need training in the plant, substances, equipment and protective gear they will use, and in what to do in an emergency.
A new worker with experience elsewhere still needs an induction to your workplace: the hazards, safe work procedures, emergency plans, exits and first aid.
Records to keep
| Record | How long | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employment agreement, with start and end dates | Keep a copy | Employment New Zealand |
| The intended agreement, if they never signed | Keep a copy | Employment New Zealand |
| Wage and time records, holiday and leave records | 6 years, even after they leave | Employment New Zealand |
| KiwiSaver records: contribution rate, deductions, suspension notices, opt-outs | 7 years | Inland Revenue |
Not keeping the records Employment New Zealand lists can bring a $1,000 infringement fee per offence.
Not legal advice
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check Employment New Zealand, Inland Revenue and Immigration New Zealand for your situation.
What WorkZerk does and doesn't do
WorkZerk gets the paperwork to you. Each new employee opens one private link on their phone, with no account or password, and fills in what you ask for.
The Staff onboarding (New Zealand) starter pack asks for:
- Tax code declaration (IR330), uploaded, with a link to Inland Revenue's tax code declaration page.
- IRD number, saved to their contact record.
- KiwiSaver deduction form (KS2), optional, for people who are already members.
- Bank account for your pay: account name and the full account number.
- Proof of your right to work, uploaded.
- Work visa, optional, for anyone in New Zealand on a visa, with the date it ends as its expiry date.
- Emergency contact, saved to their contact record.
- Police vetting consent form, optional, for roles that need a Police vet, with a link to the NZ Police vetting forms.
The IR330, the IRD number, the KS2, the account number, the right to work proof, the work visa and the Police vetting consent form arrive marked sensitive: stored encrypted, masked for your team, viewable only by admins, and every view is logged.
What it does not do: WorkZerk doesn't run payroll, file employment information with Inland Revenue, enrol anyone in KiwiSaver or send the KiwiSaver pack. It doesn't run VisaView checks or apply for police vetting. It doesn't write your employment agreement either. It delivers the one you wrote and records that they signed it.
Setting it up in WorkZerk
1. Turn on two-factor authentication
Asking people to upload documents needs two-factor authentication on your account. Set it up under Account, then Two-factor authentication (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab).
2. Add the New Zealand staff pack
Open Requests (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab), click Request packs, and open Start from a template. Pick New Zealand and click Add this pack on Staff onboarding (New Zealand). It becomes an ordinary pack of your own that you can edit.
3. Add the employment agreement
If the agreement is a PDF, add a Sign PDF request so they sign it in their portal. In its description, tell them they can get independent advice before signing. For a handbook or policy they need to accept, add it to your Terms library and add a Terms request to the pack. Each acceptance records the exact version and the time.
Send the link early. If you use a trial period, they must sign before their first day.
4. Hand over the health and safety information
Attach your induction notes, emergency plan or a safety video to a request, and ask them to confirm they have read or watched it. Files everyone on the portal should have can go in Portal files.
5. Limit role-specific asks
Put asks that only some roles need, such as a police vetting result, in a section limited to those people, so everyone else never sees them. The staff onboarding walkthrough shows how.
6. Create a portal and add your new employees
Open Portals (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab), click New portal, and add your pack to its Requests panel. Add each new employee and send them their link.
7. Review and approve
Uploads wait under Needs review on Requests (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab). Check each one, approve it, and copy what payroll needs, including their IRD number, into your payroll software. See Reviewing uploads.
8. Set a retention period
Sensitive answers are kept until you delete them. In Profile (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab), the Sensitive information card can delete them automatically 30 days to 7 years after a portal closes. Keep Inland Revenue's 7-year rule in mind before you choose.
9. Track who is cleared
The Document compliance report shows who has sent their documents across every portal.
Getting started
Start a free WorkZerk trial at workzerk.com, then work through the steps above. The getting started guide walks through a first portal end to end, or email us at [email protected].