Bookkeeping and payroll in Wellington
Bookkeeping and payroll for Wellington businesses.
Visory provides bookkeeping services and payroll for growing Wellington businesses. A dedicated team keeps your books current and runs every pay run remotely, inside your own Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file, to New Zealand rules on PAYE, KiwiSaver and holiday pay. Delphi AI takes the repetitive parts, overseen by the team. Visory’s head office is in Melbourne, and one flat monthly fee covers the agreed scope.
- A dedicated team you know by name
- New Zealand rules in every pay run and close
- One flat monthly fee for the agreed scope
Who we work with in Wellington
Growing businesses across Wellington.
The Wellington region had 281,600 employees and 62,440 business locations at February 2025, down 3.5% and 2.2% on a year earlier (Stats NZ business demography statistics, 2025). Public administration and safety employs 17.8% of the region’s employees and a quarter of Wellington City’s, while professional, scientific and technical services make up nearly one in five of the region’s business locations.
- Services businesses turning over roughly $750k to $20m, led by a CEO, managing director or founder.
- Not-for-profits and community providers, reporting to a board and to funders.
- Franchise networks and hospitality groups, with many sites and many pay runs.
- Professional services Professional, scientific and technical services had 11,949 business locations in the Wellington region at February 2025, 19.1% of the total and more than any other industry (Stats NZ).
- Consulting firms Public administration and safety is the Wellington region’s largest employing industry, with 50,100 employees at February 2025, a quarter of Wellington City’s employees (Stats NZ).
- Medical and allied health practices Health care and social assistance is the Wellington region’s second-largest employing industry, with 33,400 employees at February 2025 (Stats NZ).
New Zealand rules
The New Zealand rules your finance function runs on.
Seven employer rules set by New Zealand, each with the instrument that sets it and what it does to your month. Your team works to them every pay run and every close.
The rate step reaches every pay run.
Employer contributions are a cost on top of wages, so each step shows up in the monthly numbers, and payroll settings have to change on the right pay date.
Employers contribute at least 3.5% of gross pay for KiwiSaver members, up from 3% for pay dates on or after 1 April 2026, and the default employee rate is 3.5%. Both rise to 4% on 1 April 2028. Employers now also contribute for members aged 16 and 17. An employee on a temporary rate reduction to 3% may be matched at 3%, at the employer’s choice.
KiwiSaver Act 2006, as amended by the Taxation (Budget Measures) Act 2025; 3.5% from 1 April 2026.Sources Inland Revenue, KiwiSaver changes Inland Revenue Tax Policy, Taxation (Budget Measures) Act 2025
Holiday pay is a calculation, not a rate.
Annual leave is paid at the greater of ordinary weekly pay and average weekly earnings, so the payroll file has to hold an accurate earnings history, and the move to hours in 2028 needs planning now.
Employees are entitled to at least 4 weeks of paid annual holidays after each 12 months of continuous employment, and 10 days of sick leave a year once they have worked 6 months, with up to 20 days carried over. The Employment Leave Act 2026 received Royal assent on 6 August 2026 and replaces the Holidays Act on 6 August 2028, with leave earned in hours. Until then the Holidays Act applies.
Holidays Act 2003; Employment Leave Act 2026 in force from 6 August 2028.Sources Employment New Zealand, sick leave Employment New Zealand, taking annual holidays Employment New Zealand, Employment Leave Act 2026
The first holiday after the summer break.
It lands in late January, as many businesses reopen, so the first pay runs of the year carry the anniversary day, annual leave taken over the break and any alternative holidays earned at Christmas and New Year.
New Zealand has 11 national public holidays and a twelfth: the anniversary of the province, as locally observed. Wellington Anniversary Day marks 22 January and is observed on the nearest Monday: Monday 19 January 2026 and Monday 25 January 2027. Its boundaries follow the former Wellington province.
Holidays Act 2003, s 44(1)(k); 2027 date published by Employment New Zealand.Sources Employment New Zealand, public holidays and anniversary dates New Zealand Legislation, Holidays Act 2003, section 44 Te Ara, public holidays: provincial anniversary days
The levy follows your payroll.
The earnings on your payroll become the July invoice, so a clean payroll lets the ACC invoice be checked against the books instead of taken on trust.
ACC sets each employer’s work levy from its industry classification unit and the liable earnings on its payroll. For 2026/27 the rate runs from $0.03 per $100 of earnings for accounting services to $0.99 for residential aged care, before GST. ACC invoices in July: a final levy for the year just ended and a provisional levy for the current one.
Accident Compensation Act 2001; rates from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.Sources ACC, calculating your levies ACC, understanding levies if you work or own a business ACC, Levy Guidebook 2026/27
April is a rate check every year.
Any pay rate near the minimum has to change from the first pay date in April, and rates set as a margin above the minimum move with it.
The adult minimum wage rose from $23.50 to $23.95 an hour on 1 April 2026. The starting-out and training minimum wage is $19.16 an hour, 80% of the adult rate.
Minimum Wage Order 2026; 1 April 2026.Sources New Zealand Legislation, Minimum Wage Order 2026 Beehive, minimum wage increase balances business and worker needs
Each employee carries their own ESCT rate.
It is worked out from their earnings and reviewed each April, so the contribution that reaches their fund is the gross amount less the right tax.
Employer superannuation contribution tax is deducted from employer KiwiSaver contributions at a rate set by the employee’s salary plus employer contributions for the previous tax year: 10.5% up to $18,720, 17.5% to $64,200, 30% to $93,720, 33% to $216,000 and 39% above.
Income Tax Act 2007; thresholds from 1 April 2025.Source Inland Revenue, employer superannuation contribution tax
Whether a day is an otherwise working day decides the pay.
Rosters, part-time patterns and alternative holidays owed all need recording in the payroll file, not in a manager’s head.
An employee who works on a public holiday that is an otherwise working day is paid at least time and a half and earns an alternative holiday. One who does not work that day is paid their relevant daily pay. Employees are entitled to a maximum of 12 public holidays a year, including their regional anniversary day.
Holidays Act 2003.Source Employment New Zealand, public holidays rights for employees
Rules last checked 8 October 2026 against the sources at the foot of this page. General information only. It does not take your circumstances into account.
How it works from anywhere
Can a team outside Wellington run a Wellington business?
Yes. Visory’s head office is in Melbourne and its team works with New Zealand businesses remotely, inside your own accounting file, so nothing about the work depends on where your office is.
Your own file
Your books stay in your own Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file. Your team works inside it, so you see the same numbers they do, whenever you look.
A team you know by name
A dedicated team runs the work, led by a Business Performance Partner. You meet them by video call, and you always know who to ask.
New Zealand rules, built in
Visory’s head office is in Melbourne, and its team works with New Zealand businesses remotely, across Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua. Your books and payroll stay in your own Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file, and your team works inside it with you. Every pay run and every close is checked against the rules on this page.
Business hours, and the platform after them
Your team works 9am to 5pm Melbourne time on business days, all year round: 11am to 7pm in New Zealand for most of the year. The Visory platform is open to you around the clock.
What we run for Wellington businesses
The whole finance function, actually handled.
Bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable, run end to end by a dedicated team with Delphi AI working under their oversight. Flat monthly fee. No hourly billing.
Bookkeeping
Every transaction coded and reconciled, month-end closed on schedule.
Explore bookkeepingPayroll
Pay runs prepared, checked, and paid on time, every cycle.
See how payroll runsAccounts payable
Bills captured, checked against what's already paid, and paid when you say so.
See accounts payableAccounts receivable
Invoices out on schedule, overdue accounts followed up in your name.
See accounts receivableVisory Insights
Once a month: what changed, what it means, and what to do next.
See how Insights worksBusiness Performance Partner
A named partner who walks you through the numbers and the next move.
How your partner worksVisory Insights
What your numbers should show in New Zealand.
Clean books are the start. Every month, Insights turns them into a plain-English report, and a named Business Performance Partner walks your leadership team through what they mean for the year ahead.
KiwiSaver at 4% in 2028
On our arithmetic, each half-point step adds $5,000 a year to the employer cost of a $1 million wage bill. Insights helps a leader see the 2028 step in the wage forecast before pricing and budgets are set.
The ACC levy as a monthly cost
ACC invoices once a year, in July, on the earnings you filed. Your Business Performance Partner helps you see the work levy accrued month by month, so the invoice lands as an expected cost, not a surprise.
Holiday pay on the balance sheet
Untaken annual leave is paid at the employee’s rate when it is taken, so the liability grows with every pay rise. Insights helps you see what owed leave is worth each month, ahead of the 2028 move to hours.
Looking for a virtual CFO in Wellington? Visory has no standalone CFO offer. That work sits inside Visory Insights and your sessions with a Business Performance Partner. See Visory Insights
What customers say
In a customer’s words.
“Having Visory as a flexible partner to handle our day-to-day has meant real relief for our CFO. From an economies of scale perspective, the outsourced model is cost-effective compared to bringing someone in-house, and the handoff to our external accountant for tax has been noticeably smoother than it was before.”
Common questions
Questions Wellington businesses ask.
Straight answers about bookkeeping and payroll for a Wellington business, from a team that works remotely.
Does Visory have an office in Wellington?
Visory’s head office is in Melbourne and our team works with New Zealand businesses remotely, so we support Wellington businesses the same way, with the same service, as Australian ones. A Wellington business gets a dedicated team you know by name, who work inside your own Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file and meet you by video call.
What hours does my Visory team work in Wellington time?
Your team works 9am to 5pm Melbourne time, all year round, on business days. In Wellington that is 11am to 7pm for most of the year, or noon to 8pm for about a week in late September, when New Zealand daylight saving starts before Melbourne’s. Outside those hours, the Visory platform is your 24/7 access point for your financial information.
How much does a bookkeeper cost in Wellington?
Visory charges one flat monthly fee for the scope we agree, the same way for New Zealand businesses as for Australian ones, with no hourly billing and no timesheets. The fee reflects the services you take, from bookkeeping and payroll to Insights, and the volume of work. You get the quote in writing after a discovery call.
See how pricing works Do you work in Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks?
Yes. Your team works inside your own file, and Xero, headquartered in Wellington, is where many New Zealand businesses keep their books, so nothing has to move to a new system. MYOB and QuickBooks work the same way. Payroll runs in the payroll software connected to your file, with Delphi AI, overseen by your team, if you choose it.
What is the KiwiSaver employer rate now?
The minimum employer contribution is 3.5% of gross pay for pay dates on or after 1 April 2026, up from 3%, and it rises to 4% on 1 April 2028. Employer superannuation contribution tax is deducted from each contribution at a rate set by the employee’s earnings. Your team keeps both current in payroll.
How does the Holidays Act affect payroll in Wellington?
Employees earn at least 4 weeks of annual holidays and 10 days of sick leave a year, and up to 12 public holidays, including Wellington Anniversary Day in late January. Holiday pay is worked from earnings history, so the payroll file must hold it accurately. The Employment Leave Act 2026 replaces the Holidays Act on 6 August 2028.
Do you offer a virtual CFO in Wellington?
Visory has no standalone CFO offer: that work sits inside Visory Insights, which gives you monthly plain-English reporting and structured sessions with a named Business Performance Partner, which covers what many growing businesses look for when they search for a virtual CFO. For a business paid on government contracts, that means contract timing and wages read together.
See Visory InsightsGetting started
Start with clarity, not a contract.
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A clear commercial proposal for the scope we agree, on one flat monthly fee. No hourly billing. You decide whether to go ahead.
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The best is ahead for your business.
Start with a discovery call. We will listen first, then show you what your own numbers have been trying to tell you.
Sources (21) · rules last checked 8 October 2026
KiwiSaver
Holiday pay
Public holidays
ACC levies
Minimum wage
Industries, economy and FAQs
- Inland Revenue, weekly and fortnightly PAYE deduction tables (IR340, April 2026)
- Employment New Zealand, annual holiday pay
- New Zealand Legislation, Employment Leave Bill
- Xero, media factsheet
- Stats NZ, New Zealand business demography statistics: at February 2025
- Stats NZ, geographic units by industry and statistical area 2000 to 2025 (data)