Serenity Accounts NZ

22/05/2025

Budget 2025
Here's a summary of the budget changes that might affect your income in the next year:

Investment Boost
If you purchase an asset, you will now be able to claim 20% of the cost in the year of purchase, and depreciate the remainder over the life of the asset

Kiwisaver changes
Government contributions will be halved, so instead of getting $521/year, you will get $260.72 - but only if you are earning less than $180,000
The default contribution rate will increase to 4% (for employees and employers), but employees can opt to stay at 3%. This will be phased in, so 3.5% next year, then 4% from April 2028
16 and 17 year olds will also be eligible for employer and government contributions

Working for Families
The abatement threshold is moving from $42,700 to $44,900

Best Start tax credits will now be income tested, with payments reducing for families with income over $79,000, and stopping for families with income over $97,000

Send a message to learn more

05/04/2025

Proud to have sponsored this awesome event along with some other amazing local businesses. Come along and enjoy the night - so glad the sun is shining!

31/07/2024

If you’re struggling to log in to xero today, it isn’t a problem with your account or internet - you are not alone, major Xero outage

Welcome to Xero's home for real-time and historical data on system performance.

30/07/2024

New personal income tax rate thresholds change from 31 July, so just a reminder if you pay staff via automatic payment to check the new net pay in your payroll software, or to use the updated PAYE tax tables available on the IRD website to calculate the new PAYE payable.

Send a message to learn more

19/05/2024

I'm excited to become a Xero silver partner! This is a reflection of the growth in my business over the last year, so a big thanks to all who have put their trust in me to look after their accounts.

31/03/2024

Beautiful sunrise to start the new financial year!

07/01/2024

Happy New Year!
2023 was a big year for me, giving up my steady income to be my own boss.
I am so grateful for all the awesome people I have met in my first year of business, and for those that have put their trust in me as their accountant.

Looking forward to what 2024 will bring.

13/06/2023

7 July is fast approaching, and this is the due date for your 31 March 2023 income tax return. That is, unless you have a tax agent!

When you sign up to have your end of year tax return filed by a registered tax agent, you can usually receive an extension of time to file your return (until 31 March 2024).

Serenity Accounts Limited is now a registered tax agent, so reach out if you are worried about the upcoming filing deadline and I can work with you to get your return filed at a time that suits you.

30/04/2023

I'm Kate Bainbridge, founder of Serentiy Accounts Limited.
I grew up in Te Puke before heading away to study a Bachelor of Management Studies at The University of Waikato. Upon completion of my degree, I moved to Wellington, where I settled for 10 years. I became a Chartered Accountant while working for BDO, had a short time as a finance manage for Oceanic Communication and then four years as tax accountant at AMP Capital.
I have three awesome children, and when my eldest was just over a year old we relocated back to Te Puke to be closer to family and enjoy the sunny Bay of Plenty again.
I initially worked as a management accountant at Waiariki Institute of Technology, and then took up a tax role at Comvita, where I worked for nearly 7 years before making the decision to start my own business.
Through my children I have become involved with the Te Puke Swimming Club and Te Puke Gymsport, taking on the treasurer role for these clubs.
After many years working for large corporates, I have found my passion is helping small businesses. I understand that tax compliance can feel quite overwhelming for some business owners, and I want to use my knowledge and experience to help more people feel in control of their day-to-day finances, as well as knowing returns are filed on time, every time.

23/04/2023

Xero has some awesome discounts on offer if you sign up for a new business edition plan, or upgrade you current plan. If you have started a new business and have been thinking about using xero as your software, now is the time to act!

For this week, the deal is 70% off for 6 months. There are eight weeks of offers coming. but each week either the discount or the time period reduces, so send me an email or give me a call if you are interested in getting started with xero.