Calc

13/10/2026

Midweek myth.

"Home office claims aren't worth it."

Ten percent of the house is ten percent of the costs.

This one costs people money every year.

A lot of business owners work from home and never claim for it, usually because it feels fiddly or they assume it only adds up to a few dollars. It often adds up to more.

If an area of your home is set aside for the business, you can claim the business share of the running costs. The usual starting point is floor area. If your office is 10% of the house, you can claim 10% of costs like rent or mortgage interest, rates, house insurance and power. IRD also has a square metre rate you can use for the utility costs instead of working out the bills.

On $30,000 of household costs, 10% is a $3,000 deduction. At a 30% tax rate that is about $900 back in your pocket, and it repeats every year.

How you claim depends on how you trade. A sole trader claims it directly. A company usually reimburses you or pays you for the use of the space. Getting that set up once means it just happens each year.

Numbers are an example only.

09/10/2026

What clients say.

"Very easy to deal with, always available and ready to help."

Being easy to deal with sounds like a small thing. For a business owner juggling staff, customers and IRD, it is usually the thing that matters most.

If you know someone who could do with a hand with their numbers, we would love to meet them.

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

From hobby to business.

This week we helped a local creative take the leap. Years of weekends and late nights behind the camera, and now it is official: a proper business with a name, a plan and a set of books that work for them.

These are some of our favourite jobs. The talent and the drive were already there. Our part was the bit people tend to put off: getting the structure right, sorting GST and tax from day one, and making sure the numbers back the dream rather than get in its way.

If you have a side passion that keeps getting bigger, it might be time for a chat.

05/10/2026

"I appreciate your team's work bro. Will continue to recommend."

Most of the people we work with found us because someone put in a good word. We never take that for granted.

05/10/2026

Meet the team, one of us a week, every Monday. This week, Betsie.

In her words, her job is 10% accounting and 90% trying to figure out why the numbers don't balance.

What she loves is the numbers behind it all. Give her a spreadsheet, a reconciliation that won't balance and a coffee, and she is happy.

Betsie works with us from Wellington, where she reckons you can't beat the place on a good day. Off the clock she does stained glass, Tiffany or lead, and always has a project on the go.

The best money advice she has been given: make sure you put money aside for your tax.

04/10/2026

School holidays: client calls, snack requests and "I'm bored" on repeat. Here's to every working parent keeping it all going this week. You're doing better than you think.

29/09/2026

Midweek myth.

"Put it through the company, it's free."

It saves 28 cents in the dollar, at best.

When a company pays for a genuine business cost, it can deduct it, which lowers the company's tax at 28%. So a $10,000 expense saves $2,800 in tax. The other $7,200 is still real money leaving the business.

And if it is not really a business cost, the company cannot deduct it at all. It usually ends up as drawings against your current account, or as a taxable benefit.

Spend it because the business needs it, not because it feels free. Happy to talk through what counts.

Numbers are an example only.

28/09/2026

Meet the team, one of us a week, Monique.

Monique looks after her own group of clients, doing their GST, annual accounts and tax returns. She also helps them get the most out of Xero, and her favourite part is sitting alongside a client and giving them the training and support they need.

She has been with us for two years, after time at another accounting firm and a stint at home with her family.

What she enjoys most is helping people. Supporting her clients, solving problems and making things a little easier for them.

Whakatāne born and bred, and it is family that keeps her here. Off the clock you will find her spending time with her two beautiful girls.

The best money advice she has been given: small amounts saved consistently can make a big difference over time.

24/09/2026

A little column Jason wrote after doing the Tough Guy & Gal Challenge with his son William.

What he thought was a 2km run somehow turned into 6km of mud, hills and obstacles but there was a pretty good business lesson in it too: sometimes you just need to stop looking at the finish line and focus on the next fence post.