Best Accountants in New Zealand
We assessed 355 accountants in New Zealand and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 1,461 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 1 October 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
A good accounting firm does more than file your tax returns, whether you are a small business, a contractor or a rental property owner. They flag issues before they become problems and help you make better financial decisions through the year. Ask how they communicate proactively (not just at tax time), whether they are chartered accountants, whether bookkeeping is included or separate, and what accounting software they work with.
Top 5 Accountants in New Zealand
The top 5 accountants in New Zealand are #1 Kiwitax, #2 Tax Matterz, #3 nextAdvisory, #4 Biz Solutions, and #5 Finex, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you choose.
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1
Kiwitax
★ 4.8 233 reviews +22 Top5 Score 181 +35★ 207 4★ 15 3★ 1 2★ 2 1★ 8Kiwitax runs tax returns and Xero troubleshooting through a fully online setup that clients describe as quick and straightforward to navigate. Named staff including Emma, Craig, Alex, and Nathan are cited for fast turnaround, clear communication, and resolving tax bill problems before they compound.
location_on 38 Bridge Street, Ahuriri, Napier
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2
Tax Matterz · Accounting & Taxation Services
★ 5.0 200 reviews Top5 Score 1745★ 199 4★ 1Tax Matterz covers personal tax returns, tax residency changes, contractor deductions, and business tax filings, making it a practical choice for both individuals and small businesses. Nawaz and the team are noted for breaking down IRD obligations into plain language and for getting returns filed on time while finding legal deductions clients had missed.
location_on 3 Freeland Avenue, Mount Roskill, Auckland
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3
nextAdvisory
★ 5.0 182 reviews Top5 Score 1725★ 182nextAdvisory builds financial clarity for business owners through structured 90-day planning, cashflow and margin coaching, and hands-on due diligence for those buying a business. Luke and Phil are both named for cutting through noise quickly, backing recommendations with numbers, and staying in regular contact to keep clients on track between sessions.
location_on 48 Greys Avenue, Auckland CBD, Auckland
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4
Biz Solutions
★ 4.9 144 reviews Top5 Score 1685★ 141 4★ 1 2★ 1 1★ 1Biz Solutions takes on tax management, company accounts, audit preparation, and strategic business advisory for owners running single or multiple companies. Named advisers like Tina, Gary, and Jae are cited for responding to urgent questions outside business hours and for explaining IRD obligations and financial decisions in plain terms rather than just filing and moving on.
location_on Level 1/46 Stanley Street, Parnell, Auckland
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5
Finex Chartered Certified Accountants
★ 5.0 88 reviews Top5 Score 1675★ 88Finex works through tax return filing, business structure advice, and complex tax matters for individuals and new business owners, with Baqir noted for holding multiple meetings until clients are fully satisfied rather than moving on after one session. He gets down to a client's level, mapping out options like separate accounts across business segments, and stays reachable late evenings when the work requires it.
location_on Unit B/4343 Great North Road, Glendene, Auckland
Before you choose an accountant in New Zealand
Drawn from 200 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What do accountants typically charge? expand_more
Annual accounts and a tax return for a sole trader run between $500 and $1,500, while a small company with more complexity sits closer to $1,500 to $2,500. Hourly rates for a Chartered Accountant, a credential governed by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), range from $150 to $350 depending on experience and location.
Fixed-fee packages are the norm for standard compliance work and cover financial statements, tax return preparation, and filing with Inland Revenue New Zealand. Always confirm upfront whether the quoted fee includes GST and whether bookkeeping, GST returns, or advisory time are charged separately.
What's the difference between a Chartered Accountant and a bookkeeper? expand_more
A Chartered Accountant holds a qualification regulated by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) and is authorised to provide tax advice, prepare statutory financial statements, and represent you through an Inland Revenue New Zealand audit or investigation. A bookkeeper handles the daily work: recording transactions, reconciling bank accounts, processing payroll, and filing GST returns, but bookkeeping is not a licensed profession in New Zealand, so the title carries no regulated standard.
Bookkeepers charge roughly $35 to $80 per hour, making them a cost-effective choice for routine record-keeping, while a CA at $150 to $400 per hour is the right call for tax planning, company compliance, or anything involving formal financial statements. For most small businesses, the practical approach is a bookkeeper handling the day-to-day work and a CA engaged for end-of-year accounts and any complex tax matters.
What does proactive tax advice actually look like, versus just filing returns? expand_more
Proactive advice shows up as an accountant identifying deductions you did not know to claim, as happened in reviews where clients discovered claimable expenses and GST reductions only after switching firms. It also means being contacted ahead of deadlines with reminders, rather than waiting for you to ask, and having someone review your business structure to spot whether it is costing you unnecessarily. To test whether an accountant works this way, ask them directly: will you contact me before key deadlines, and can you give me an example of a tax saving you found for a client in a similar situation to mine.
What are the warning signs of an accountant you shouldn't use? expand_more
- –Failing to respond to emails, calls, or follow-ups for days or weeks at a time is a clear signal the relationship will be frustrating under pressure.
- –No written scope of services before work begins means you have no basis to challenge incomplete or incorrect work later.
- –Missing filing deadlines and leaving you to deal directly with Inland Revenue New Zealand to resolve the fallout points to a firm that cannot manage its own workload.
- –Significant portions of work having to be redone by another accountant is a strong indicator of inadequate quality control.
- –Billing for work that was never discussed or agreed upfront, or providing no clear fee structure, leaves you exposed to unexpected costs.
- –Waiting to be chased rather than reaching out proactively about upcoming obligations is a sign you will always be managing them, not the other way around.
What should you ask before hiring an accountant? expand_more
- –Ask exactly what is included in the fixed fee and what will be charged additionally, such as GST returns, bookkeeping, or IRD correspondence.
- –Ask how they handle an Inland Revenue New Zealand query or audit, and whether that work is covered under your existing fee or billed separately.
- –Ask what their turnaround time is on client questions and how they prefer to communicate, so you know what to expect before a deadline arrives.
- –Ask whether they will contact you proactively ahead of tax dates and obligations, or whether you are expected to initiate contact.
- –Ask for an example of a tax saving or structural improvement they identified for a client without being asked, to gauge whether they advise or just file.
- –Ask whether they are a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) or another professional body, which gives you a complaints and disciplinary process if things go wrong.
Also recommended accountants in New Zealand
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
Elite Taxation: Rental | Rideshare | Small Business Accountant
★ 4.8 170 reviews Top5 Score 1675★ 160 4★ 1 3★ 1 2★ 1 1★ 7Elite Taxation files rental property tax, rideshare income returns, and small business accounts, with staff like Shubam, Disha, and Parvinder named for walking clients through claimable expenses they had overlooked. Fees come up as reasonable for the level of guidance involved, and clients returning year after year point to step-by-step support and fast turnaround as reasons they stay.
location_on 18 Allright Place, Mount Wellington, Auckland
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7
Embark Accounting Limited
★ 5.0 117 reviews Top5 Score 1645★ 117Embark Accounting gets small business owners, sole traders, and those navigating cross-border moves through tax and accounting without the confusion, translating obligations into plain language from day one. Jared and the team send video recaps of end-of-year reports and stay on top of upcoming deadlines, flagging them before clients need to ask.
location_on 1/286 Princes Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin
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8
SBA Small Business Accounting New Lynn
★ 4.9 153 reviews Top5 Score 1645★ 148 4★ 2 1★ 3SBA New Lynn walks new business owners through tax requirements, business book-keeping, and financial structure in plain language from the very first meeting. David and the team are noted for taking time to understand each client's situation, explaining things until they make sense, and keeping fees reasonable without cutting corners on support.
location_on 2 Rata Street, New Lynn, Auckland
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9
SBA Small Business Accounting Ellerslie
★ 5.0 124 reviews Top5 Score 1635★ 124SBA Ellerslie helps trades companies and small business owners recover overlooked costs, consolidate chart of accounts, and sort out IRD matters, turning complex tax situations into workable outcomes. Future and the team are noted for giving genuine, tailored advice and for working with Xero to make the whole process straightforward for clients managing their own books.
location_on 101 Main Highway, Ellerslie, Auckland
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10
JOE CA LTD
verifiedVerified★ 5.0 50 reviews Top5 Score 1635★ 50Joe CA gets small business owners, rental property investors, and new arrivals to New Zealand through tax returns, GST, and business setup without the stress, finding deductions and claiming opportunities clients had been missing with previous advisers. Joe proactively reaches out ahead of key dates in the tax year and follows up with additional insights unprompted, so clients are not left waiting until something becomes a problem.
Reviews most often describe: Small business owners wanting proactive tax and financial advice
- ✓ Identifies missed deductions clients were not claiming under previous accountants
- ✓ Proactively contacts clients with reminders before tax year deadlines arrive
- ✓ Explains tax obligations in plain language without jargon or technical confusion
location_on 39 Spring Street, CBD, Tauranga schedule Mon–Fri 9am–5pm · Sat–Sun Closed
About this ranking
What the 10 accountants listed above hold, at the 1 October 2026 check.
We first assessed accountants in New Zealand in March 2026 and have rechecked the ranking seven times since. Four different businesses have held first place; Kiwitax has held it since September 2026.
What has changed since March 2026? expand_more
- Sep 2026
Scoring method updated. New first place: Kiwitax. Finex entered the top 5, up from #7. Elite Taxation left the top 5, down to #6. SBA New Lynn, SBA Ellerslie and Joe CA entered the list.
- Aug 2026
Tax Matterz returned to first place. Kiwitax entered the top 5, up from #8. Finex entered the list at #7.
- Jul 2026
Scoring method updated. Kiwitax entered the list at #8.
- Jun 2026
Scoring method updated. Embark Accounting left the top 5, down to #6.
- May 2026
New first place: Tax Matterz. Embark Accounting entered the top 5, up from #6.
- Apr 2026
Scoring method updated. Tax Matterz entered the top 5 at #2. nextAdvisory entered the top 5 at #3. Elite Taxation entered the top 5 at #4. Biz Solutions entered the top 5 at #5. Embark Accounting entered the list at #6.
- Mar 2026
First check.
Latest check, 1 October 2026: no change to the top 5. Months where nothing changed at the top are not listed.
How are the top accountants in New Zealand chosen? expand_more
This national page is built from our city rankings, so a business appears here only if it already ranks in one of the cities we cover. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
This national page is built from our city rankings, so a business appears here only if it already ranks in one of the cities we cover. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.