Hotels and hospitality
Hotel and hospitality accounting
Accounting, payroll and practical advice for hotels, restaurants and cafes, from someone who has worked on the finance side of luxury hotels.
How we help
The numbers behind a busy venue
- Margins and cost reportingSee your food, beverage and labour costs clearly, and where margin is being lost
- Payroll and PAYERosters, wages, KiwiSaver and payday filing, done on time
- GST returnsFiled on time, with the right filing frequency for your turnover
- Bookkeeping and XeroReconciled books, so your reports are ready when you need them
- Cash flow for seasonal tradePlan for quiet months and busy ones, and what to set aside for tax
- IRD correspondenceWe deal with IRD letters and request penalty relief where it applies
Worth knowing
Things hospitality owners often ask about
- Payday filing
- If you employ staff, employment information must be filed electronically within 2 working days of each payday.
- KiwiSaver
- The minimum employer contribution is 3.5% of an employee's gross salary or wages, unless the employee is on a temporary rate reduction.
- Accommodation through online marketplaces
- Since 1 April 2024, online marketplaces collect GST on short-stay and visitor accommodation booked through them. Some GST-registered accommodation providers can opt out.
- GST filing frequency
- Businesses with sales under $500,000 in any 12 months can choose to file GST six-monthly; others file monthly or two-monthly.
Based on Inland Revenue guidance, checked November 2026. Tax rules change, and every situation is different, so please talk to us before acting on it. Sources: payday filing, KiwiSaver employer contributions, GST on listed services, GST filing frequency.
Questions
Hospitality questions
Can you look after our staff wages and PAYE?
Yes. We can run payroll, file payday information with IRD and handle KiwiSaver, or check the payroll you already run.
We take bookings through online platforms. Does that change our GST?
It can. Marketplace GST rules apply to accommodation booked through online platforms, and some GST-registered providers can opt out. We will check how they affect your business.
We are not making the profit we expected. Can you help?
Yes. We start by looking at your margins, wage costs and stock, then show you in plain English where the money is going and what to change.
Free consultation
Let's look at your venue's numbers together
Sixty minutes, free, with a fixed quote before any work starts.