Under Budget 2026 (announced 28 May 2026 by Revenue Minister Simon Watts), six months after a company is liquidated or removed from the Companies Register, any outstanding loans it made to its shareholders will be taxed as income to those shareholders. Officials expect the measure to raise about NZ$146 million over 2025/26 to 2029/30.
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NZ Budget 2026: unpaid shareholder loans taxed as income after a company winds up
Why this matters for founders
If your startup company has advanced money to you or co-founders as a shareholder loan, repay or properly account for it before any wind-up or deregistration, or the balance becomes taxable personal income six months later.
Source: Beehive.govt.nz (NZ Government)
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