How Do I Add a New Company in Lightning Payroll Online (New Zealand)?

Lightning Payroll Online lets you manage multiple New Zealand business entities under a single account. Adding a company takes two steps: entering the company details (including your IRD number), then setting the pay cycle dates.

Before You Start

Collect the following before adding the company:

• The company's IRD number (employer IRD, digits only ÔÇö the app strips spaces and hyphens automatically)
• The company name as it appears for tax purposes
• A contact email address and phone number for the company
• The company's physical or postal address
• A contact person's first and last name

Step 1 ÔÇö Add the Company Details

1. In the sidebar, click Entities >> Add Company. The Add New Company form opens.
2. Enter the Company Name (must be unique across your account) and Tax name.
3. Enter the company's Email address and Phone.
4. Set Jurisdiction/Payroll Mode to New Zealand. This controls which tax rules and filings (PAYE, KiwiSaver, payday filing) apply to this company. On the NZ app this defaults to New Zealand automatically.
5. Enter the company's IRD Number. This field is required for NZ companies and is used on payday filing submissions to Inland Revenue.
6. Fill in the Address fields and the Contact Person first and last name.
7. Click Save. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*). The save button stays disabled until all required fields including a valid IRD number are completed.

Step 2 ÔÇö Set the Pay Dates

After the company is saved you are taken to the Pay Dates screen automatically. Here you set the end day for your Weekly, Fortnightly, and Monthly pay cycles. You can use one cycle or any combination. The Pay Date Preference setting controls which pay run the Pays screen opens to by default ÔÇö Closest is the recommended option for most businesses.

Click Save when done.

Next Steps

Once the company and pay dates are set up, click Next, lets add an employee on the Pay Dates screen, or navigate to Employees to add your first employee. For details on adding NZ employees including IRD number, tax code, KiwiSaver, and leave settings, see the employee setup FAQs.

If you manage more than one business entity, repeat these steps for each company. To switch between companies, go to Entities >> Select Company.

For the equivalent steps in the desktop app, see How Do I Add a New Employee or a New Company Entity?