The workday ends. The paperwork doesn't.
Receipts, invoices and tax admin are still waiting when you get home.
For New Zealand sole traders
Tax sorted as the money lands. Not in a panic next April.
Lodg is an IRD-registered tax agent built for New Zealand sole traders. Connect your bank, invoice from your phone, and Lodg calculates, files and pays your GST and income tax as you earn.
- See what's yours to keep before you even send the invoice.
- Bank feed, receipts and invoices in one place, updated daily.
- GST and income tax returns prepared and filed with IRD.
Try for free
30-day free trial. No credit card required.
Then $47 + GST/month. Your GST returns, income tax and IR3 included.
Built for NZ sole traders
IRD-registered tax agent
Flat monthly pricing
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The after-hours admin problem
Being your own boss shouldn't mean doing the books all night.
Your bank balance lies to you.
A job payment or commission lands and it all looks like yours. Some of it belongs to IRD, and you find out how much long after you've spent it.
Receipts are everywhere.
Finding and recording business expenses becomes another job on the list.
Too many places to check.
Spreadsheets, software and separate records make it harder to see where you stand.
You didn't go self-employed to spend your evenings catching up on admin.
Made for sole traders
Lodg is built for the way sole traders actually earn.
On the tools
Builders, sparkies, plumbers, painters, landscapers and contractors. Invoice from the van, photograph the receipt at the merchants, and let the tax look after itself.
On commission
Self-employed agents and salespeople. Uneven months make provisional tax a guessing game. Lodg sets tax aside as the commission arrives, so a big month doesn't turn into a nasty bill.
On your own terms
Consultants, creatives, drivers and mobile services. One flat monthly price whether you invoice two clients or twenty.
How Lodg works
Set it up once. Then it runs with your work.
- 01
Connect your bank
A read-only open banking connection to any major NZ bank. Lodg never sees or stores your banking login, and you can disconnect at any time. Transactions start importing and categorising the same day.
- 02
Invoice and capture as you go
Create and send invoices in seconds, photograph receipts on your phone, log business trips for the vehicle deduction. Mark each transaction business or personal in a couple of clicks.
- 03
Lodg handles the tax
Lodg calculates your GST and income tax, prepares the returns, and files them with IRD as a registered tax agent. You get a notification for every filing and payment.
You review and approve your returns. Lodg does the rest.
A clearer view
See the numbers behind the relief.
Bring income and expenses into view, keep track of invoices, and see an estimated tax breakdown without piecing it together across separate records.
- Keep track of what's been paid.
- Separate business and personal spending.
- Capture receipts while they're still in your hand.
- See an estimated picture of income after tax.
Tax returns, kept moving
Your filing activity, clearly in view.
Lodg brings tax calculation, return preparation, filing and payments into the same platform as your everyday bookkeeping.
- See when a return has been filed.
- Review what is coming up next.
- Keep IRD filing details together.
Product screens are illustrative examples. Your tax depends on your circumstances.
A finished job
Most sole traders pay twice for a job that still isn't finished.
Option 1
An accountant once a year
Receipts in a shoebox, handed over months later. You find out what you owe long after you've spent it, and you're still doing the admin yourself in the meantime.
Option 2
Software plus an accountant
You pay a subscription to do the data entry yourself, then pay someone else to check it and file it. Two bills, two logins, and the GST deadline is still yours to remember.
Option 3
Lodg
Bookkeeping and the tax service in one place. Returns prepared and filed with IRD by a registered tax agent. Tax handled as you earn, on one flat monthly price.
Same job. One place. One bill.
No bolt-ons
Everything in the Sole Trader plan.
Automatic income and expense tracking
Bank transactions import daily and are categorised for income, expenses and GST.
Invoicing and chasing
Create and send invoices in seconds. Lodg follows up the unpaid ones for you.
Receipt capture
Photograph a receipt on your phone and it attaches to the transaction.
Mileage and vehicle expenses
Log business trips and Lodg calculates your vehicle deduction.
GST returns and income tax
Calculated, prepared and filed directly with IRD.
Your personal IR3 return
Included on the Sole Trader plan. The Company plan doesn't include it.
Trust and security
Handing over your tax is a big call. Here's what sits behind it.
IRD-registered tax agent
Lodg files with Inland Revenue on your behalf as a registered tax agent.
DIA reporting entity
Lodg is a reporting entity under New Zealand's anti-money-laundering regime.
Read-only bank connection
Open banking, bank-grade and read-only. Lodg never sees or stores your banking login, and you can disconnect at any time.
Your data stays yours
End-to-end encryption and continuous audit logging. Your information is never shared without your permission.
Made in New Zealand, for New Zealand tax.
A clear start
What actually happens when you start.
- 1
Day one
Sign up, connect your bank, and complete Lodg's verification and IRD authority steps. Your transactions start importing.
- 2
First few days
Income and expenses categorise automatically. Tidy up anything that needs marking business or personal, and start invoicing.
- 3
Your first return
Lodg prepares your GST or income tax return, you review and approve it, and Lodg files it with IRD.
- 4
Thirty days
Decide whether to keep going. No credit card was required, there's no lock-in, and you can cancel any time.
Invoice from the job, photograph the receipt before it goes through the wash, check where you stand from the van.
One plan for sole traders
30 days free.
Then $47 + GST a month.
That's your bookkeeping, your GST returns, your income tax and your personal IR3 return. Not per return. No end-of-year invoice.
- No credit card required.
- No lock-in contracts.
- Cancel any time.
Good to know
The questions that matter before you start.
Straight answers about trust, switching, setup and price.
Do I still need an accountant?
Lodg is an IRD-registered tax agent and prepares and files your GST and income tax returns, including your personal IR3. Plenty of sole traders won't need anything else. If your situation is complex, or you have specific advice needs, keep talking to your accountant and use Lodg for the day-to-day.
How is this different from bookkeeping software?
Most software records what happened and leaves the filing to you or your accountant. Lodg combines the bookkeeping with the tax service: calculation, return preparation, filing and payments to IRD, at a flat monthly price.
Is it safe to connect my bank?
The connection uses open banking and is read-only. Lodg never sees or stores your banking login, and you can disconnect at any time.
I'm already behind on my tax. Can I still start?
Yes. Start the trial and get your records in order from here. If there's outstanding work or overdue filing, raise it with Lodg during setup so it's clear what's covered.
What if I already use software or an accountant?
Lodg can be a simpler alternative for your sole-trader bookkeeping and tax. Before switching, check it suits your circumstances and clarify any work your current accountant still has open.
What do I need to do?
Complete Lodg's verification and IRD authority steps at setup, keep your records accurate, and review and approve your returns when prompted. Signing up starts the process rather than finishing it.
Does Lodg handle GST?
Lodg calculates your GST position each period, prepares the return and files it with IRD. What you need depends on whether your business is GST registered.
What does it cost, and do I need a credit card?
The trial is 30 days with no credit card required. After that the Sole Trader plan is $47 + GST per month, with no lock-in contract.
Your evening has better uses than tax admin.
Bring your sole-trader bookkeeping and tax together with Lodg.
Try for free30-day free trial. No credit card required.