Payroll giving

Employees give from each pay to a donee organisation and get the 33⅓% credit immediately through PAYE.

Typically raises

$600

$60–5,000 a yearest.

About $171 per organiser hour

Based on one employee giving for a year

Is it right for us?

Money: $500–2,000
Work: An afternoon
Helpers: 1–2 people
Lead time: 1–2 months
Red tape: None

Uncommon: few employers or groups use it, despite the tax credit

People: 1
Organiser time: 2-5
Lead time: weeks (depends on employer payroll)
Up-front cost: Nothing up front
Risk: none
Who can use it: Recipient must be on IRD's approved donee list. The employer must choose to offer payroll giving.

Suits: Charity

Less usual for: Church, Community group, marae or service club

When: Summer (Dec–Feb), Autumn (Mar–May), Winter (Jun–Aug), Spring (Sep–Nov)

How big a job: An afternoon, 1–2 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Nothing to pay up front, and the typical result for one employee giving for a year is about $600 a year.

From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

ESTIMATE: per supporter per year; illustrative only. National context: 1,630 employers and 11,970 employees gave $6.6m via payroll giving in 2023-24 (IRD RIS 2026), about $550 per employee on average.

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

Confirm you are on the IRD donee list.
Ask supporters who are employees whether their employer offers payroll giving.
Give them your exact legal name, IRD number and bank account for the payroll team.
Suggest a small weekly or fortnightly amount.
Thank and update payroll givers like any regular donor.

Getting the word out

Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.

Ask for help: Members to pass the ask on to people they know.
Ask people to buy: People and businesses to give.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

Asking people yourselfMost yeses come from someone asking directly. Give every member a short message they can send to family and workmates.
Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.

The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.

What you’ll need

Place: Not neededNone needed
Landowner’s permission: Not needed
Council permit: Not needed
Food rules: Not neededNo food sold
Alcohol: Not neededNo alcohol sold
Gambling rules: Not neededNot gambling

Only IRD-approved donee organisations can receive payroll giving, and the employer must choose to offer it.

Tips

Givealittle also offers a payroll-giving plan that any payroll system can use.

Watch out for

Small employers often have never heard of it; be ready to point them to IRD's payroll-giving guidance.

Payroll giving: checklist

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Before

Confirm you are on the IRD donee list.
Ask supporters who are employees whether their employer offers payroll giving.

After

Give them your exact legal name, IRD number and bank account for the payroll team.
Suggest a small weekly or fortnightly amount.
Thank and update payroll givers like any regular donor.
Tell supporters what you raised and what it will pay for.