How Much Does It Cost To Set Up A Company? NZ Guide

In New Zealand, the Companies Office fee to register a standard company is usually in the low hundreds, with a separate name reservation fee and incorporation fee. As a practical starting point, budget about $130 to $150 in Companies Office fees, then add the cost of any legal documents, accounting advice, trade mark protection, website terms, licences and other setup items your business needs.

The cheaper part is often the government filing. The bigger question is whether your company is set up properly from day one, so your ownership, control, liability, tax registrations and key contracts all match how you actually plan to run your business.

Do You Need Money To Start A Company?

Yes, you do need money to start a company, but the amount can vary a lot. If you're starting a simple one-person services business, your upfront costs may be relatively modest. If you're launching a product business, hiring staff, building software, importing stock or taking on investors, you'll usually need a much larger budget.

There are two different types of costs to think about. First, there are the formal setup costs, such as Companies Office fees, legal documents and professional support. Second, there are the practical operating costs, such as software, insurance, accounting, marketing, product development, wages and supplier costs.

It's worth separating these in your budget. A company can be registered quickly and relatively cheaply, but that doesn't mean the business is ready to trade safely. Before you launch, you may also need customer terms, supplier agreements, privacy documents, employment documents, licences, insurance and clear processes for taking payments and handling complaints.

How Much Does It Cost To Register A Company In NZ?

To register a company in New Zealand, you apply through the Companies Office. For a standard online company registration, you should expect a name reservation fee and an incorporation fee. Fees can change, so the safest place to confirm the exact amount is the Companies Office fee schedule or your Companies Office account at the time you apply.

As a practical estimate, many founders should budget about $130 to $150 in Companies Office fees for the basic name reservation and incorporation steps. This is the answer most people are looking for when they search for how much it costs to register a company in NZ.

That figure only covers the government filing side. It doesn't include your business bank account costs, accountant's fees, insurance, trade mark applications, drafting shareholder agreements, preparing customer contracts or any industry-specific registrations you might need.

When you register, you'll generally need to provide key details such as:

• Your proposed company name
• Your registered office and address for service in New Zealand
• Your director details
• Your shareholder details and share structure
• Director and shareholder consents
• Whether the company will have a constitution

Under the Companies Act 1993, a New Zealand company needs at least one director who lives in New Zealand, or who lives in Australia and is also a director of an Australian company. You can have one director and one shareholder, and they can be the same person.

Your company will also receive a New Zealand Business Number, commonly called an NZBN. An NZBN helps identify your business when dealing with government agencies, suppliers and other organisations.

How Much Does It Cost To Register A Business Name In NZ?

In New Zealand, people often use the phrase business name registration to mean different things. The cost depends on what you're actually trying to protect or set up.

If you're registering a company, you first reserve a company name through the Companies Office. That name reservation is usually a small government fee. Once the name is approved, you can proceed with incorporation.

If you're a sole trader using a trading name, there's no separate national business name register in the same way some other countries have. You can trade under a name, but you still need to make sure the name isn't misleading, doesn't infringe someone else's trade mark, and isn't too similar to another business in a way that could cause confusion.

If the name matters to your brand, it's also worth checking:

• The Companies Register, to see whether a similar company name is already taken
• IPONZ, to see whether someone has registered a similar trade mark
• Domain name availability, especially for .co.nz and .nz domains
• Social media handles and marketplace usernames
• Whether the name could be misleading under the Fair Trading Act 1986

A company name isn't the same thing as a trade mark. Registering a company name doesn't automatically give you exclusive brand rights. If you want stronger protection for your brand name, logo or product name, you may want to consider a trade mark application through IPONZ.

What Other Setup Costs Should You Budget For?

The Companies Office fee is only one piece of the setup budget. The documents and protections you need will depend on your business model, but there are some common items many New Zealand companies should consider.

Company Constitution

A New Zealand company can rely on the default rules in the Companies Act 1993, but many companies choose to adopt a constitution. A constitution can set out extra rules about how the company operates, including share rights, director powers and decision-making processes.

Shareholders Agreement

If your company has more than one founder or shareholder, a shareholders agreement is often one of the most important setup documents. It can cover who owns what, how decisions are made, what happens if someone leaves, how shares can be sold, how disputes between owners are managed, and how future investment will work.

Even where everyone gets along, a shareholders agreement helps reduce uncertainty. It's much easier to agree on the rules before money, stress and growth are involved.

Customer Terms And Conditions

If you sell goods or services, your customer terms should explain what you provide, how payment works, cancellation rules, delivery, refunds, liability limits and complaint handling. Your terms also need to work alongside New Zealand consumer laws, including the Fair Trading Act 1986 and the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.

Those laws can apply even if you're selling online or using a simple invoice process. You generally can't contract out of core consumer guarantees when selling to consumers, although different rules can apply for business-to-business transactions in some circumstances.

Website Terms And Privacy Documents

If your company has a website, takes online enquiries, collects customer data or uses email marketing, you should think about website terms and a privacy policy. Under the Privacy Act 2020, businesses that collect personal information need to be clear about what they collect, why they collect it, how they use it, who they share it with and how people can access or correct their information.

If you use overseas software providers, cloud platforms or marketing tools, you should also consider how personal information is stored and disclosed offshore.

Employment And Contractor Documents

If you hire staff, you need written employment agreements that comply with the Employment Relations Act 2000 and the Holidays Act 2003. You'll also need to budget for wages, leave entitlements, payroll systems, KiwiSaver processes and health and safety obligations.

If you engage contractors, make sure the arrangement genuinely reflects a contractor relationship. From 21 February 2026, changes made by the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2025 introduced a contractor gateway test designed to give businesses and workers more certainty about when a worker can be treated as an independent contractor. Your contracts and day-to-day working arrangements should be reviewed together, because the wording alone won't fix an arrangement that operates like employment in practice.

Accounting, Tax And Registrations

You'll need to consider Inland Revenue setup, tax obligations and whether you need to register for GST. GST registration is generally required once your taxable supplies exceed the current threshold, and an accountant can help you check how the rules apply to your business.

Tax planning is an area where it's sensible to speak with an accountant early, especially if you're paying yourself, bringing in investors, buying stock, selling overseas or running the business alongside another job.

Can One Person Start A Company?

Yes, one person can start a company in New Zealand. You can be the sole director and sole shareholder, as long as the director residency requirements are met.

This is common for consultants, trades businesses, ecommerce founders, software developers, creatives and other solo operators. A one-person company can still enter contracts, issue invoices, own business assets and hire staff later on.

That said, even a solo company should be set up carefully. You should keep company money separate from personal money, maintain proper records, file annual returns, keep your company details up to date and make sure contracts are signed in the company name rather than your personal name.

Can I Set Up A Company On My Own?

You can complete the Companies Office application yourself if you have the right information ready. The online process is designed to be accessible, and many straightforward companies can be registered quickly.

The risk isn't usually the form itself. The risk is choosing the wrong structure, issuing shares in a way that doesn't match the founders' deal, skipping key documents, or assuming that a registered company name protects your brand.

It can be worth getting professional help if you have co-founders, investors, valuable intellectual property, plans to hire staff, a regulated industry, overseas customers, or anything more complex than a simple one-person business.

There are also different structures you may want to explore depending on your goals, such as a B-Corp or Dual Company structure. Those structures aren't necessary for every business, but they can be useful in the right circumstances.

Worked Example: What A Simple Company Setup Might Cost

Imagine Mia is starting a small web design business in Wellington. She will be the only founder at the start, but she wants the option to hire a contractor and bring in a co-founder later.

Her basic Companies Office costs might look like this, based on the current fee schedule at the time of writing. Fees can change, so Mia should check the Companies Office fee schedule or her Companies Office account before applying:

• Name reservation: $11.50 including GST
• Company incorporation: $136.55 including GST
• Total government filing cost: $148.05 including GST

That $148.05 gets Mia a registered company, assuming her application is accepted and all details are correct. It does not, by itself, give her a full legal setup for trading.

Mia then thinks through what else she needs. Because she is selling services to business clients, she prepares service terms that cover scope, payment, late changes, intellectual property, liability and cancellation. Because she collects client contact details through her website, she prepares a privacy policy. Because her brand name matters, she checks IPONZ and considers whether to apply for a trade mark. Because she may use contractors, she prepares a contractor agreement that matches how the work will actually be performed.

Her real setup budget is therefore more than the Companies Office fee. The exact amount depends on how much professional support she chooses and how complex her business is, but the key point is simple: company registration is the starting line, not the whole setup.

Should You Set Up A Company Or Just Run A Business?

You don't always need a company to start trading. You could operate as a sole trader or, if there's more than one person, in a partnership. A sole trader setup can be simpler and cheaper to start, and you can tell Inland Revenue about your business activity without going through company incorporation.

The trade-off is risk. As a sole trader, you and the business are legally the same person. That means business debts and legal obligations can become personal obligations. A partnership can also create personal exposure, including for things your business partner does in the course of the partnership.

Setting up a company comes with extra cost and administration, but it creates a separate legal entity. The company can enter contracts, own assets, incur debts and carry on business in its own name. This can help limit your personal liability, although directors can still have personal duties and may be personally responsible in some situations, such as personal guarantees, serious misconduct or certain tax and employment obligations.

A company structure is often attractive if you want to grow, bring in co-founders, issue shares, raise capital, hire staff, build a brand or create a clearer separation between business and personal finances. A sole trader structure may be enough for some early-stage or low-risk businesses, especially while testing an idea.

If you're weighing up sole trader, partnership and company options, the Business Structure Decision Tool can help you think through the main differences before you choose.

Step-By-Step Checklist For Setting Up A Company

Before you register, it helps to work through the setup in a sensible order. A little preparation can save you from having to fix avoidable mistakes later.

1. Choose Your Structure: Decide whether a company is the right structure, or whether sole trader or partnership is more suitable for now.
2. Check Your Name: Search the Companies Register, IPONZ, domain names and social handles before you commit to a brand.
3. Reserve Your Company Name: Apply through the Companies Office and pay the name reservation fee shown at the time.
4. Confirm Directors And Shareholders: Make sure you meet director residency rules and have the right ownership split.
5. Decide On Shares: Work out the number and type of shares, who receives them and whether any special rights are needed.
6. Prepare Consents: Directors and shareholders generally need to consent to their roles and shareholding.
7. Consider A Constitution: Decide whether the default Companies Act rules are enough or whether your company needs tailored rules.
8. Register With The Companies Office: Complete the incorporation application and check all details carefully before submitting.
9. Set Up Records And Banking: Open a company bank account, keep financial records and separate business and personal spending.
10. Put Core Documents In Place: Prepare any shareholders agreement, customer terms, privacy policy, contractor agreement or employment agreement your business needs.
11. Check Tax And Ongoing Compliance: Speak with an accountant about Inland Revenue, GST, payroll, provisional tax and other tax obligations.
12. Diary Annual Obligations: File your annual return with the Companies Office and keep company details up to date.

A lawyer or legal team should tailor your key documents to your business, especially if there's more than one founder, you're handling valuable intellectual property, or you're entering important customer or supplier contracts.

Key Takeaways

• For a standard New Zealand company, budget about $130 to $150 in Companies Office fees for name reservation and incorporation, and check the current fee schedule before applying.
• Company registration is only the basic government filing. Your real setup budget may also include legal documents, accounting advice, insurance, trade marks, website terms and employment or contractor documents.
• One person can start a company in New Zealand, provided the director residency requirements are met.
• Registering a company name doesn't automatically protect your brand. If your name is valuable, check IPONZ and consider trade mark protection.
• A company can give you a stronger structure for growth than operating as a sole trader or partnership, but it also comes with ongoing compliance and director responsibilities.
• Getting the setup right early can help avoid messy ownership, contract, privacy, employment and intellectual property issues later.

If you'd like help with company setup, shareholders agreements, customer terms or employment documents, you can reach us at 0800 002 184 or team@sprintlaw.co.nz for a free, no-obligations chat.