IR10 — Financial Statements Summary
Updated for 2026 IRD rates
What the IR10 Is
The IR10 Financial statements summary is a one-page summary of the financial statements for a business or other activity, filed as a secondary form attached to an income tax return. It is not a return in its own right and it is not a replacement for financial statements — it is the summary version IRD uses to check a return against the underlying numbers.
IRD's own form states the scope plainly: "You only need to complete this form if you are in business." The purpose is to speed up processing of the return and to reduce the number of manual queries an accountant has to answer after filing.
The current published forms are IR10 (March 2026) for the year ended 31 March, and the companion guide IR10G (June 2026) which explains each line.
Who Completes an IR10
- Sole traders and partnerships filing an IR3 with business income.
- Look-through companies and other transparent entities where the income flows through to owners' IR3s.
- Trusts and estates filing an IR6 where there is business activity.
- Businesses with rental or other activity returned on the same return.
If you are a wage or salary earner with no business income, there is nothing to complete — an IR10 is only relevant where there are financial statements behind the return.
How to File the IR10 in myIR
- Log in to myIR and go to your income tax account.
- Select More.
- Under Payments, refunds and returns, select File or amend a return, then choose the return you want to file.
- Follow the prompts until you reach Select secondary forms that you want to file.
- Tick "This return will include IR10 Financial Statement".
- Complete the IR10 as part of the return and submit it with the return.
Before you start you need your IRD number and your financial records. The IR10G guide is the authoritative reference for what goes on each line.
Filing the IR10 on Paper
The IR10 is also available as a fillable PDF. The paper process is:
- Download the IR10 form for the correct year (the March 2026 version covers the year ended 31 March 2026).
- Complete it and print it.
- Sign it.
- Attach it to page 3 of your return.
- Keep a copy for your records.
You do not need to send IRD your financial records, ledgers or bank statements. The IR10 summary is what accompanies the return; the full statements stay with you.
Deadlines
The IR10 is not filed separately, so it is due whenever the return it accompanies is due. For a standard 31 March balance date that means 7 July for an IR3 filed directly, or later where a tax agent's extension of time applies. The practical consequence is that nobody receives a "your IR10 is late" letter — a missing or incomplete IR10 shows up as a query or a delayed assessment on the return itself.
Why the IR10 Matters More Than It Looks
- Faster assessments. IRD states that completing the summary speeds up processing of the return.
- Fewer information requests. A return with a completed IR10 generally needs less back-and-forth than one without.
- Consistency risk. The IR10 summarises the same statements the return is built from, so a mismatch between the two is one of the first things a review picks up.
- It is a summary, not a second set of accounts. The figures should reconcile to the statements you already prepared — not be prepared fresh.
Common Mistakes
- Sending the underlying statements to IRD. Not required, and not what the IR10 is for.
- Ticking the secondary form but leaving it blank. Filing the return with an empty IR10 creates the query it was meant to avoid.
- Using last year's form. There is a version for each income year — check the year printed on the form.
- Treating it as optional for every business. Where the return has business income and IRD expects a summary, the honest answer is to complete it.
- Reconciling it to the wrong year. The 31 March 2026 form covers the year ended 31 March 2026 — not the calendar year, and not the March 2025 year.
Related Guides
Deep dive — 2026 update
IR10 versus full financial statements
The IR10 is the summary layer. IRD uses it to match what was filed against the shape of the business — revenue, expenses, profit, and the balance sheet in condensed form. It does not replace the statements themselves, and it is not a substitute for the minimum financial reporting standards that certain entities must follow. Where a company files an IR4 with financial statements attached, the summary question is answered differently; the general rule remains that the IR10 belongs with returns that carry business or rental activity on an IR3, IR6 or similar.
A practical filing sequence for a sole trader
- Year end. Reconcile bank accounts and complete the financial statements for the year ended 31 March.
- Code the accounts. Make sure income and expenses are coded consistently with prior years so the IR10 lines are comparable.
- Prepare the IR10. Work through the IR10G guide line by line. Do not force a balance — if the summary does not reconcile, the statements are wrong somewhere.
- File together. In myIR, tick the IR10 secondary form so it goes with the IR3. On paper, sign and attach to page 3.
- Keep the file. Retain the statements, the IR10 copy and the working papers for the record-keeping period.
Why it pays to file it consistently
Three years of consistent IR10 summaries give IRD a stable picture of the business, which is exactly what you want if a return is ever reviewed. Years that jump in shape — a large unexplained expense line, a revenue figure that does not match the GST returns — are what trigger further questions. Consistency is not about presentation; it is about a summary that reconciles to GST returns, the financial statements and prior years.