From scramble to certainty: rethinking tax time for Kiwi small businesses

Tax time should be a moment of clarity for small businesses. Instead, for many Kiwi organisations, it's when uncertainty peaks.

In fact, 42% of small business owners say tax time is the most stressful time of year, with chasing paperwork (34%) and fear of mistakes (31%) among the leading causes.

The issue isn't tax. It's confidence. 

More specifically, it's a lack of digital confidence - in the systems, data and workflows businesses rely on throughout the year. And when that confidence isn't there, it shows up at EOFY.

Tax time doesn't create pressure - it exposes it

We've made real progress in digitising how we work. 

Inland Revenue data shows 55% of businesses now use online systems to manage accounts. But for many small businesses, the reality is still a mix of spreadsheets (30%), desktop software (22%), and paper-based methods (17%). 

That mix creates complexity.

Information is captured in different places and often needs to be re-entered. As it moves between formats, visibility is reduced, and errors become more likely. Over time, confidence in the accuracy of financial information starts to erode.

Tax time doesn't create these issues - it exposes them. Because digital confidence at EOFY isn't built in April. It's built through the systems businesses rely on every day.

The Future of Work has expanded the risk landscape

In today's hybrid and digital workforce, those systems are more exposed than ever. 

Work no longer happens in one place or on one device. Information moves constantly - between people, platforms and environments - often across home, office and everything in between.

That shift has expanded the surface area for risk.

Printers and connected devices, for example, are often the least visible part of a business's technology environment. Yet they sit at the edge of networks, handling sensitive financial and customer data every day.

Our global HP security experts have seen that for too long; printers have been one of the lowest priorities for security teams. When they're not properly secured, they can create blind spots - whether through outdated firmware or unauthorised access. In some cases, this can expose not just documents, but entire business systems.

In a hybrid world, security isn't just an IT concern. It's fundamental to confidence. 

Confidence comes from visibility

When businesses trust how their information is captured, shared and stored, they can make decisions faster and more confidently.

The challenge isn't a lack of effort or capability. It's how fragmented systems are holding businesses back.

Sixty percent of small business owners report being caught off guard by their tax outcome at the end of the year. In many cases, that's not due to a lack of knowledge - it's the result of not having a consistent view of financial information throughout the year.

If receipts are in one place and invoices in another, owners cannot see clearly what is happening across the business until pressure peaks. 

If business owners can clearly see where their information is and how it's moving, EOFY becomes a point of control, not uncertainty.

Connected systems build digital confidence

That requires a more connected approach to technology.

Through the lens of One HP, this means bringing together personal systems, print and collaboration into a single, secure ecosystem - one where information flows seamlessly across devices, without being duplicated or lost.

Because in practice, print isn't separate from digital work. It's part of how information moves.

A document might be printed, shared digitally, then stored for compliance. When those touchpoints are disconnected - or unsecured - friction builds. But when they are connected, workflows become more intuitive and reliable.

That's what builds digital confidence.

Better technology drives better outcomes

Our Work Relationship Index shows that better technology is strongly linked to improved confidence and productivity at work. 42% of knowledge workers say technology will improve work, rising to 67% among IT decision-makers and 57% among business leaders.

That includes how we're starting to use AI - not as a standalone tool, but as part of everyday workflows to reduce low-value tasks and help people work more efficiently

For small businesses managing competing pressures, that makes a real difference.

From year-end stress to year-round control

Tax time will always be an important milestone. But it shouldn't feel like a reset.

With the right systems in place, it becomes a moment to review and plan - not recover.

Because confidence at tax time isn't about working harder at the end of the year. It's about having the visibility and secure workflows to know everything is already in place.

That's how we move from scramble to certainty - and create a more productive, confident future of work for New Zealand businesses.