FIF De Minimis $50k Threshold Checker

This checker tells you whether New Zealand's foreign investment fund, or FIF, rules apply to your overseas shares, using the fifty thousand dollar de minimis threshold. The FIF rules are one of the more confusing parts of the tax system for everyday investors, especially now that platforms like Sharesies and Hatch make buying US and other offshore shares so easy. The key relief is the de minimis threshold: if the total cost of your foreign shares is fifty thousand dollars or less, the FIF rules do not apply at all, and you are simply taxed on any dividends like ordinary income. Cross that threshold, and the FIF rules apply to your whole offshore holding, requiring you to calculate FIF income each year under methods such as the fair dividend rate. Crucially, the test is based on what you paid for the shares, the cost, not their current market value, so a holding that has grown well past fifty thousand dollars in value can still be under the threshold. You enter the total cost of all your foreign shares, and the checker tells you whether you are under or over the threshold and your headroom. Certain Australian shares are exempt, and the test is per person. This is general information, not tax advice; confirm your position with IRD or an accountant.

Based on cost, not market value, and per person. Certain Australian shares are exempt. General information, not tax advice.