The three-month clock on your ACC invoice

ACC's dispute process has two stages, and they have very different clocks.

Stage 1 — ask for a correction. No deadline.

Telling ACC your details are wrong (the ACC4618 route for employers, MyACC for self-employed) has no time limit. This is where almost everything gets fixed, and it is free.

Stage 2 — formal review. Three months, and it is hard.

A formal review (form ACC33) must be applied for within three months of the date on the decision letter or levy invoice. ACC's own wording: "In some circumstances, we can accept late review applications. We are unable to extend the time for levy reviews or where the applicant is an employer." For levy payers, treat the deadline as absolute. The review itself goes to an independent reviewer, with a written decision.

What to do with this

Date your invoice the day it arrives, and if you think anything about it is wrong, start the correction conversation immediately — not because Stage 1 has a deadline, but because Stage 2 does, and you want the backstop alive while the correction is looked at. The checker computes your dates from the invoice date and shows where you stand.

Source: ACC — apply for a review (ACC33).