Stephen Larsen and Co is a tax and business accounting firm with offices in Palmerston North and Wellington, led by Senior Accountant and Founder Stephen Larsen. The firm describes itself as offering a complete accounting and taxation service for businesses, organisations, and individuals, built around forging strong relationships with clients based on trust, integrity and experience.
Rather than sticking to standard compliance work, Stephen Larsen and Co extends into extensive analysis, planning and advising, aiming to help clients grow their business, increase profits, maximise wealth, minimise tax, and stay IRD compliant. Core services span business accounting (annual accounts, management reporting, budgeting and cashflow forecasting, and business advice), taxation (income tax returns for individuals, sole traders, partnerships, companies and trusts, plus GST, FBT and RWT returns), and additional services including Xero training and setup, company formation and IRD registration, family trust administration, and rental property tax returns.
For rental property owners, the firm also offers free resources including a Rental Property Profit vs Cashflow Spreadsheet and a downloadable Rental Property Owners Guide. New clients are offered a free 30-minute interview to discuss their tax and accountancy requirements before deciding whether to proceed.
Stephen Larsen and Co positions itself around a simple message: it's all about you. Led by Senior Accountant and Founder Stephen Larsen, the firm provides a complete accounting and taxation service for businesses, organisations and individuals across its two offices in Palmerston North and Wellington.
The firm's stated approach centres on forging strong relationships with clients built on trust, integrity and experience, aiming to maintain those relationships for as long as they're privileged to provide the service. Rather than treating accounting as a purely transactional service, Stephen Larsen and Co extends into extensive analysis, planning and advising — the goal is to help clients grow their business, increase profits, maximise wealth, minimise tax, and stay compliant with IRD requirements.
On the business accounting side, the firm covers annual accounts and financial statements, management accounting and reporting, budgeting, cashflow forecasting and financial planning, general business advice, monthly or quarterly reporting, and analysis and interpretation of financial statements. Taxation services span income tax returns for individuals, sole traders, partnerships, companies and trusts, alongside GST, FBT and RWT returns.
Beyond the core offering, Stephen Larsen and Co provides a broad set of additional services: Xero training, system set-up and ongoing support; company formation and IRD registration; company secretarial and administration work; rental property tax returns; individual tax returns; family trust administration; Maori Authority accounts; assistance with finance and loan applications; business start-up assistance, planning and advice; farm accounting; and help catching up on overdue tax returns. As the firm notes, this isn't necessarily a comprehensive list — clients with a specific need not listed are encouraged to call and discuss it directly.
Rental property tax returns get particular attention on the firm's site, with two free resources available to property owners: a 2025 Rental Property Profit vs Cashflow Spreadsheet, and a downloadable Rental Property Owners Guide covering how to get the best from a rental property. For anyone who owns a rental property, the firm notes that a tax return is required either to declare rental profit or claim a rental loss — making these free tools a practical starting point before booking a consultation.
Stephen Larsen and Co offers prospective clients a free 30-minute interview to understand their tax and accountancy requirements. At the end of that conversation, the client decides whether the firm is the right fit to help them — a low-pressure way to start the relationship rather than committing upfront.
The firm operates from two locations: its Palmerston North office at 108 Albert Street, Palmerston North 4410 (with a postal address at PO Box 5161, Terrace End, Palmerston North 4441), reachable on +64 6 357 7011, and its Wellington office at 11 Collins Avenue, Tawa, Wellington 5028, reachable on +64 4 232 4122. Both offices can be reached by the same email address for enquiries.
The firm also publishes a Tax Talk Newsletter and recent tax and policy news, covering topics like PAYE deduction obligations, upcoming ACC levy changes for business, and other developments relevant to New Zealand business owners — giving clients (and prospective clients) a way to stay across changes that might affect their tax position even before their next appointment.
For anyone in the Manawatu or Wellington regions looking for an accountant who goes beyond standard compliance work, Stephen Larsen and Co offers a full-service option covering everything from annual accounts and GST returns to rental property tax, family trusts, and Xero support — with a free initial conversation to see if it's the right fit.