NZ Savings Goal Calculator

At 7% annual return with no starting balance, you need about $630/month for 40 years, $1,040/month for 30 years, or $1,870/month for 25 years in a PIE-taxed fund (28% max tax on growth). In a regular savings account at 33% marginal tax, the same goal takes 3–5 years longer because of RWT on interest compounding annually.

They share the same PIE tax structure (capped at 28% at most, and often lower via your PIR). KiwiSaver is just a locked-in PIE with employer and government contributions — which are significant but not modelled here. For a KiwiSaver-specific projection including employer contributions, use the KiwiSaver Retirement Projector.

Use the rate on your last dollar of income. NZ brackets (1 Apr 2025 onwards): 10.5% up to $15,600, 17.5% to $53,500, 30% to $78,100, 33% to $180,000, 39% above. For savings accounts (RWT), your marginal rate is also your RWT rate. For PIE funds, your PIR is capped at 28% — that's the edge PIEs have over direct investing.

Three levers: (1) raise monthly contribution — linear impact, (2) extend the horizon — exponential impact, (3) choose a lower-tax wrapper. The tax-wrapper difference in NZ is usually modest compared to the first two, but the PIR/RWT gap compounds meaningfully over 20+ years for higher earners.

No — returns and contributions are entered in nominal terms. If your goal is in today's dollars, enter a real return (e.g. 4-5%) rather than the nominal 7-8% you see in historical market data. Use the Inflation Calculator to adjust between nominal and real for specific years.