KiwiSaver Calculator

KiwiSaver is New Zealand's work-based retirement savings scheme. Most new employees are auto-enrolled and can opt out within 56 days. Once you are in, your chosen percentage is deducted from gross pay, your employer adds a matching minimum, and the government tops up eligible contributions once a year. Three streams build the balance: your contribution, your employer's, and the government contribution.

Employee rates are 3.5%, 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10% of gross pay; 3% is now only a temporary reduction option. You can change your rate with your employer at any time.

Your employer's contribution (3.5% from 1 April 2026) is paid on top of your salary, but it is not tax-free in your hands: it is subject to Employer Superannuation Contribution Tax (ESCT), deducted before the money reaches your account. The ESCT rate is tiered by your total salary plus employer contributions, so higher earners see a larger share taken. Since 1 July 2025, employers must also contribute for 16- and 17-year-old employees.

Each year the government adds 25 cents for every dollar you contribute, up to $260.72. To get the full amount you need to put in at least $1,042.86 yourself between 1 July and 30 June. Two Budget 2025 changes apply from 1 July 2025: the maximum halved from $521.43, and you no longer qualify if your prior-year taxable income is over $180,000. Employer and government contributions do not count toward your own $1,042.86 — only your contributions do.

After three years of membership, first-home buyers can withdraw almost all of their KiwiSaver — their own, employer, and government contributions, and returns — leaving a $1,000 minimum, to put toward a New Zealand home they intend to live in. Otherwise, KiwiSaver locks in until age 65, when you can withdraw the full balance. Because the money is invested for the long term, your choice of fund type (defensive, balanced, or growth) usually matters more to your final balance than small differences in contribution rate.