Continue your plan
Useful next calculations
Rates & sources2026/27
KiwiSaver employee rates 3.5%–10% (default 3.5% from 1 April 2026), compulsory employer contribution 3.5%, and the government contribution at 25 cents per dollar up to $260.72 a year (income-tested at $180,000).
| Band / figure | Rate |
|---|---|
| Employee rates | 3.5% / 4% / 6% / 8% / 10% |
| Employer minimum | 3.5% from 1 Apr 2026 |
| Govt contribution | 25c per $1, max $260.72 |
| Income test | $180,000 |
Source: IRD — KiwiSaver employee contributions and KiwiSaver changes — source checked for 2026/27.
When to use this calculator
- Before choosing between saving, investing or changing a contribution.
- When you want to compare cautious, base and optimistic return assumptions.
- When you need a projection before making a longer-term decision.
- When you want to see whether starting earlier or contributing more changes the outcome more.
A realistic New Zealand planning example
Use these sample inputs as a quick scenario test, then change one variable at a time to compare outcomes.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual Salary (NZ$) | NZ$70,000 |
| Your Contribution Rate | 3.5% (default from 1 Apr 2026) |
| Current Age | 35 |
| Retirement Age | 35 |
After entering these figures, review projected balance, your contributions and investment growth together rather than in isolation. Then rerun the tool with one input adjusted.
How to read your results
Projected Balance
The figure produced by this output for the inputs you entered. Change one variable at a time if you want to see what drives it.
Your Contributions
The figure produced by this output for the inputs you entered. Change one variable at a time if you want to see what drives it.
Investment Growth
The figure produced by this output for the inputs you entered. Change one variable at a time if you want to see what drives it.
Employee Contribution/yr
The figure produced by this output for the inputs you entered. Change one variable at a time if you want to see what drives it.
Employer Contribution/yr
The figure produced by this output for the inputs you entered. Change one variable at a time if you want to see what drives it.
Govt Contribution/yr
The figure produced by this output for the inputs you entered. Change one variable at a time if you want to see what drives it.
Method & assumptionsAuthoritative sources
This calculator projects your KiwiSaver balance at retirement using a compound growth model applied annually. Each year it adds three contributions — yours at the rate you choose, your employer’s compulsory minimum, and the government contribution — then grows the fund at the expected annual return you set. The selectable employee rates, the employer minimum, and the government contribution rate, annual maximum and income test are rendered from IRD data in the guidance section below. The projection is an estimate in nominal dollars: it does not adjust for inflation.
KiwiSaver is a voluntary workplace savings scheme administered under the KiwiSaver Act 2006 and overseen by IRD and the Financial Markets Authority (FMA), with fund providers licensed by the FMA. Actual outcomes vary with market performance, fund fees, contribution breaks and withdrawals such as a first-home purchase. The government contribution is income-tested and unavailable at higher incomes, and employer contributions are shown before employer superannuation contribution tax (ESCT) — your provider deducts ESCT before investing the employer money, so the amount actually credited to your account can be slightly lower than shown. Employee contributions here are a payroll deduction; for the full take-home-pay picture use the NZ paycheck calculator.
Common mistakes
- !Using an assumption that is not supported by a current local quote, bill, statement or official source.
- !Treating a generic estimate as a lender, provider, payroll or tax authority decision.
- !Mixing monthly and annual inputs without converting them consistently.
- !Testing only one scenario instead of checking how a cautious assumption changes the result.
What to do next
- Run a second scenario with a cautious assumption so you can see the downside clearly.
- Compare the result with the related calculators below before making a decision.
- Check current local rules, eligibility and provider terms before applying or committing money.
- Keep a record of the assumptions so you can update the estimate when a quote, bill or pay figure changes.
KiwiSaver contributions and projections — what this calculator models
Guidance reviewed 2 September 2026This is an accumulation model, not a payroll deduction calculator. Each year it adds three contributions to your fund — yours at the employee rate you choose, your employer’s compulsory minimum, and the government contribution — then grows the running balance at the annual return you set, repeating until the retirement age you enter.
The three contribution streams are set by IRD rules and rendered here from structured policy data: selectable employee rates with a 3.5% default from 1 April 2026, the compulsory employer minimum, and the government contribution with its annual maximum and income test. For the payroll view — what a KiwiSaver rate takes out of each pay — use the NZ Paycheck Calculator alongside this page.
| Employee contribution rates | 3.5%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% — default 3.5% from 1 April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Temporary rate reduction | 3% for 3–12 months on application; resets to the default rate after 12 months |
| Compulsory employer contribution | 3.5% of gross pay (rises to 4% from 1 April 2028); shown before employer superannuation contribution tax (ESCT) |
| Government contribution | 25% per dollar contributed, up to $260.72 a year; unavailable once taxable income exceeds $180,000 |
Worked example (illustrative figures only)
- Inputs:
- Salary NZ$70,000 · employee rate 3.5% · age 30 → 65 · $20,000 starting balance · 5% annual return
- Estimate:
- ≈ $599,744 at 65 — contributions $200,625 in total ($2,450 employee + $2,450 employer + $260.72 government per year) and ≈ $399,119 investment growth
- What it means:
- Selecting a 10% employee rate instead lifts the projection to ≈ $1,031,249: employee contributions rise to $7,000 a year while the government contribution stays at its $260.72 annual cap. The employer line is shown before ESCT, so the amount actually invested can be slightly lower.
- What is excluded:
- Fund fees and taxes on returns, contribution holidays, first-home withdrawals and total-remuneration salary arrangements are not modelled. The income test uses the salary you enter as a proxy for taxable income.
Example values only — not financial advice.
Assumptions
- Contributions are added once a year and then grow at the constant annual return you set — real funds compound more frequently and returns vary.
- Employee contributions use the selected rate (3.5%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%; default 3.5%); the employer minimum is 3.5%.
- The government contribution is modelled at 25% per dollar up to $260.72 a year, and assumed payable — you are 16 or over, mainly NZ tax resident, not yet on NZ Super, and earning at or below $180,000.
- Projections are in nominal dollars with no inflation adjustment.
Not included
- ESCT is not deducted from the employer contribution; providers deduct it before investing, so real account credits will be slightly lower.
- Fund management fees and tax on investment returns are not modelled — they materially reduce real-world balances.
- Contribution suspensions (holidays), below-minimum earnings periods and first-home or hardship withdrawals are not modelled.
- If your employer pays total remuneration rather than salary plus contributions, a higher headline rate may come out of the same package rather than being on top of it.
- This page does not calculate the payroll deduction per pay period — the NZ Paycheck Calculator does that.
Reading the result
- Test the growth assumption as well as the contribution rate: a one-point change in annual return moves a 35-year projection far more than a single year of contributions.
- The government contribution rewards contributing at least $1,042.88 a year (about $20.06 a week) — below that you leave some of the cap unclaimed.
- Compare funds on fees as well as projected returns; this model has no fee line, so a higher-fee fund will underperform the projection.
Frequently asked
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