Example result based on the prefilled values.
Projected Balance
NZ$439,109.24
Your Contributions
NZ$162,056.30
Investment Growth
NZ$277,052.94
Employer Contribution/yr
NZ$2,100.00
Govt Member Tax Credit/yr
NZ$430.18
Continue your plan
Useful next calculations
When to use this calculator
- Before choosing between saving, investing, or increasing your monthly contribution.
- When you want to compare best-case, base-case, and cautious return assumptions.
- When you need a quick projection before making a longer-term portfolio decision.
- When you are deciding how many more years of contributions are needed to reach a specific target balance.
- When you want to see whether starting earlier versus contributing more each month produces a bigger outcome.
A realistic New Zealand planning example
Use these sample inputs as a quick scenario test, then change one variable at a time to compare outcomes.
Annual Salary (NZ$)
NZ$70,000
Your Contribution Rate
3%
Current Age
35
Retirement Age
35
After entering these figures, review projected balance, your contributions and investment growth together rather than in isolation — each metric tells a different part of the story. Then rerun the tool with one input adjusted to see which variable has the biggest effect on all three outputs before you settle on a plan.
How to read your results
Projected Balance
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Your Contributions
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Investment Growth
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Employer Contribution/yr
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Govt Member Tax Credit/yr
Review this figure alongside gross income and the local tax rules that apply to you. It is a planning estimate, not a filing result or a recommendation to make a tax decision.
Method & assumptionsAuthoritative sources
This calculator projects your KiwiSaver balance at retirement using a compound growth model that applies annually. Each year, your employee contributions (at your chosen rate of 3%–10% of salary), your employer's minimum 3% contribution, and the net government Member Tax Credit — worth up to NZ$430 after a 17.5% PIR tax — are added to your fund, which then grows at the expected annual return. The 2024/25 MTC cap is NZ$521.43 gross (NZ$1,042.86 minimum employee contribution required). The result is an estimate in nominal dollars, meaning it does not adjust for inflation. Actual outcomes will vary based on market performance, fund fees, and any contribution breaks taken during the period.
KiwiSaver is a voluntary workplace savings scheme administered under the KiwiSaver Act 2006 and overseen by IRD and the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Fund providers are licensed by the FMA and must publish their fees, investment policies, and historical returns in product disclosure statements. Comparing funds on the basis of long-run net returns after fees and taxes is more meaningful than short-term performance. The government's Sorted KiwiSaver Fund Finder at sorted.org.nz allows side-by-side comparison of all registered providers. Consider reviewing your fund type and contribution rate at least every five years, particularly as you approach retirement age and may wish to reduce investment risk by moving from a growth to a conservative or balanced fund.
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.
- !Forgetting location-specific taxes, fees, eligibility rules or payroll deductions where they apply.
- !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.
- Use the result to prepare better questions for a lender, provider, adviser or employer rather than treating it as a final answer.
Frequently asked
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