New Zealand KiwiSaver Retirement Savings Calculator
What your KiwiSaver could grow to, and what you, your employer and the government add.
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- Free preview: the projected KiwiSaver balance in full, with the first rows of each table (up to 3) and a watermarked chart; every other figure is hidden.
- Locked until you unlock it: download and copy.
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KiwiSaver projection Inland Revenue contribution rules · assumed returns · Sources
If the return is different
| Return a year | Balance | In today’s money |
|---|
The first 12 months
How the balance builds up
Year by year
| Age | Pay | You | Employer after ESCT | Government | Returns | Balance | Today’s money |
|---|
Rules used and official sources
- Inland Revenue: KiwiSaver employee contributions
- Inland Revenue: employer contributions to KiwiSaver
- Inland Revenue: KiwiSaver benefits (employer and government contributions)
- Inland Revenue: getting the KiwiSaver government contribution
- Inland Revenue: KiwiSaver temporary rate reduction
- Inland Revenue: employer superannuation contribution tax (ESCT)
- Inland Revenue: getting your KiwiSaver when you retire
- Inland Revenue: payroll calculations and business rules (PAYE formulas)
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Results are estimates for general information and planning, not financial advice. Banks and institutions may calculate differently (rounding, fees, rate changes). Confirm figures with your lender or a qualified adviser before deciding.
About the New Zealand KiwiSaver Retirement Savings Calculator
See what your KiwiSaver could be worth when you can withdraw it at 65. Enter your age, pay, balance and contribution rates, and the calculator adds, month by month, your own contributions, your employer’s contributions after employer superannuation contribution tax (ESCT), the government contribution of up to $260.72 a year and a return you choose, with the minimum rate rising to 4% as the law sets out.
The result shows the balance in future dollars and in today’s money, a range with the return 2 points lower and higher, what each source adds over the years, and a year-by-year table you can download with a pass or after unlocking the result. It also tells you how much more to put in to get the full government contribution. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
How to use it
- Enter your age, the age to project to (65 by default) and your pay before tax, with any pay rises you expect.
- Choose your contribution rate and your employer’s rate (at least 3.5%), and enter your KiwiSaver balance now and any extra contributions you make each year.
- Set the return you expect after fees and tax, and the inflation rate used to show the balance in today’s money.
- Read the projected balance, the range, the breakdown by source and the year-by-year table; download it as CSV or copy the summary — with a pass, or after unlocking this result.
Examples
You $2,100 · employer $2,100 less $367.50 ESCT = $1,732.50 · government $260.72 · balance $4,093.22
ESCT is 17.5% because $60,000 of pay plus $2,100 of employer contributions is between $18,721 and $64,200.
About $733,549 at 65 — $366,795 in today’s money at 2% inflation; $485,159 at a 3% return, $1,144,327 at 7%
Over the 35 years you put in $149,417, your employer $101,078 after ESCT and the government $9,125; investment returns add $453,929. An illustration, not a forecast.
Your contributions $700 → government contribution $175; contributing $342.86 more by 30 June gets the full $260.72
What goes into your KiwiSaver
- You: 3.5% (the default), 4%, 6%, 8% or 10% of your gross pay, deducted by your employer (Inland Revenue). A temporary rate reduction lets you contribute 3% for 3 months to a year (temporary rate reduction).
- Your employer: at least 3.5% of your gross pay on top of your pay, if you are 16 or older and under 65 and contribute from your pay; it may match a temporary rate reduction at 3% (employer contributions). Employer superannuation contribution tax is deducted from it at 10.5%, 17.5%, 30%, 33% or 39%, set by your pay plus employer contributions of the previous tax year — up to $18,720, $64,200, $93,720, $216,000 and above (ESCT).
- The government: 25 cents for every dollar you contribute from 1 July to 30 June, up to $260.72 a year — you need $1,042.86 of your own contributions for the full amount — if you are 16 to 64 and your taxable income is $180,000 or less. Employer contributions do not count towards the $1,042.86 (government contribution).
The default rate and the employer minimum rise to 4% for paydays on or after 1 April 2028; tick “Follow the legislated minimum” to include that. From 65 you can withdraw all your savings, and the government contribution stops (Inland Revenue).
How the projection works
Each month the balance grows by the monthly equivalent of your annual return — (1 + r)^(1/12) − 1, so twelve months give exactly r — and then your contribution, the employer’s contribution less ESCT and any extra contribution are added. The government contribution is added once a year: 25% of your own contributions (salary deductions and extra payments) in that year, up to $260.72. Pay rises once a year by the rate you enter, and the ESCT rate for each year is worked out from that year’s pay plus employer contributions.
The balance in today’s money divides the future balance by (1 + inflation)^years, so you can compare it with prices now. The range repeats the whole projection with the return 2 percentage points lower and higher.
Choosing a return
Enter the return you expect after your fund’s fees and the tax on its earnings, which KiwiSaver funds pay at your prescribed investor rate (PIR). Funds that hold more shares (growth and aggressive funds) are generally expected to return more over long periods but can fall further in bad years; conservative and defensive funds move less and are expected to return less. Your provider’s fund updates show its past returns after fees and tax, which do not guarantee future returns. Comparing the range on the result with your plans shows how much the return matters over decades.
Limitations
- Returns are assumed and the same every year; real returns vary and can be negative in some years.
- Withdrawals before 65 (for a first home, significant financial hardship, serious illness or moving overseas), savings suspensions and changes of fund are not modelled.
- The government contribution year runs 1 July to 30 June; the projection counts it for each 12 months from now, and does not pro-rate it for a member who joins part-way through a year.
- ESCT rates, the government contribution and the minimum rates are kept as they are now, apart from the legislated rise to 4%.
- For members contributing through an employer. Self-employed members and members with no income can enter 0 pay and their own contributions as extra contributions.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
What do I get without a pass?
Without a pass, New Zealand KiwiSaver Retirement Savings Calculator shows the projected KiwiSaver balance in full, with the first rows of each table (up to 3) and a watermarked chart; every other figure is hidden. Until you unlock it, the result can’t be downloaded or copied. A Pro, Premium or Ultimate pass, a one-time payment that never renews, unlocks the full result. The pricing page lists the passes and their prices.
How much does the government put into my KiwiSaver?
Up to $260.72 a year: 25 cents for every dollar you contribute between 1 July and 30 June, so $1,042.86 of your own contributions gets the full amount. You need to be 16 to 64, live mainly in New Zealand (with some exceptions) and have taxable income of $180,000 or less. Your provider claims it for you after 30 June.
Does my employer have to contribute?
Yes, if you are 16 or older and under 65 and you contribute from your pay: at least 3.5% of your gross pay, on top of your pay. It is taxed with ESCT before it reaches your account. Employers may pay more, and may lower theirs to 3% to match a temporary rate reduction.
Why is my employer’s contribution smaller in my account than on my payslip?
Employer superannuation contribution tax (ESCT) comes out of it first. On $75,000 a year the ESCT rate is 30%, so a 3.5% contribution of $2,625 becomes $1,837.50 in your account.
Is it worth contributing more than 3.5%?
Extra contributions are your money and grow with the fund, but they are locked in until 65 except for a first home and a few cases such as serious illness, significant financial hardship or moving overseas (Inland Revenue). The government contribution is the same once you put in $1,042.86 a year, and your employer only has to contribute the 3.5% minimum, whatever rate you choose, unless your employment agreement says more. Try 4%, 6% or 8% in the calculator to see the difference by 65.
What return should I enter?
A return after fees and tax that fits your fund type, and compare the range shown 2 points either side. Conservative funds are usually expected to return less than growth funds over long periods, but growth funds fall further in downturns. The projection is an illustration, not a promise.
Is my information sent anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing you enter is uploaded or stored on a server.