KiwiSaver Calculator (NZ)

How it works

The KiwiSaver Calculator projects how much your KiwiSaver account could be worth at retirement. It combines four ingredients each year: your contribution, your employer’s 3% contribution, the government contribution, and the investment growth on your running balance. You enter your salary, contribution rate, current balance, years to retirement, and an assumed annual return; the tool compounds everything year by year.

Estimate based on New Zealand’s 2024 KiwiSaver rules. Contribution rates, brackets and ceilings change — always verify the current official figures with Inland Revenue (IRD) and your scheme provider. Projections assume a constant return and salary and are not guaranteed. This is for general guidance, not financial or tax advice.

The KiwiSaver Rules (2024)

Your contribution. Employees choose a rate of 3%, 4%, 6%, 8% or 10% of gross (before-tax) pay. The default is 3% if no rate is chosen.

Employer contribution. Your employer must contribute at least 3% of your gross salary or wages while you are contributing from your pay. (In reality employer contributions are reduced by Employer Superannuation Contribution Tax, ESCT; this calculator uses the headline 3%.)

Government contribution (the member tax credit). The government pays 50 cents for every $1 you contribute, up to a maximum of NZ$521.43 per year. To earn the full amount you must contribute at least NZ$1,042.86 of your own money during the contribution year, which runs 1 July to 30 June. You generally need to be 18 or over, mainly living in New Zealand, and not yet eligible to withdraw.

The projection compounds the balance with this rule each year:

New balance = old balance × (1 + return) + (your contribution + employer 3% + government contribution)

Worked Example

Take a NZ$70,000 salary, a 3% contribution rate, a NZ$10,000 starting balance, 30 years to retirement, and an assumed 4% annual return:

• Your contribution = 3% × $70,000 = $2,100/yr.
• Employer contribution = 3% × $70,000 = $2,100/yr.
• Government contribution = since your $2,100 exceeds $1,042.86, you get the full $521.43/yr.
• Total added each year ≈ $4,721.

Compounding the $10,000 starting balance plus that yearly contribution at 4% for 30 years gives a projected balance of roughly NZ$300,000. Raising the contribution rate or the assumed return — or starting earlier — lifts the result substantially because of compounding.

Contribution rate	Your yearly contribution (on $70k)	Full govt contribution?
3%	$2,100	Yes
4%	$2,800	Yes
6%	$4,200	Yes
8%	$5,600	Yes
10%	$7,000	Yes

Notes and limitations

This is a simplified projection. It assumes a constant return, a flat salary, contributions added once at year-end, and it ignores inflation, ESCT on employer contributions, fund fees beyond your chosen net return, and any future rule changes. Investment returns are never guaranteed and vary year to year. For a personalised, regularly updated projection use the official tools from Inland Revenue and the Sorted KiwiSaver calculator, and confirm the current contribution and government figures with IRD.