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KiwiSaver retirement calculator
What could your KiwiSaver be worth at 65? Enter your age, balance, pay, contribution rate and fund type to see a projected balance, what it means in today's dollars and as a weekly income, and where the money comes from: you, your employer, the government, and growth.
Enter your KiwiSaver balance or your salary to see a projection.
How the projection works
Four streams feed a KiwiSaver account. Your contributions are a percentage of your pay (3%, 3.5%, 4%, 6%, 8% or 10%). Your employer adds the compulsory 3.5% (4% from 1 April 2028), less ESCT. The government adds 25 cents per dollar you put in, up to $260.72 a year, while you are 16 to 65 and earning $180,000 or less. And investment returns compound on the lot, after fees and PIE tax at your PIR.
The calculator steps through each tax year to your retirement age with pay rising 3.5% a year, then shows the balance two ways: the nominal figure, and the same amount in today's dollars after 2% inflation. The second is the one to plan with. The weekly income line spreads that today's-dollars balance over 25 years so a big number becomes something you can picture next to NZ Super.
The comparison table answers the question most people actually have: what does moving from 3.5% to 4%, 6% or more do? The employer and government amounts do not change with your rate (the top-up is already maxed at 3% of a modest salary), so the whole difference is your extra money plus decades of growth on it. Try it with the fund type changed too: over 30 years the gap between conservative and growth is usually larger than the gap between contribution rates.
Returns are long-run assumptions from the FMA, not forecasts. Real markets fall some years and your balance will not follow a smooth line. Use the Advanced section to test a lower return, a higher fee or flat wages and see how much the outcome moves.
KiwiSaver projection questions, answered
- How does the calculator project my KiwiSaver balance?
- It runs one year at a time from your age to your retirement age. Each year it adds your contributions (your rate times your pay), your employer's compulsory contribution after ESCT, and the government contribution, and grows the balance monthly at an after-fee, after-tax return. Your pay is assumed to rise 3.5% a year, so contributions rise with it. The result is the nominal balance, plus the same figure in today's dollars.
- What return does it assume for each fund type?
- The Financial Markets Authority's projection assumptions, which KiwiSaver providers must use on annual statements: conservative 2.5%, balanced 3.5%, growth 4.5% and aggressive 5.5% a year, after fees and 28% tax. We back those out to a return before fees and tax (for example balanced 5.7% less 0.8% fees), then apply your own PIR, so someone on 17.5% sees a slightly better net return. You can change the return and fee under Advanced.
- Why is my employer's share less than 3.5% of my pay?
- Employer contributions have ESCT (employer superannuation contribution tax) taken off before they reach your fund. The rate depends on your pay plus the employer contribution: 10.5% up to $18,720, 17.5% to $64,200, 30% to $93,720, 33% to $216,000 and 39% above. On a $60,000 salary the 3.5% is $2,100, less 17.5% ESCT, so $1,732.50 lands in your account.
- Is the government contribution included?
- Yes. Since 1 July 2025 the government adds 25 cents for every dollar you contribute, up to $260.72 a year, for members aged 16 to 65 with taxable income of $180,000 or less. The calculator pays it each year you qualify and stops it at 65, or once pay rises take you over $180,000 (the cap is not indexed).
- What does the 2028 change do?
- The default contribution rate rose to 3.5% on 1 April 2026 and rises again to 4% on 1 April 2028, for both employees and employers. The projection steps the employer's contribution up to 4% from the 2028/29 tax year. Your own rate stays at what you pick here; if you are on the default 3.5% it will also move to 4% in 2028 unless you choose a rate, so try the 4% row in the comparison table.
- What does 'in today's dollars' mean, and how is the weekly income worked out?
- A dollar in 30 years buys less than a dollar today. The today's-dollars figure deflates the projected balance by 2% inflation a year so you can compare it with prices you know. The weekly income is an illustration only: that today's-dollars balance drawn down evenly over 25 years (to about age 90) at the same real return, the way the FMA's statement projections do. NZ Super would be on top of it.
- What happens if I retire after 65, or keep working?
- You can set a retirement age from 60 to 75. Contributions, employer money and the government top-up stop at 65 in this model (employers are not required to contribute after 65, and the government contribution ends at 65), but the balance keeps growing until the age you pick. If you retire before 65 the projection simply stops earlier; you generally cannot withdraw KiwiSaver until 65.
A bigger rate needs room in the budget.
KeaBudget is the free budget app for Kiwi bank accounts. See where your pay goes each fortnight and find the few dollars a week that turn into a higher contribution rate. It's live now, and free.
Start using KeaBudget →More free tools
KiwiSaver Max-Out Calculator →PIR Calculator →NZ Take-home Pay Calculator →Related reading: What is my PIR? KiwiSaver tax explained. Or see all our free NZ money calculators.