KiwiSaver calculator
KiwiSaver calculator: project your balance for a first home or retirement.
Free, live-updating KiwiSaver projection. Pick your goal, move the inputs, and see what's possible — for the deposit on your first home, or for retirement at 65.
Your situation
Projected balance · age 32 · Balanced fund
$52,310
As a 10% deposit, that gets you a home around $523k. Assumes 6.0% p.a. nominal return.
Where the balance comes from
Starting balance$28,000
Your contributions$10,200
Employer (after tax)$6,248
Govt top-up$782
Growth earned$7,080
If you were in a Growth fund instead
Same inputs, different fund. Same horizon (3 years).
$54,266
+$1,956 better
Higher returns aren't always the right answer. With 3 years until you buy, volatility matters. This is the conversation a strategy session covers.
Projections are illustrative. Returns shown are nominal long-term assumptions, not guarantees. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. Fund data sourced from the Morningstar KiwiSaver Survey.
Changes from 1 July 2025: the government contribution is being halved to a maximum of $260.72, requiring a $521.43 member contribution. It is also restricted for those earning over $180,000 annually. From 1 April 2026, the minimum KiwiSaver contribution rate rose to 3.5% for both employees and employers (rising again to 4% in April 2028).
Changes from 1 July 2025: the government contribution is being halved to a maximum of $260.72, requiring a $521.43 member contribution. It is also restricted for those earning over $180,000 annually. From 1 April 2026, the minimum KiwiSaver contribution rate rose to 3.5% for both employees and employers (rising again to 4% in April 2028).
How this calculator works
What we project, and what we can't.
This KiwiSaver calculator is a forward projection — it takes your current balance, contribution rate, employer rate, fund choice, and timeline, and grows the number forward year by year using monthly compounding. Numbers update live as you change the inputs.
What's included
- Your contributions and your employer's match — net of ESCT (employer superannuation contribution tax) at 10.5%, 17.5%, or 30% depending on your income.
- The government KiwiSaver contribution as it stands from 1 July 2025: a maximum of $260.72 per year if you contribute at least $521.43, with eligibility cut off for incomes over $180,000.
- The 1 April 2026 minimum contribution rate rise to 3.5% (employee and employer) — the default rate Inland Revenue applies if you don't opt for a different amount.
- Five fund types — defensive, conservative, balanced, growth, and aggressive — using nominal long-term return assumptions of 3.0% to 8.5% per annum.
- A side-by-side comparison showing what the same inputs produce in a different fund type, so you can see the cost (or benefit) of switching.
What's not included
- Market volatility. Real returns are lumpy — a Growth fund might do +20% one year and -8% the next. The calculator smooths everything to a steady annual rate.
- Provider-specific fees. We use category averages, not your provider's actual fee structure. Switching providers can move the number meaningfully.
- NZ Super at retirement. The retirement projection shows your KiwiSaver balance only — Super (~$24,000/year for a single person living alone, in 2026 dollars) is separate and on top.
- Drawdown growth. The 25-year drawdown estimate is straight-line — it assumes you spend the balance evenly without it earning further returns. In reality, money left in your KiwiSaver during retirement keeps growing, so it'll usually last longer.
When you should book actual advice
A calculator is a thinking tool, not a plan. If you're within five years of buying your first home, mid-career and rethinking your fund, or genuinely planning for retirement — those are conversations worth having with a licensed adviser. We do them for free as a 30-minute initial chat.
Book an initial chat →