KiwiSaver and your take-home pay
Understand the difference between your contribution and your employer’s.
KiwiSaver contributions reduce the cash you receive in your pay. In this calculator, your employee contribution is a percentage of gross employment earnings. It does not reduce the gross income used to calculate income tax.
Choose the contribution that applies to you
The default employee and matching employer contribution rate increased to 3.5% from 1 April 2026. A temporary reduction to 3% may apply if approved. Other employee rates include 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%. Select zero if you are not contributing, rather than assuming every employee is enrolled.
Your contribution is not the whole account balance
An employer contribution is separate from the employee deduction. Employer superannuation contribution tax (ESCT) can reduce what is credited to your fund. Government contributions have separate eligibility rules. The salary calculator does not include those amounts in take-home pay.
Compare before changing your contribution
Try the same salary with two different contribution rates. The difference shows the immediate cash-flow effect, not a forecast of your future fund balance. Fund returns, fees and investment tax are not modelled by the contribution calculator.
Check your employment agreement for any total-remuneration arrangement. Our salary estimate assumes the entered salary is your gross cash salary, before the employee KiwiSaver deduction.
A contribution comparison on $75,000
| Employee rate | Annual contribution | Average monthly contribution | Annual cash net |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5% | $2,625.00 | $218.75 | $56,342.00 |
| 4% | $3,000.00 | $250.00 | $55,967.00 |
| 6% | $4,500.00 | $375.00 | $54,467.00 |
| 8% | $6,000.00 | $500.00 | $52,967.00 |
| 10% | $7,500.00 | $625.00 | $51,467.00 |
The comparison keeps income, tax year and all other deductions fixed. Moving from 3.5% to 4% changes the employee contribution by $375 a year. That is $31.25 per average month. It is a change in where your money goes, not an extra tax in this model.
Three different numbers to keep separate
Your payslip deduction is the amount taken from your gross pay. The cash entering your fund can also include employer contributions after relevant tax. Your investment balance then depends on contributions, withdrawals, returns, tax and fees. A contribution calculator addresses only the first of those questions.
Make the comparison fit your own pay
Use the rate recorded for you rather than automatically selecting the first option. If you are on an approved reduction or a savings suspension, check the current paperwork before modelling a change. A one-off bonus or changing work pattern can make actual monthly deductions uneven. Use the annual table as a planning view and reconcile it with your payslip before changing a standing budget.
You can save two scenarios with names such as “Offer at 3.5%” and “Offer at 4%”. Compare the monthly cash difference with the room available in your budget; the calculator does not choose an investment fund or recommend a contribution level.
Questions or corrections?
Send the relevant page and a non-sensitive example through our contact form. Read our calculation methodology to see the scope of the model.