A Moneybren tool

NZ PAYE CALCULATOR

What actually lands in your bank account? For NZ employees — 2026/27 rates.

$

Where your pay goes

Per year · 2026/27 rates from 1 April 2026

Your take-home pay
$0
Monthly$0
Fortnightly$0
Weekly$0
Hourly$0
This is not tax advice. This calculator assumes a standard M tax code for a single job, spread evenly over the year. It excludes Working for Families, other tax credits, secondary tax, extra student loan deductions, and payroll giving. Your employer also contributes 3.5% to KiwiSaver on top of your pay — not shown here, since it doesn't come out of your pocket. Contact IRD or an accountant for an accurate assessment.

How to use this calculator

Enter your salary (annual, monthly, fortnightly, weekly, or hourly), pick your KiwiSaver rate, and say whether you have a student loan. The calculator shows exactly what comes out of your pay — income tax at each bracket, the ACC earner's levy, KiwiSaver, and student loan repayments — and what's left over.

From 1 April 2026 the default KiwiSaver rate is 3.5%, the ACC levy is 1.75% (capped at $156,641 of earnings), and student loan repayments are 12% of income over $24,128.

This is a tool only, and none of the information it produces is financial advice. Its accuracy is not guaranteed. Always check your own figures and get advice from your own financial professionals before making decisions.

A worked example

Say you're on a $70,000 salary and you want to know what actually hits your bank account.

PAYE isn't just income tax. On $70,000 the income tax is about $13,220, but then there's the ACC earner's levy on top - 1.75% for 2026/27, so another ~$1,225. And if you're in KiwiSaver at the default 3.5%, that's ~$2,450 more out of your pay, plus student loan if you've got one.

Stack it all up and the gap between your gross salary and your take-home is bigger than the tax tables alone suggest. The calculator shows the full breakdown, line by line.

Put your salary in above to see your real take-home.

Quick note: the tax bands, the ACC levy rate and the KiwiSaver default all get adjusted from time to time - the figures here are the 2026/27 numbers, just to show what comes out of a payslip. Check ird.govt.nz for the current rates.

What most people get wrong about PAYE

People see "income tax" and think that's the whole story of why their payslip is smaller than their salary. It isn't. Several things come out through PAYE, and they add up.

The one that surprises people most is the ACC earner's levy - 1.75% of your income (up to a cap), quietly deducted from every pay to fund accident cover. It's not income tax, but it comes out the same way. Then KiwiSaver (if you're in) and student loan repayments (if you have one) get taken too.

None of this is money vanishing into thin air - the ACC levy buys you no-fault accident cover, KiwiSaver is your own retirement money, and the student loan is paying down real debt. But if you only budget around the income tax figure, your actual take-home will keep catching you off guard. Know the full stack.

This calculator and page are general information only and not financial advice. Everyone's circumstances will vary - always do your own research and consult your own financial professionals before making decisions.