A Moneybren tool

KIWISAVER vs SUPER CALCULATOR

Same salary, same returns, two retirement systems — New Zealand’s KiwiSaver against Australia’s Superannuation, head to head to retirement.

You

The worker

Identical on both sides of the Tasman

yrs
$
In local dollars — this compares the systems, not the exchange rate.
$
Same starting balance given to both funds.
% pa
yrs
% pa
Applied to both funds — the FMA’s Growth-fund assumption. Isolates the system rules.
🇳🇿 KiwiSaver settings
%
Taxed (ESCT) before it lands.
🇦🇺 Super settings
%
Taxed 15% going in.
%
Optional extra, also taxed 15% in.
At 65
$0
🇳🇿 KiwiSaver
🇦🇺 Super

The trans-Tasman race

Year-by-year detail

AgeKiwiSaver balanceSuper balanceGap
Read this before you get angry. Salaries are compared in each country’s own dollars — this measures the systems, not the exchange rate or the cost of living. KiwiSaver: employer contributions lose ESCT (10.5–39% by income) before landing; the government adds 25c per $1 you contribute, capped at $260.72/yr, only under $180,000 income and age 65. Super: the employer pays 12% on top of wages, taxed 15% going in; you contribute nothing by default; accessible from age 60, not 65. Ignores the AU concessional cap, Division 293 tax, the low-income co-contribution, first-home withdrawals, and career breaks. Returns are after fees and tax on both sides. And remember the flip side: the Aussie employer’s 12% is part of the total cost of employing someone — some of it would otherwise be wages.

How to use this calculator

Enter your age, salary, and balance, and watch the same worker save for retirement under both systems. The default settings are each country’s legal minimums: KiwiSaver at 3.5% + 3.5% with the government’s $260.72, Super at the employer’s compulsory 12%.

Notice what the gap really comes from: the Kiwi puts in 3.5% of their own pay and still falls behind, because the Australian employer’s 12% dwarfs everything on the NZ side. To close the gap as a Kiwi, try raising your contribution rate and watch the race change.

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

Same person, same $80,000 salary, two sides of the Tasman.

In New Zealand, KiwiSaver puts in the default 3.5% from you and 3.5% from your employer – around $5,600 a year, before the government top-up.

In Australia, your employer alone is forced to pay 12% Super Guarantee on top of your wage – that’s $9,600 a year, before you contribute a cent of your own.

Feed both into the calculator and run them for 30 years. The Aussie ends up with dramatically more, purely because the system forces far more in. Same salary, same effort, wildly different retirement pot.

What most people get wrong here

The headline is brutal and worth sitting with: on an identical salary, the Australian system quietly builds a far bigger nest egg than the New Zealand one, because employers over there are compelled to contribute 12% versus the 3.5% minimum here.

For any Kiwi weighing up a move across the ditch, that’s a real number, not a small one – and it’s rarely part of the conversation about wages and cost of living.

A few things soften it. Your KiwiSaver isn’t stranded if you move: under the trans-Tasman portability rules you can transfer it into an Australian super fund. And the two systems tax and lock up your money differently, so it’s not a clean apples-to-apples fight. But the core gap in forced contributions is very real, and if you’re earning on both sides of your career, it’s worth understanding exactly what each system is doing for you.

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.