A Moneybren tool

NZ RETIREMENT CALCULATOR

How much do you actually need to retire in New Zealand? NZ Super covers some of it — this shows the gap, whether your savings close it, and the age your money runs out.

Your numbers

yrs
yrs
$
$/mo
% pa
Real return — growth funds average roughly 4–5% after inflation, fees and tax over long periods.
% pa
Most people de-risk after 65.
$/wk
In today’s dollars — whole household.
After-tax rates from 1 April 2026 — they adjust every April.
Your money lasts to age
—

The whole journey, in today’s dollars

Year-by-year detail

AgeIn / (out)Balance
How to read this honestly. Everything is in today’s dollars — returns are “above inflation,” spending stays constant in real terms, and NZ Super uses today’s after-tax rates (single living alone $555/wk, couple $854/wk combined, adjusted every April and linked to wages by law). The big unknowns are real: markets won’t deliver a smooth 4%, Super settings could change over decades, and retirements now regularly run past 90 — which is why the chart runs long. Massey University’s retirement guidelines put even a “no frills” retirement well above NZ Super alone, so the gap you’re funding is normal, not a personal failure. Start earlier, and the monthly number shrinks dramatically.

How to use this calculator

Enter your age, what you’ve saved, what you add monthly, and what retirement costs per week. The calculator grows your nest egg to retirement, then drains it by the gap between your spending and NZ Super — and tells you the age your money runs out.

If that age is scary, adjust one dial at a time: retire a year later, spend $50/wk less, or save $100/mo more — and watch which one moves the answer most.

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 want $60,000 a year to live on in retirement.

Good news first: you won’t need to fund all of that yourself. NZ Super pays a baseline to everyone from 65 – call it roughly $25,000-$30,000 a year for a single person (check the current rate on the Work and Income site, it moves each year). So your own savings only need to cover the gap.

If Super covers $28,000, you need your pot to throw off the other $32,000 a year. Using a rough 4% withdrawal rule, that means a pot of about $800,000. The calculator does this properly with your own numbers, your own Super assumption, and your own timeline.

Put your target income in above and see what pot you’re aiming for – and whether you’re on track.

What most people get wrong about retirement planning

Two opposite mistakes, and people love to make both.

First, they forget NZ Super exists. Everyone gets it from 65, and it’s a genuine baseline. If you plan as though you have to self-fund every dollar, you’ll scare yourself into thinking the target is impossible when it’s smaller than you think.

Second, and more dangerous, they underestimate how long retirement lasts and what inflation does to it. If you retire at 65 and live to 90, that’s 25 years your money has to last – and $60,000 today won’t buy $60,000 of groceries in 25 years. A pot that looks huge can drain faster than you’d believe once you’re living off it instead of adding to it.

The takeaway isn’t to panic. It’s to run the numbers with realistic assumptions, start early so compounding does the heavy lifting, and revisit it every few years. The 25 years of retirement are coming whether you plan for them or not.

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.