NZ's first KiwiSaver reality check built for women's lives
Her KiwiSaver Reality Check.
See your real retirement number — ESCT-corrected, inflation-adjusted, stress-tested. Because your future deserves more than a generic calculator.
April 2026 rulesEmployer tax correctedToday's dollarsMarket stress testTakes 2 minutes
1
Your KiwiSaver tax rate
How much tax does your fund pay?
Your KiwiSaver fund pays tax on its returns before the money reaches you. Pick the band that matches your last two income years.
Income over the last 2 tax years (use the lower year if they differ)
Your KiwiSaver tax rate
28%
Standard rate for incomes over $70k. Your fund deducts this before returns reach your balance.
2
Your fund type
What type of fund are you in?
Not sure? Check your provider's app or member statement. Most NZ women are in a conservative or balanced fund by default — often not the right fit.
Defensive
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Conservative
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Balanced
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Growth
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Aggressive
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Returns shown are net of fees and PIR tax, in today's dollars (2.5% inflation deflator). We use the Sorted.org.nz March 2026 return assumptions — your selected fund and PIR together determine the rate used in your projection.
Employer contribution
The government takes a cut from your employer's contribution before it reaches your KiwiSaver fund. We calculate this automatically — most calculators ignore it, which overstates your balance by up to 39%.
Is KiwiSaver inside or on top of your salary?
About half of NZ employers include KiwiSaver in your total pay package — meaning it comes out of your existing salary, not added on top. This changes the calculation meaningfully.
On top of my salary ✓
Employer contributes extra, above my pay
Inside my salary package
KiwiSaver is part of my total remuneration
The government's cut of your employer's contribution
Before your employer's KiwiSaver contribution reaches your fund, the government takes a tax called ESCT. The rate depends on your total income. We deduct this automatically — most calculators don't. Updated to April 2025 IRD thresholds.
Employer's gross contribution—
Government's cut (tax rate applied)—
Amount lost to tax—
What actually lands in your fund—
Annual retirement income goal ($)
How much you'd like to live on each year in retirement, in today's dollars. NZ Super adds ~$17,617/yr (single). Enter your total desired income — we'll show how much KiwiSaver needs to cover.
Weekly into KiwiSaver (employer tax-adjusted)—
Years to retirement—
Projected balance at 65 (today's $, updating…)—
4
The invisible cost of care
Did you take time out for your family?
Whether it was parental leave, caring for someone you love, or simply stepping back — that time has a financial echo that most calculators never show you.
Career break length (years)
Enter 0 if no break. The cost compounds every year — a break at 32 costs nearly twice as much as the same break at 45.
How old were you when it started?
If the break has already happened, we reverse-engineer your past salary and model missed contributions as a shadow balance compounded to today. KiwiSaver started in 2008 — breaks before this date cannot be modelled (minimum start year: 2008). For past breaks we assume 3% employee and 3% employer contributions, which was the standard rate at the time — if you contributed differently, your actual cost may vary.
+ Add your partner's details (optional)
Compare your nest eggs and see whose career break costs more
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Partner's details
Partner's age
Partner's balance ($)
Partner's salary ($)
Partner's contribution
Partner's employer rate
Partner's career break (years)
Partner's break age
↓ Your free snapshot
Balance at 65
Your retirement number — honestly modelled.
Projected balance (today's dollars)
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After -15% market stress test at retirement—
Years to retirement—
Weekly into KiwiSaver (employer tax-adjusted)—
Govt tax credit total to age 65—
Combined nest egg · side by side
Your household retirement — together.
Her projected balance (today's $)—
Partner's projected balance (today's $)—
Combined household KiwiSaver—
If the market drops when you retire
What a bad year at 65 actually means.Retiring right before a market dip is the single biggest KiwiSaver risk. We model a 15% market correction the moment you turn 65 so you can see if your plan is still solid in a rough year.
Your projected balance—
After a 15% market drop at retirement—
The dollar impact of that correction—
The invisible cost of care
Your career break — the real number.
What those years cost your fund$██,███
Shadow value: what it would be worth today$██,███
Compounding gap by age 65$███,███
Partner career break comparison
Side by side — whose break costs more?
Her
Break cost at 65$██,███
Partner
Break cost at 65$██,███
✦
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See the full impact of your career breaks and how to bridge the gap.
Join 2,000+ women getting their reality check.
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Career break deep dive — the invisible cost of care
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Shadow balance — what those years are worth today
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Partner comparison — side-by-side career break cost
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Stress test detail — your plan in a rough market
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↓ Your full results
The invisible cost of care
Your career break — the real number.
Contributions missed (ESCT-adjusted)—
Shadow balance — what those missed contributions are worth today—
Total cost compounded to age 65 (today's dollars)—
Partner career break · side by side
Whose career break costs more?
How we calculate your numbers
Fund type & PIR: Your selected fund and PIR together determine the accumulation return used in your projection. Returns are sourced from Sorted.org.nz (March 2026) and represent real-world net-of-fees-and-tax averages. A Conservative fund user at PIR 28% projects at 2.5%; a Growth fund user at 4.5%. Selecting the right fund type materially changes your result.
Employer tax (ESCT): We deduct the government's cut from your employer's contribution before it reaches your fund. Rates updated to 1 April 2025 IRD thresholds: ≤$16,800 → 10.5%; $16,801–$57,600 → 17.5%; $57,601–$84,000 → 30%; $84,001–$216,000 → 33%; above $216,000 → 39%.
Results in today's dollars: A 2.5% annual inflation adjustment is applied — slightly above the standard 2% to reflect that essential retirement costs (health, rates, insurance) typically rise faster than general inflation.
Past career breaks: We assume 3% employee and 3% employer contributions at the time of the break (the standard rate for most of KiwiSaver's history). If you contributed at a different rate, your actual cost may differ. KiwiSaver launched on 1 July 2007 — breaks before 2008 cannot be modelled. For breaks after July 2025 we apply the current $260.72/yr govt credit; for earlier periods we apply the historical $521.43/yr credit.
Market stress test: A 15% market correction is modelled at the exact year you turn 65. Retiring into a down market is the single biggest KiwiSaver risk for people with a fixed retirement date.
Government contribution eligibility: From 1 July 2025, members earning over $180,000 taxable income per year are not eligible for the government contribution. This is correctly applied in your projection.
Disclaimer: These projections are illustrative estimates based on 2026 NZ legislation. They do not constitute personalised financial advice. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Salary growth: 2.0%/yr. April 2026 contribution rates applied.
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More features built for women's real lives
The things no other KiwiSaver calculator considers.
Part-time income after childrenIncome recovery modellingDe-risk buffer at 60Couple's retirement gap