HomeBuyer.nz NZ home buying calculators
Menu Close

Savings, KiwiSaver, and a house price that can rise

When will you have the deposit?

See the month your savings and KiwiSaver might cover the deposit. The house price can keep rising, so the target moves. The figures update as you change the boxes.

The home you have in mind today. The deposit is a share of this price, and the price can grow each year.

A yearly rise in the house price. Three percent is a calm starting point. Past growth is no guide to what happens next.

20% is the usual bank deposit. 10% is low-deposit bank lending. 5% is a First Home Loan through Kainga Ora. The target grows if the house price grows.

Cash already set aside for the deposit, outside KiwiSaver.

What you can add to that cash pot each month from after-tax pay.

The yearly rate on the savings account, before resident withholding tax. RWT is taken off using the rate below.

What is in your KiwiSaver account today. A first-home withdrawal leaves $1,000 in, after three years' membership.

Your yearly pay before tax. Employee and employer KiwiSaver, ESCT, PIR, and RWT all start from this figure.

From 1 April 2026 the default is 3.5%. From 1 April 2028 it becomes 4%. Follow the default to step with those dates. A fixed rate stays where you set it. You can apply to Inland Revenue to stay at a lower rate for a short time.

Compulsory employer KiwiSaver follows the same default path: 3.5% now, 4% from April 2028. ESCT is taken off before this money reaches the account.

Each type uses the FMA and Sorted long-run after-fees return, then PIR tax is applied. Higher expected returns usually come with bigger swings from year to year.

Balanced funds mix shares and bonds. They can drop in a weak market, so the month you buy could come later than the middle estimate.

People who plan to buy within a few years often look at a more conservative fund. That is general information only. Sorted.org.nz has a plain guide to fund types.

A yearly return after fees and before PIR tax. This is a guess you type yourself. Markets can still fall in the year you buy.

How long you have been a KiwiSaver member. A first-home withdrawal needs three years, and $1,000 stays in the account.

Employer KiwiSaver is taxed before it reaches the account. Auto picks a rate from this salary plus the employer contribution. You can pick a rate yourself.

KiwiSaver fund returns are taxed at your prescribed investor rate. Auto suggests a rate from this salary. Inland Revenue also looks at the past two years of taxable and PIE income.

Interest on the savings account is taxed at your marginal income-tax rate. Auto uses the rate that matches this salary.

Add a second salary and KiwiSaver pot. The cash savings account is shared.

Your partner's yearly pay before tax. Their ESCT and PIR start from this figure.

What is in your partner's KiwiSaver account today.

Your partner's KiwiSaver deduction. Follow the default to step from 3.5% to 4% in April 2028.

Your partner's employer KiwiSaver rate, before ESCT.

How long your partner has been a KiwiSaver member. The three-year first-home rule applies to each person.

Auto picks a rate from your partner's salary plus their employer contribution.

Auto suggests a prescribed investor rate from your partner's salary.

The first figures will show here

Want a copy in your inbox?

Leave an email if you would like a copy sent through. We only use your details for that copy and a follow-up about this scenario.

Where to send a copy of the report already on screen.

Optional. Used only so a saved copy of this scenario can carry your name.