New Zealand pension questions

English

• Can I get NZ Super if I live overseas?

  Work and Income states that the amount a person gets while overseas depends on the number of months they lived in New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 65, this total being 45 years, or 540 months. For NZ Super the residence bar ratchets by birth date from 10 years to 20, and time spent overseas counts for none of it.

  • Source: workandincome.govt.nz, read 1 September 2026
  • Source: ird.govt.nz, taxtechnical.ird.govt.nz, workandincome.govt.nz, read 4 October 2026

• How many years must I have lived in New Zealand to get NZ Super?

  NZ Super requires a number of New Zealand residence years before turning 65, and the requirement is rising from 10 to 20 years by birth cohort, with anyone born on or after 1 July 1977 needing 20 years. Applicants also still need to have lived in NZ for at least 5 years since they turned 50, and these years, including the 5 years from age 50, do not need to be consecutive.

  • Source: workandincome.govt.nz, read 1 September 2026

• Can I withdraw my KiwiSaver if I move overseas?

  KiwiSaver savings cannot be withdrawn immediately on leaving New Zealand: the member must have been living overseas (anywhere other than Australia) for a full year first, and the government contributions can never be withdrawn at all. Inland Revenue states that after a person has been living overseas, other than Australia, for 1 year, they can take out most of the savings from their KiwiSaver account, specifically their own contributions, their employer's contributions, the $1,000 kickstart if they got it, fee subsidies if they got these, and interest earned, but states that they cannot take out the government contributions.

  • Source: ird.govt.nz, read 1 September 2026

• Can I transfer my KiwiSaver to Australia?

  Australia is excluded from cash altogether: since 1 July 2013 the only route there is a transfer into a complying Australian scheme, and money moved there cannot go on to a third country. For a person who moves permanently to Australia, IRD states they can transfer their KiwiSaver savings to an Australian superannuation scheme, though they do not have to.

  • Source: ird.govt.nz, taxtechnical.ird.govt.nz, workandincome.govt.nz, read 4 October 2026
  • Source: ird.govt.nz, read 1 September 2026

• How do I find my KiwiSaver provider from overseas?

  Inland Revenue says the only place a member can see which scheme holds their money is myIR, and myIR needs an IRD number plus two step verification, compulsory since the evening of 28 April 2025, with trusted devices expiring every 90 days. KiwiSaver is a real account held by a scheme provider and tracked by Inland Revenue.

  • Source: ird.govt.nz, workandincome.govt.nz, read 4 October 2026
  • Source: fma.govt.nz, ird.govt.nz, read 4 October 2026

• Did I join KiwiSaver while I was on a work visa?

  Whether a former New Zealand worker has one at all turns on a single line: people on a temporary, visitor, work or student visa could never join, so years worked on a work visa produced nothing. Those who held residence and were auto enrolled from 1 July 2007 onwards do have a balance.

  • Source: fma.govt.nz, ird.govt.nz, read 4 October 2026

• When should I apply for NZ Super?

  NZ Super is not backdated to the person's 65th birthday. If you apply even one day after you turn 65 you are paid only from the application date, and the months before it are simply lost.

  • Source: workandincome.govt.nz, read 1 September 2026