KiwiSaver Hardship Withdrawal Calculator

This calculator gives a rough estimate of how much you might be able to withdraw from KiwiSaver under significant financial hardship in New Zealand, after setting aside the government contributions that cannot be withdrawn. A hardship withdrawal is a genuine lifeline when you are struggling to meet basic living costs, facing a mortgagee sale, or dealing with serious illness or funeral costs, but it comes with rules that catch people out. The key one is that you cannot take out the government contributions, the annual member tax credits the government has paid into your account over the years; those stay put. You can generally access your own contributions, your employer's contributions and the investment returns, subject to your provider being satisfied the hardship is real and limiting the amount to what you reasonably need. You enter your total KiwiSaver balance and the government contributions you have received, and the calculator estimates the maximum that could be available by removing the government portion. Treat the result as an upper guide only, because your provider makes the final decision based on your evidence and the amount you actually need. A hardship withdrawal should be a last resort, since it sets back your retirement and the compounding you give up is hard to recover. General information, not advice.

An upper guide only; your provider limits the amount to what you genuinely need and decides on the evidence. Government contributions cannot be withdrawn. A last resort. General information only.