Working after 65: NZ Super, tax and KiwiSaver

You can keep working after 65 and still get full NZ Super: it has no income test. What changes is tax and KiwiSaver. Your job usually takes a secondary tax code chosen from your total income including NZ Super, your employer no longer has to contribute to KiwiSaver, and the government contribution stops. In our worked example, a single 65-year-old who works part time for $500 a week until 70 lifts his retirement pay for life from about $682 to $739 a week, in 9 of 10 markets. Rules checked 12 November 2026.

NZ Super keeps coming

Work and Income says you "can work while you get NZ Super" and that it "doesn't depend on your income or your assets." You can work full time, part time or run a business, and your NZ Super stays the same. For a single person living alone that is $555.15 a week after tax at M, and $427.04 each for a couple.

Apply for NZ Super even if you are still working. It is not paid automatically, and if you apply after your birthday you are paid only from the date you apply. You can apply up to 12 weeks before you turn 65.

Three things can be affected by your earnings:

• income-tested help such as the Accommodation Supplement;
• the old partner-included rate (closed to new applicants since November 2020);
• an overseas pension, which can reduce NZ Super whether or not you work.

How your job is taxed

Once you get NZ Super you have two incomes, and only one can use the M code. Usually NZ Super keeps M and the job takes a secondary code, chosen from your total yearly income, NZ Super included:

A single person's NZ Super is $33,663.24 a year before tax. Add a $26,000 job ($500 a week) and the total is $59,663, so the job takes SH. If the job pays more than NZ Super, it takes M instead and NZ Super takes the secondary code.

Because the secondary code taxes every dollar of the job at one rate, it often withholds a bit too much: in that example, about $2,480 a year comes back as a refund. The tax actually due on the $26,000 is $5,320.41, plus $455 ACC levy, leaving about $389 a week after tax over the year. You cannot use the ME code while on NZ Super. Our NZ Super and tax guide works through this in detail, including tailored tax codes.

KiwiSaver after 65

Turning 65 changes several KiwiSaver rules at once:

So if you keep working, your employer must still deduct your contributions until you tell them to stop. Whether that is worth doing depends on your employer. If they keep matching, it is still a good deal. If they do not, your own contributions are simply savings, and you can withdraw them whenever you like; you might prefer to keep the cash, pay off debt, or invest elsewhere.

People 65 and over can also join KiwiSaver for the first time, through an employer or a provider, but are not automatically enrolled. Inland Revenue's KS4 guide says employers are "not required to make compulsory employer contributions for a newly enrolled employee 65 and over."

Ask your employer before your birthday what they will do. Some keep contributing as a benefit; others stop on the day. See KiwiSaver at 65 for what to do with the balance.

Worked example: Tom works three days a week

Tom is 64, single, earns $70,000 and has $200,000 in KiwiSaver and $40,000 of other savings. He owns his home. He is deciding whether to stop completely at 65 or move to part-time work until 70.

All after tax and in today's dollars. "Retirement pay" is the steady amount Tom could spend every week from 65 to 95, combining NZ Super, his part-time income after tax, and a draw from savings.

Five years at $500 a week lifts his pay for life by about $57 a week. Most of the gain comes from not drawing on his savings in his late 60s, which leaves more invested for later. Work also brings things a spreadsheet does not show: routine, company, and a gentler change.

His spending benchmark, Massey's No Frills provincial figure for one person, is $580.75 a week. He clears it in every case, so the work is about comfort and choices rather than need. Run your own version in the retirement calculator, which has a part-time income field for each person and an age it stops.

Questions to ask before you cut back

1. What will my employer do about KiwiSaver? If they keep contributing, your own contributions still earn a match. If they stop, the case for keeping deductions going is weaker.
2. Which tax code will my job need? Add your NZ Super before tax to your expected wages and use the table above. Getting it right avoids a surprise bill.
3. Do I need the money, or the routine? For Tom the extra income was about comfort. For someone below their spending benchmark, a few years of part-time work can be the difference between a tight retirement and a comfortable one.
4. Can I phase down? Many people go from five days to three, then to casual work. You can test each step in the calculator by changing the part-time amount and the age it stops.
5. What if my health changes? A plan that only works if you keep earning into your 70s is fragile. Check that your plan still holds if work stops earlier than you hope.

Other things to check

• ACC levy. It is taken off wages at 1.75% (to $156,641 of earnings in 2026/27) at any age. NZ Super itself carries no levy.
• Student loans. There is no age exemption in the official material we reviewed. If you still have a loan, the job takes an SL code.
• PIR on your savings. Wages plus NZ Super can push your taxable income above $53,500, which moves your PIR on KiwiSaver and managed funds to 28%. See tax on retirement savings.
• Couples. If one partner works and the other does not, each person's NZ Super is still paid in full. The couples calculator lets you add part-time income for each of you.
• Self-employment. Contracting or running a business does not affect NZ Super either, because there is no income test. Talk to your accountant about how the tax on it is paid.

Some parties have proposed requiring employers to keep contributing to KiwiSaver after 65. That is NOT LAW; see NZ Super and the 2026 election. This is general information, not financial advice.

Questions

Can I work and get NZ Super at the same time?

Yes. NZ Super is not income tested for you, so you get the full rate whatever you earn. Your job will usually take a secondary tax code.

Does my employer have to pay KiwiSaver after 65?

No. Employer contributions become voluntary from 65 unless your employment agreement requires them. Your own deductions continue until you give your employer a KS51.

Do I get the KiwiSaver government contribution after 65?

No. The government contribution is for members aged 16 to 65. In the year you turn 65 you get a part-year amount.

What tax code do I use for a job after 65?

A secondary code chosen from your total yearly income including NZ Super: SB, S, SH, ST or SA. If the job pays more than NZ Super, the job takes M and NZ Super takes the secondary code.

Do I still pay ACC levy on wages after 65?

Yes. The ACC earners' levy of 1.75% (to $156,641 of earnings in 2026/27) applies to wages at any age. It is not taken from NZ Super.