Te tūhono i a KiwiSaver hei kaimahi Joining KiwiSaver as an employee

When you start a new job, your employer will automatically enrol you in KiwiSaver if you're eligible and:

• you're between the ages of 18 and 65
• your job is full time or permanent part-time
• you're on a contract of more than 28 days
• you’re a casual agricultural worker for more than 3 months
• you're not already a KiwiSaver member.

If you do not get automatically enrolled, you can join by asking your employer, or directly with a KiwiSaver provider.

Your employer will give you a KiwiSaver information pack KS3.

You can choose the rate for your KiwiSaver deductions. They can be either 3%, 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10%. If you do not choose a rate your employer will deduct 3%. Deductions begin from your first pay. Your employer will also make compulsory contributions.

You have 8 weeks to see if you want to be in KiwiSaver or not. If you do not want to be in KiwiSaver, you can opt out.

Opting out of KiwiSaver

When we get your deduction details from your employer, we’ll put you into either:

• one of the 9 default KiwiSaver providers
• your employer’s chosen scheme if they have one.

You can choose to change the scheme you belong to at any time. Just contact your preferred scheme provider and they'll arrange for you to transfer into their scheme.

Holding your contributions when you're new to KiwiSaver

We hold your contributions for 2 months (62 days) from the date we're told you’re a new KiwiSaver member. After that we pass them on to your scheme provider. 

When you will not be automatically enrolled

You will not be automatically enrolled in KiwiSaver if you are:

• under 18 years old or over 65
• a casual agricultural worker
• an election day worker
• a private domestic worker and you pay your own PAYE
• employed under a temporary contract for less than 28 days - however, if the contract is extended beyond 28 days you will be automatically enrolled on day 29
• a casual employee who receives holiday pay with your wages
• on paid parental leave or accident compensation 
• staying on the same payroll when a business is taken over or amalgamated
• relocating with the same employer fore example transferring between branches
• only getting schedular payments
• not required to have PAYE deductions made from your salary and wages
• going back to an employer you were seconded from straight after the secondment finishes
• already employed as a teacher and transfer to another state or state integrated school
• an employee of the New Zealand State Services working overseas
• a shareholder employee and your income is not subject to PAYE.

Choosing a KiwiSaver provider 

If you are an existing employee

Ask your employer for a KiwiSaver information pack KS3 and complete the KiwiSaver deduction KS2 form. Give it to your employer and they will start your KiwiSaver deductions from your next pay. You can also join directly with a provider.

If you join directly with a provider or if you opt-in you cannot opt out.

If you have more than one employer

If you have more than 1 employer at the time of joining you can choose which ones to have deductions from, Deductions will need to be made by any new employers after you join.

Working more than one job

If you start working a secondary job:

• contributions should be deducted from any new jobs you start, as well as your main employment
• all your employers will make compulsory contributions.

If you have multiple jobs prior to joining KiwiSaver, deductions are only required either from:

• the job started at the date of joining KiwiSaver if you were automatically enrolled
• the job you nominate if you opted-in. 

If you have multiple jobs after joining KiwiSaver, deductions are required from any new employment started since joining KiwiSaver. You can apply for a KiwiSaver savings suspensions to stop deductions from each job as required.

If deductions are being made from your pay, generally your employer will need to make compulsory employer contributions as well.

Two jobs with one employer

KiwiSaver deductions are taken from the total gross salary or wages paid by that employer regardless if this is for more than one position with the same employer.