When you start a new job in New Zealand and aren’t already in KiwiSaver, your employer automatically enrols you if you’re eligible (for example, aged 18 to 65 and not already a member). You have a short window to opt out if you don’t want to be a member. This page covers who can opt out, how, and what happens next. For getting money out of KiwiSaver once you’re a member, see the KiwiSaver withdrawal rules and the guides in the KiwiSaver withdrawals section.
The Opt-Out Window
If your employer automatically enrolled you, you can opt out between the end of week 2 and week 8 of starting work:
- Earliest: day 14 (you cannot opt out in the first 13 days)
- Latest: day 56
If you don’t opt out, you stay in KiwiSaver and your employer keeps deducting contributions from your pay. Each time you start new employment and are automatically enrolled, you need to opt out again.
Late opt-outs
Inland Revenue may accept a late opt-out after 8 weeks, and up to 3 months after it gets your first contribution, if:
- your employer did not give you a KiwiSaver employee information pack (KS3) within 7 days of you starting your job
- Inland Revenue did not send you a product disclosure statement for the default scheme it allocated you to
- your employer did not give you a product disclosure statement for its chosen KiwiSaver scheme
- events outside your control meant you could not deliver your opt-out notice on time
- you should not have been automatically enrolled
If none of these apply, you cannot opt out, but you may be able to take a savings suspension (see below).
How to Opt Out
Option 1: In myIR
- Log in to myIR at ird.govt.nz
- Go to your KiwiSaver account panel on the homepage and select “More…”
- If you’re eligible, select “Opt out of KiwiSaver” and follow the prompts
You’ll need your IRD number, address, contact details and bank account details for refunds, and if applicable your employer’s name and address or IRD number, your employment start date, guardians’ consent, or your reason for a late opt-out. If you opt out online within 8 weeks, Inland Revenue notifies your employer, who stops deducting KiwiSaver from your pay.
Option 2: KS10 form
Download the KiwiSaver opt-out request (KS10) from Inland Revenue’s website. If you’re opting out within the 8 weeks, give the form to your employer. For a late opt-out (after 8 weeks), send it to Inland Revenue at the address printed on the form.
What Happens to Contributions Already Made?
Inland Revenue refunds any member contributions your employer has already sent it, and your employer refunds any remaining member contributions it deducted from your pay. Inland Revenue says that when you opt out online, a refund generally takes 30 working days to process.
Who Can Opt Out?
Only people automatically enrolled by their employer can opt out. You cannot opt out if you joined directly with a KiwiSaver provider; you may be able to take a savings suspension instead.
Under 19: Inland Revenue says you may be able to opt out if your employer incorrectly enrolled you before you turned 18, you were incorrectly enrolled without your guardians’ consent, or you are under 16 and your guardian agrees. You may not be able to opt out if you chose your own scheme with a provider, your guardians signed you up or consented, or you opted in yourself after turning 18.
To join again after opting out, see re-enrolling in KiwiSaver.
What Opting Out Means
Employer contributions stop
If you are 16 or over and under 65, your employer must contribute at least 3.5% of your gross pay while you contribute (the minimum rose from 3% on 1 April 2026, with a further rise to 4% from 1 April 2028). If you opt out, there is no employer contribution: on a $60,000 salary that is $2,100 a year at the minimum rate, before employer superannuation contribution tax. See KiwiSaver employer contributions.
No government contribution
Eligible members who contribute at least $1,042.86 in a year get up to $260.72 from the government. Opt out and you get nothing. Eligibility and the income limit are covered in KiwiSaver government contribution.
No investment growth on those contributions
Money not contributed is not invested in a KiwiSaver fund, so it gets no investment returns there over the years to 65.
Alternatives to Opting Out
If you stay in KiwiSaver but want to reduce or pause contributions, there are two routes. A temporary rate reduction lets you contribute 3% instead of 3.5% for 3 to 12 months, and a savings suspension pauses your contributions (your employer can stop its compulsory contributions too) after a year as a contributing member, or earlier for financial hardship. KiwiSaver savings suspension and temporary rate reduction covers how each works and how to apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I opt out of KiwiSaver after the 8-week window? Only if you meet one of Inland Revenue’s late opt-out criteria listed above, up to 3 months after it gets your first contribution. Otherwise you stay a member; a savings suspension or temporary rate reduction (see savings suspension) are the ways to reduce or pause contributions.
Does opting out of KiwiSaver affect my take-home pay? Yes. If you opt out, no KiwiSaver deduction is made from your pay, so your take-home pay is higher. You also get no employer contribution or government contribution.
My employer said I have to be in KiwiSaver. Is that true? Your employer must automatically enrol eligible new employees, but if you were automatically enrolled you can opt out in the window. If an employer tells you that you cannot opt out, contact Inland Revenue.
Can I opt out of just the employee contribution but keep the employer contribution? No. If you opt out, you are not a KiwiSaver member, so there is no employer contribution.
I’m already in KiwiSaver from a previous job. Can I opt out at my new job? No. Opting out applies to people automatically enrolled by an employer; if you’re already a member you stay in your existing scheme. A savings suspension is the way to pause contributions.