Leaving New Zealand involves more financial admin than most people plan for. KiwiSaver rules differ significantly depending on where you’re going and whether you’re leaving permanently. Getting your tax residency, property, and accounts sorted before you go can save thousands.
If you're leaving NZ permanently, your KiwiSaver options depend on where you go: moving permanently to Australia allows a transfer to an Australian complying super fund; after living anywhere else (not Australia) for 1 year you can apply to withdraw most of your savings, but not the government contributions. Notify IRD of your departure, file a final tax return, and decide whether to keep or close your NZ bank accounts.
KiwiSaver When Leaving NZ
Moving to Australia permanently
If you move permanently to Australia, Inland Revenue says you can transfer your KiwiSaver savings to an Australian superannuation scheme (a complying fund that accepts KiwiSaver transfers). You don’t have to: you can leave your savings in KiwiSaver.
What transfers:
- Your own contributions, employer contributions and investment earnings
- Government contributions you received while living in NZ (any received while living overseas are returned to the government)
Process:
- Open an Australian super fund that accepts KiwiSaver transfers (or check that your existing fund does)
- Contact your KiwiSaver provider and ask for its Australian transfer form
- Provide the evidence of your permanent move that your provider asks for
- Timing depends on your provider and the Australian fund, so ask both when you apply
Access in Australia: Inland Revenue’s guidance on trans-Tasman portability says that, under Australian law, savings transferred from KiwiSaver to Australia stay locked in until you reach the NZ Super age (currently 65), and can’t be moved on from Australia to a third country.
If you leave your savings in KiwiSaver while living in Australia, you don’t get government contributions while you live there. More detail: withdrawing KiwiSaver when leaving NZ.
Moving anywhere else (not Australia)
Inland Revenue says that after you’ve been living overseas (not Australia) for 1 year, you can take most of the savings from your KiwiSaver account. You cannot take out the government contributions.
- Apply to your KiwiSaver provider once the year has passed; you can’t apply before you leave
- Providers ask for evidence of your departure, such as a plane ticket or passport, your overseas address, and a statutory declaration
- Processing time depends on your provider
- You don’t have to withdraw: you can leave your savings invested and make voluntary contributions
Practical steps:
- Keep your NZ contact details and overseas address updated with your provider
- Keep your IRD number: you’ll need it for any withdrawal
- Tell your provider you’ve left: some providers apply the highest PIR once you’ve been outside NZ for more than 325 days, because you are then a non-resident for tax purposes
Tax Residency — When You Stop Being an NZ Taxpayer
NZ tax residency rules
You cease to be an NZ tax resident when both of the following are true:
- You are absent from NZ for more than 325 days in any 12-month period AND
- You no longer have a “permanent place of abode” in NZ (i.e., you’ve sold or closed up your NZ home)
Simply leaving does not immediately end your NZ tax residency. If you keep a home in NZ or return frequently, you may remain an NZ tax resident and be liable for NZ tax on your worldwide income.
Notify IRD
When you leave NZ permanently:
- Notify IRD of your departure date and overseas address (through myIR or by post)
- File a final NZ tax return (IR3) for the year you departed — you’re taxed as a NZ resident for the period you were in NZ, and as a non-resident for the rest of the year
- IRD will issue any final refund or assessment
Non-resident withholding tax (NRWT)
Once you’re a non-resident, any NZ income (NZ bank interest, NZ dividends, NZ rental income) is subject to Non-Resident Withholding Tax (NRWT) rather than PAYE. NRWT rates are set by NZ’s double tax agreement with your new country — typically 10–15% on interest, 15% on dividends.
NZ Property — Selling or Keeping It?
Bright-line rule
If you sell your NZ property after leaving:
| Property type | Bright-line test |
|---|---|
| Residential property sold on or after 1 July 2024 | Gain taxed if sold within 2 years, unless an exclusion applies |
For sales on or after 1 July 2024, the bright-line period is 2 years. Earlier sales were under the rules in force at the time.
Keeping your NZ property as a rental
If you keep your NZ property and rent it out:
- Rental income is taxable in NZ (NRWT or standard income tax on return)
- You can deduct expenses (interest, rates, insurance, repairs, property management fees)
- A property manager in NZ can handle day-to-day management
- You may also have tax obligations in your new country on NZ rental income — check double tax agreement rules
Selling before you leave
Selling before departure is generally simpler — you avoid the ongoing tax obligations and bank account management needed for NZ rental income from overseas.
NZ Bank Accounts — Keep or Close?
Reasons to keep your NZ bank account open
- Receive your final tax refund from IRD
- Receive any KiwiSaver withdrawal or refund
- Ongoing NZ property management / rent receipts
- Return visits to NZ are more convenient with a local account
Reasons to close
- Monthly maintenance fees on inactive accounts
- Complexity of NZ AML compliance from overseas
- Risk of account being frozen if inactive for extended periods
Recommendation: Keep at least one NZ bank account open until your final IRD tax return is settled and any refund received. After that, close accounts you won’t need — most NZ banks allow online account closure.
What happens to direct debits and payments?
Cancel all NZ direct debits and automatic payments before leaving:
- Phone plan
- Power and internet (give required notice — usually 30 days)
- Streaming services billed in NZD
- Insurance policies (note cancellation fees)
- Gym memberships (often have locked-in terms)
Filing Your Final NZ Tax Return
File an IR3 (individual income tax return) for the tax year in which you left. Include:
- NZ income earned up to your departure date
- Any NZ interest earned while you were a resident
You can file via the IRD myIR portal from overseas. You’ll need your myIR login — set this up before you leave if you don’t already have it.
Common sources of final tax refund:
- PAYE over-deducted on a partial year’s income
- Working for Families credits if applicable
- Interest deducted at wrong NRWT rate
Superannuation — NZ Superannuation Overseas
If you’re already receiving New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) and you move overseas:
- NZ Super continues to be paid if you’ve met the residency requirements (10 to 20 years in NZ after age 20 depending on your date of birth, including 5 years after age 50)
- Overseas deductions apply: If your new country has a social security agreement with NZ, NZ Super may be reduced by the amount of pension you receive from that country
- Tax: NZ Super paid to non-residents is subject to NRWT
See our NZ Superannuation guide for residency and eligibility rules.
Leaving NZ — Complete Financial Checklist
Before you leave
| Task | Notes |
|---|---|
| Set up myIR online access | You’ll need it to file from overseas |
| Notify IRD of departure date | Do this before you go |
| File any overdue tax returns | Clear your IRD account |
| Decide KiwiSaver plan | Transfer to Australian super (permanent move to Australia), withdraw most of it after 1 year living elsewhere, or leave it invested |
| Sell or arrange management of NZ property | Set up property manager if keeping |
| Cancel NZ direct debits and subscriptions | 30-day notice often required |
| Update your KiwiSaver provider with overseas address | Essential for future correspondence |
| Arrange overseas bank account in your destination country | Have it ready before leaving |
| Cancel or transfer NZ insurance policies | Life, health, contents, car |
| Update NZ electoral roll | Remove yourself if leaving permanently |
After you leave
| Task | Notes |
|---|---|
| File your final NZ IR3 tax return | Due 7 July following the tax year |
| Collect any tax refund via your NZ bank account | Keep account open until received |
| Close unnecessary NZ bank accounts | Once refund and final payments cleared |
| Transfer Australian super (if applicable) | If moving to Australia |
| Update KiwiSaver provider contact details | Annually if living overseas long-term |