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FIRE number

FIRE calculator for New Zealand

To retire early in New Zealand you usually need 25 to 33 times your yearly spending at the age you stop working, with enough outside KiwiSaver to bridge the years until 65. Enter five numbers to see your own FIRE number, the monthly investment that gets you there and your earliest FI age. Everything is in New Zealand dollars and runs in your browser.

Free · any currency · no sign-up · method last reviewed

Sets typical inflation and returns
yrs
yrs
15 years from now
$
$5,000 · Everything you spend, incl. insurance. Leave out loan payments that end before then.
$
$100K · Index funds (PIE), shares, KiwiSaver balance, term deposits
$
$3,000 · Including KiwiSaver: yours, your employer’s and the government contribution
Assumptions · 2.5% inflation · 6.5% stocks · plan to 90
%
Typical for New Zealand
%
Yearly, after tax
%
Yearly, after tax
%
As your income grows
%
Share of what's already invested
yrs
90+ if retiring early

Your FIRE number at 45: $2.16M. Short by $948K.

Your FIRE number at 45

Short by $948K

$2.16M

About 25× your first-year spending of $86,898 at 45 (that's $60,000 a year in today's money).

At your current investing you'd have about $1.21M at 45.

Invest each month to be financially independent at 45
$5,903
Rising 3% a year
At your current investing
Age 53
Earliest FI age investing $3,000/month
Coast FIRE number today
$994K
You have $100K
Your investments vs your FIRE numberAt your current investingFIRE number
$0$540K$1.08M$1.62M$2.16M3133353739414345

In future money (prices rise 2.5% a year). Assumes steady returns; real markets go up and down.

Will the money last until 90?

What you're on course for: $1.21M at 45

Expected returns
Runs out at 63
Stocks earn the expected return every year
Crash in the first year
Runs out at 59
Stocks fall 35% right after you stop working

Your FIRE number: $2.16M

Expected returns
Lasts past 90
Stocks earn the expected return every year
Crash in the first year
Runs out at 79
Stocks fall 35% right after you stop working

Your FIRE number is sized to last until 90 at expected returns. Stopping work at 45 with less means it runs out sooner. Both use a bucket strategy: 10 years of spending in bonds and cash, the rest invested for later years. A crash right after you stop working is the biggest risk; the full planner shows how to prepare for it.

Make it a full plan

Add pensions, health costs, children's education and other goals, a year-by-year cash flow, and a bucket strategy for after you stop working. Your numbers from here carry over.

Quick answer: what is your FIRE number in New Zealand?

Your FIRE number is the amount invested that can pay your inflation-adjusted living costs from the age you stop working until your plan age (90 or later for early retirement). In New Zealand it is usually 25 to 33 times your first-year spending at FI: 25 times is the classic "4% rule" for a 30-year retirement, and a longer early retirement needs nearer 28 to 33 times. For example, NZ$5,000 a month today is about NZ$86,900 a year in 15 years at 2.5% inflation, so a FIRE number of roughly NZ$2.2 to 2.9 million. Because NZ Super pays everyone who qualifies from 65, the real figure is usually lower once you count it.

How many times your spending do you need?

Divide 100 by the share of your money you plan to withdraw in the first year: at 4% that is 25 times your yearly spending. A lower withdrawal rate needs a bigger FIRE number but leaves more margin for a long retirement or a bad start.

Withdrawal rateMultiple neededOn NZ$86,900 a year
4%25×NZ$2.17 million
3.5%28.6×NZ$2.48 million
3.25%30.8×NZ$2.67 million
3%33.3×NZ$2.90 million

The 4% rule comes from US market history for 30-year retirements. For a retirement of 40 years or more, 3 to 3.5% is common. Read Is the 4% rule safe for early retirement? for why.

The two-phase plan: before and after 65

  • The bridge, outside KiwiSaver. Index funds, shares, term deposits or rental income pay your spending from your FI age until 65. Retiring at 45 needs 20 years of spending here.
  • From 65, KiwiSaver and NZ Super. KiwiSaver unlocks at 65 and NZ Super starts, paying a single person about NZ$28,900 a year after tax at 2026 rates. Together they can cover a large part of a modest retirement.

The quick calculator above treats your savings as one pot, so it answers "how much in total". The full planner keeps KiwiSaver locked until 65, adds NZ Super as income from that age and tells you whether the bridge is big enough.

How this FIRE calculator works

  1. Your spending at FI. Today's monthly spending grows with inflation until your FI age. That gives your first-year spending after you stop working.
  2. Your FIRE number. We add up every year's spending from your FI age to your plan age, still rising with inflation. Each year's money is assumed to stay invested until it's needed: the next 10 years in bonds and term deposits, later years in a mix with more shares. The total is what you need on day one.
  3. What you already have. Your current investments, in KiwiSaver and outside it, grow at the returns you enter. Whatever's left is the gap your monthly investing has to fill.
  4. Monthly investment. We find the first-year monthly amount, including your employer's and the government's KiwiSaver contributions, that closes the gap, rising by your yearly increase, with shares reduced gradually as FI gets closer.
  5. Will it last? We simulate the FIRE number year by year after FI, at expected returns and after a 35% share crash in the first year.

How is FIRE different in New Zealand?

  • KiwiSaver is locked until 65. It is still worth contributing enough to get your employer's 3.5% and the full government contribution, but the money can't fund the years before 65.
  • NZ Super is universal. It isn't means-tested, so savers get it too. That makes the years after 65 much cheaper to fund than in many countries. You need to meet the residency rule: 10 to 20 years in New Zealand after age 20, depending on when you were born (20 years if born on or after 1 July 1977), including 5 years after age 50.
  • Tax on overseas shares. There is no general capital gains tax, but overseas shares held directly over the NZ$50,000 threshold fall under the FIF rules. Many investors use PIE index funds instead, where tax is capped at 28%.
  • Healthcare is mostly public. Public hospitals and ACC accident cover don't depend on your job, so health costs are lower than in the US. If you keep private health insurance after leaving an employer scheme, add its premium, which rises with age, to your spending. Rules as of November 2026.
  • Sequence risk. A market crash in the first few years after you stop working does the most damage. Keeping several years of spending in term deposits and bonds (a bucket strategy) avoids selling shares at a low.

Frequently asked questions

How much money do I need to retire early in New Zealand?

Usually about 25 to 33 times your yearly spending at the age you stop working, with enough outside KiwiSaver to cover the years until 65. Start with what you spend today and add inflation: NZ$5,000 a month today becomes about NZ$86,900 a year in 15 years at 2.5% inflation, so a FIRE number of roughly NZ$2.2 to 2.9 million. NZ Super from 65 lowers what you need for the later years. This calculator works out the exact number year by year for your inputs.

Can I use KiwiSaver to retire early?

Not before 65. KiwiSaver savings are locked until you reach the NZ Super age, currently 65. Before then, you can only withdraw for your first home (after at least three years in KiwiSaver), significant financial hardship, serious illness or a permanent move overseas other than to Australia. So an early retirement in New Zealand needs investments outside KiwiSaver, such as index funds, shares, term deposits or rental property, to pay for every year until 65.

How do I split my FIRE number between KiwiSaver and other investments?

Work out the bridge first: the money outside KiwiSaver has to cover every year from your FI age to 65, and KiwiSaver plus NZ Super have to cover the years after that. Retiring at 45 means a 20-year bridge, which is most of the total; retiring at 60 needs only 5 years. Contributing enough to KiwiSaver to get your employer's contribution and the full government contribution is usually worth it even when you plan to retire early. This quick calculator treats everything as one pot; the full planner keeps KiwiSaver locked until 65.

How much should I put into KiwiSaver?

From 1 April 2026 the default contribution is 3.5% of your pay, matched by 3.5% from your employer, rising to 4% each from 1 April 2028; you can also choose 4%, 6%, 8% or 10%. The government adds 25 cents for every dollar you contribute, up to NZ$260.72 a year, so contributing NZ$1,042.86 a year gets the maximum. People earning over NZ$180,000 no longer receive the government contribution. Check the current rules with Inland Revenue.

How are my investments taxed in New Zealand?

New Zealand has no general capital gains tax, but investment income is taxed. Most managed funds and KiwiSaver funds are PIEs, taxed at your prescribed investor rate of 10.5%, 17.5% or 28%; an early-retirement income often qualifies for a lower rate, so update your PIR when your income falls. If you hold overseas shares or funds directly and their total cost is over NZ$50,000, the foreign investment fund (FIF) rules usually tax you on 5% of their opening market value each year, whether you sell or not. A bill introduced in September 2026 proposes raising that threshold to NZ$100,000. Residential property sold within two years is taxed under the bright-line test. Enter after-tax returns in the calculator.

Is the 4% rule safe for an early retirement in New Zealand?

The 4% rule comes from US stock and bond returns for 30-year retirements. For a retirement of 40 to 50 years, many people plan on 3.25 to 3.5% instead, stay willing to spend less after a bad year, or both. The New Zealand share market is small, so most New Zealanders invest globally through index funds. Instead of a fixed rule, this calculator sizes your FIRE number so a bucket strategy lasts until your plan age at the returns you enter, and shows what happens if markets crash in your first year.

Should I count NZ Super in my FIRE number?

This quick calculator leaves it out, which is the cautious choice, but NZ Super makes a big difference from 65. It is not means-tested, so you get it even with a large FIRE number, as long as you meet the residency rules. From 1 April 2026 a single person living alone receives NZ$1,110.30 a fortnight after tax (M tax code), about NZ$28,900 a year, and each partner in a couple where both qualify receives NZ$854.08. The qualifying age is 65; a rise to 67 has been proposed but is not law. You can add NZ Super from 65 as other income in the full planner.

What returns and inflation should I assume?

Use long-run, after-tax returns and stay conservative. The New Zealand defaults are 6.5% for shares, 4% for bonds and term deposits, and 2.5% inflation. The Reserve Bank targets 1 to 3% inflation, aiming for 2%, but prices have risen faster in some years. Higher return assumptions lower the monthly amount you are shown, but if real returns turn out lower you could fall short.

Is my data stored anywhere?

No. The calculator runs in your browser and your numbers are not sent to any server. The inputs appear in the page address only so you can bookmark or share a result yourself.

Sources

Rules and rates change. Check the current figures with the official source before acting.

For education only, not financial advice. Results depend on your inputs and on assumed returns and inflation, which will differ from reality. How we calculate · Read the disclaimer.