When you’re self-employed, you’re the one in charge of your KiwiSaver contributions. Without an employer to make contributions on your behalf, you need to decide how much you want to commit to your retirement fund, if anything.
If you’re self-employed, why contribute to KiwiSaver?
There are two main selling points for KiwiSaver if you’re self-employed. The first is the Government contribution: eligible KiwiSaver members receive up to $512.43 each year. The Government will contribute 50% of what you put in over the year, up to a maximum of $512.43. Over time, that amount can really add up. Putting $512 each year into a growth fund that returns 9% annually will generate roughly $70,000 over 30 years. That’s money you haven’t had to save or earn.
The second benefit of KiwiSaver is that fees are low, usually lower than other types of funds. The free money and the low fees mean it’s worthwhile for most self-employed people to contribute to KiwiSaver.
Pay in by the end of June
To get the maximum member contribution, you need to have paid in $1042.86 by June 30. It can take a few days for contributions to be processed and arrive in your bank account, so ideally you should make sure your money is transferred by June 24.
That’s all you need to do. You’ll automatically receive the contribution in July.
Questions?
If you want to know more about contributing to KiwiSaver – whether you should join, how it’s taxed, or how much to put in, for instance – we can help. Give us a call or send us an email, we’d love to hear from you.