On tax alone the UK keeps more until about £92,000, where both leave you with 69.5% of gross. Above that New Zealand pulls ahead, by 6.0 points at £200,000.
Most comparisons get this wrong because they fold KiwiSaver in with the tax. KiwiSaver is your own money, saved into your own account and matched by your employer, so counting it as a deduction makes New Zealand look worse than it is.
They are level at
£91,809
both keep 69.5% of gross
KiwiSaver costs
3.5 pts
of take-home, matched by employer
Capital gains tax
None general
a real structural difference
Run a New Zealand salary with your own KiwiSaver rate.
Open the New Zealand calculatorTax against tax, with KiwiSaver set aside
The share of gross kept after income tax and the ACC Earner's Levy, with no KiwiSaver on the New Zealand side and no pension contribution on the UK side. Independent of the exchange rate.
| Equivalent salary | UK keeps | New Zealand keeps | Who is ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | 83.7% | 79.4% | UK ahead by 4.3 pts |
| £50,000 | 79.0% | 73.9% | UK ahead by 5.1 pts |
| £91,809 | 69.5% | 69.5% | Level |
| £120,000 | 63.5% | 67.5% | New Zealand ahead by 4.0 pts |
| £200,000 | 58.9% | 64.9% | New Zealand ahead by 6.0 pts |
What KiwiSaver actually costs, and what it buys
At the standard 3.5% employee rate, KiwiSaver reduces take-home by about 3.5 percentage points. Your employer then contributes a matching 3.5% on top of your salary, so roughly 7% of gross lands in your account for a 3.5% reduction in what reaches your bank.
| Equivalent salary | Tax only | With 3.5% KiwiSaver |
|---|---|---|
| £50,000 | 73.9% | 70.4% |
| £120,000 | 67.5% | 64.0% |
The minimum employee and employer rates both rose from 3% to 3.5% on 1 April 2026, and the employer minimum rises again to 4% on 1 April 2028. Employee contribution options are 3.5%, 4%, 6%, 8% or 10%, so the figure is partly your choice.
The ACC levy, and the thing that is not taxed at all
The ACC Earner's Levy is 1.75% of liable earnings for 2026/27, capped at $156,641 of annual earnings for a maximum of $2,741.22. It funds accident cover and is included in the figures above. It is scheduled to rise to 1.83% with a $160,244 cap for 2027/28.
More consequentially, New Zealand has no general capital gains tax. For anyone with equity compensation, that is a structural difference the income tax comparison above does not capture at all, and it can outweigh the entire take-home gap. Specific rules still catch some property and share transactions, and the absence of a general CGT is a live political question, so it is not something to build a decade-long plan around.
The same three salaries in cash
Converted at £1 = NZ$2.3326, European Central Bank reference rates, 23 September 2026. Tax only, with no KiwiSaver on either side. Check the live rate; the percentages above do not move with it.
| UK gross | New Zealand gross | UK net | New Zealand net |
|---|---|---|---|
| £50,000 | NZ$116,632 | £39,520 (£3,293/mo) | NZ$86,225 (NZ$7,185/mo) |
| £80,000 | NZ$186,611 | £56,957 (£4,746/mo) | NZ$132,014 (NZ$11,001/mo) |
| £120,000 | NZ$279,917 | £76,157 (£6,346/mo) | NZ$188,931 (NZ$15,744/mo) |
How these figures were produced
PayMetric Labs' own calculations with our UK and New Zealand tax engines, New Zealand at 2026/27 rates with the five-bracket schedule and the ACC Earner's Levy. The main table sets the KiwiSaver rate to zero so the comparison is tax against tax; the KiwiSaver table uses the 3.5% standard rate. No student loan repayments on either side, and no UK pension contributions or salary sacrifice. The crossover was found by solving for the point where both keep the same share of gross.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the UK or New Zealand leave you with more of your salary?
The UK until about £92,000, then New Zealand. At the equivalent of £50,000 the UK keeps 79.0% of gross against 73.9% in New Zealand. The two are level at £91,809, both keeping 69.5%, and above that New Zealand pulls ahead, by 6.0 points at the equivalent of £200,000.
Is KiwiSaver a tax?
No, and treating it as one is the commonest error in this comparison. KiwiSaver is your own retirement saving, going into an account in your name, and your employer contributes a matching amount on top. It reduces your take-home in the same way a UK pension contribution does, but it is not money the government keeps. The main table on this page therefore excludes it, so the comparison is tax against tax.
How much does KiwiSaver actually reduce take-home?
At the standard 3.5% employee rate, about 3.5 percentage points. At the equivalent of £50,000 what you keep falls from 73.9% to 70.4%; at £120,000 from 67.5% to 64.0%. The employer contributes a matching 3.5% on top of your salary, so the total going into your account is roughly 7% of gross for a 3.5% reduction in take-home.
What is the ACC Earner's Levy?
A levy of 1.75% of liable earnings for the 2026/27 year, capped at $156,641 of annual earnings, giving a maximum of $2,741.22. It funds accident cover and is included in the figures on this page. The rate is scheduled to rise to 1.83% with a $160,244 cap for 2027/28, so a multi-year plan should allow for that.
Does New Zealand have capital gains tax?
There is no general capital gains tax, which is a genuine structural difference from the UK and can matter a great deal for anyone with equity compensation or investments. Specific rules do catch some property and share transactions, and the absence of a general CGT is a recurring political question, so do not plan a decade ahead on it.
How reliable is the currency conversion here?
Treat it as illustrative and check the live rate. The percentages are the durable part, because the share of gross you keep does not depend on the exchange rate. The rate used is stated and dated beside the cash table above, and comes from the European Central Bank's daily reference rates.
What about student loan repayments?
New Zealand student loan repayments are income-contingent and come out on top of the figures here. More importantly for someone moving from the UK, a UK student loan usually remains repayable while you are overseas, with its own overseas repayment thresholds. It is a common and expensive thing to overlook when budgeting a move.
What does this comparison leave out?
KiwiSaver, shown separately. Student loan repayments on either side. UK pension salary sacrifice. Working for Families tax credits, which can be significant for households with children. And the cost of living, particularly Auckland housing, which absorbs much of the difference.
Figures are PayMetric Labs' own calculations using our UK and New Zealand tax engines, New Zealand at 2026/27 rates including the ACC Earner's Levy, against a single UK taxpayer with no pension contributions or student loan. KiwiSaver is excluded from the main comparison and shown separately. General information only, not personal tax advice.