Record keeping for KiwiSaver

Keeping track of KiwiSaver amounts for individuals and contributions for employers is key in ensuring you are receiving the money you are entitled to.

Individuals can view contributions made through their My KiwiSaver account. My KiwiSaver shows contributions when they have been processed through an employers payroll report. This can take up to three months from the time they are deducted from the person’s salary or wages. Individuals will need to contact their provider if they wish to know the overall balance, investment returns and to see contributions made directly to them.

Employers are required to keep records for their employees with KiwiSaver for seven years. These are;

• Their contribution rate.
• The amounts you’ve deducted.
• Savings suspension notices.
• Opt-out requests.
• Compulsory and voluntary employer contributions.
• The amount of ESCT (employer superannuation contribution tax) deducted from the employer cash contributions made.

Employers PAYE records should show the KiwiSaver amounts they have deducted and passed on to the IRD or complying fund.

Kiwisaver for employers

If an employee is a KiwiSaver member making contributions from their pay, employers must also make a contribution every time they pay their employee salary or wages. These compulsory employer contributions (CEC) are at a minimum rate of 3% of the employee’s gross salary or wages. CEC is not compulsory if the employee is under 18, or if they are a member of a defined benefit scheme.

Employers paying contributions to KiwiSaver are liable for employer superannuation contribution tax (ESCT). Rates have to be calculated for each employee, as it depends on how much the employee earns and how long they’ve worked for. ESCT does not have to be paid if the employer and employee are under agreement to treat part of or all of the contributions as salary or wages under PAYE rules.

When an employee reaches the age of entitlement for New Zealand, employers no longer have to pay CEC unless they have an agreement with the employee to continue payments, want to voluntarily continue paying contributions, or if the employee is aged 60 or over who joined KiwiSaver before July 2019.

Employers can stop making CEC if the government or employee provides an approved savings suspension notice, or if an employee provides a non-deduction notice (KS51) because they are eligible to withdraw from their savings. If employers choose to continue paying contributions voluntarily, they still have to pay ESCT on them.

Early access to KiwiSaver now available for those with life-shortening conditions

At the end of July this year, KiwiSaver announced that savings accessibility will be changed for people with shortened life expectancies due to congenital health conditions.

Under previous rules, savings could not be accessed before the age of 65, however people with life-shortening congenital conditions can have a life-expectancy below this age. As a result, people with such conditions were not joining KiwiSaver, as it was a redundant retirement option for them, or had joined KiwiSaver and were not able to withdraw their savings when needed.

The change allows people with life-shortening conditions to withdraw their savings at whatever age they choose to retire, and enable them to support a comfortable retirement with the benefits associated with KiwiSaver. While part of KiwiSaver’s success as a retirement savings scheme has been credited to only being able to access funds after you turn 65, this system does not take into account different health and retirement situations. The update acknowledges citizens’ different living circumstances and aims to make the system fairer for people who may otherwise be at a disadvantage.

The new withdrawal policy has a set list of conditions outlined that would automatically qualify certain users to be able to access their savings early. People can qualify for withdrawal by providing a medical certificate or other related evidence to certify early access.

Introduction of new KiwiSaver Bill

The Taxation (KiwiSaver, Student Loans, and Remedial Matters) Bill contains proposals to simplify and modernise the administration of KiwiSaver. The Bill proposes a number of changes to improve the administration of the KiwiSaver scheme, facilitating faster transfers of funds, improving the administrative efficiency and enhance members’ experience with the scheme.

The implementation of a new information technology project known as Business Transformation (BT) has allowed Inland Revenue (IRD) to detect more clearly what rate of tax that people should be paying on their KiwiSaver accounts and other investment savings.

Though the New Zealand tax system has a broad-base, low-rate framework, the IRD has identified that approximately 1.5 million people have been paying the wrong prescribed investor rate (PIR) on their KiwiSaver accounts and other managed funds.

Currently, KiwiSaver investors and others with savings in Portfolio Investment Entities must be the ones to notify savings providers of their appropriate PIR tax rate. As many individuals do not do this step, they are charged the default rate of 28%. The tax paid is final and any overpayment cannot be refunded.

The proposed law will allow for the IRD to notify the provider to correct the PIR from 1 April 2020. The IRD has also announced that from mid-July it will begin contacting taxpayers who are on the wrong rate.

Use KiwiSaver to buy your first home

You may be entitled to the KiwiSaver HomeStart Grant after you have been contributing to your KiwiSaver for three years. The Grant is administered by Housing New Zealand which operates outside of KiwiSaver and will be paid to your solicitor.

What are the grants?
There are two HomeStart Grants. These are:

• For purchasing an existing home, it is between $3,000 and $5,000 based on $1,000 each year of KiwiSaver membership.
• For building or purchasing a new home or for purchasing land to build a home on, it is doubled to $2,000 per year of membership. This can be up to a maximum of $10,000 for five years of membership.

Eligibility:
To be eligible for the HomeStart Grant, you must be a member of KiwiSaver, another complying superannuation fund or exempt employer scheme, be 18 years or older, and have not received a HomeStart Grant or a KiwiSaver withdrawal before. You must have contributed the minimum percentage of your income to a KiwiSaver scheme for at least three years, although they do not need to be consecutive. You must have a household income, before tax, of less than $85,000 per year for one person, or less than $130,000 per year for two or more people. You must have a deposit that is 10% or more of the purchase price, including the addition of the grant. You should note that income and house price caps will also apply.

In some circumstances, you may still be eligible for the HomeStart Grant if you’ve owned a house before. Housing New Zealand will need to determine if you are in the same financial position as a first home buyer. For further advice or information, consult your financial advisor.

Understanding KiwiSaver for employers and employees

KiwiSaver is New Zealand’s approach to a taxpayer-subsidised, personal retirement savings regime. Under the scheme, employers make payroll deductions for each employee through the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax system. Employees are required to save these to a KiwiSaver account. Here are some of the key features of KiwiSaver that employers and employees should be aware of.

Eligibility:
KiwiSaver is eligible for anyone under the age 65 who is a New Zealand citizen. While people over age 65 cannot join, they can remain as members if they have joined before turning 65. They are also eligible if they are entitled to live in New Zealand indefinitely, and are normally living in New Zealand at the time they join.

Employee contributions:
Employees who are members of KiwiSaver must contribute a minimum of 3% of their gross taxable pay. Individuals can choose to increase the amount to 4%, 6%, 8% or 10%, but can reduce it back to the minimum amount of 3% at any time. Gross taxable pay includes all bonuses, holiday pay and overtime pay. It does not include things such as redundancy pay, accommodation benefits, taxable overseas living or accommodation allowances.

Employer contributions:
While employees must contribute to their own KiwiSaver savings, it is also compulsory for their employers to put money in. These KiwiSaver deductions must be at the default rate of 3% of their pay. However, an employer is not required to make compulsory contributions to an employee’s KiwiSaver if they are already paying into another registered eligible superannuation scheme, the employee is under 18 years or if they are over 65 years.

Why you should check your KiwiSaver tax rate

Inland Revenue has identified that 450,000 people have been paying the wrong rate of tax on their KiwiSaver accounts and other managed funds. This highlights the importance of understanding what rate of tax you should be paying on your KiwiSaver, and to check that you are paying the correct amount.

The implementation of a new automated tax system has allowed the IRD to detect more clearly what rate of tax that people should be paying on their KiwiSaver accounts and other investment savings. The IRD will be contacting those who have been paying the incorrect prescribed investor rate (PIR) on managed funds like KiwiSaver.

The PIR determines how much tax you pay on your portfolio investment entities (PIEs). Members and their employers both make contributions to KiwiSaver, before the fund manager then invests those both locally and overseas. Any returns are then taxed by the IRD. The prescribed guideline rates are 10.5% for those earning a taxable income of below $14,000, 17.5% for those earning between $14,000 and $48,000, and 28% for those earning over $48,000.

To avoid paying the wrong tax rate, members should work out their estimated income, which will then tell you what your PIR rate is likely to be. You may consider contacting your fund manager to further check the details of what tax rate you are paying and to inform them of your correct PIR, as your income earned from a fund may be taxed at the default rate of 28% without your knowledge.

For further information on taxable income, PIRs and to determine your correct PIR, you should consult your professional tax advisor.

Take advantage of government contribution to your KiwiSaver

To help you add savings into your KiwiSaver account, the Government will make an annual contribution of up to $521 to all contributing members over the age of 18. Over a KiwiSaver member’s working life, the government contribution could be worth as much as $36,000.

Check your eligibility:
The Government contribution stops when a member reaches the age of eligibility for NZ Super or has been a member for 5 years. If you’re an employee who earns at least $34,762 a year (before tax) and you contribute the minimum 3% into KiwiSaver, then your contributions will be at least $1043, the amount required to receive the full payment from the government. In this case, the full amount of $521 will automatically be paid into your account by late July or August.

See if you’ve contributed the correct amount:
Contractors, freelancers, part-time workers or those who earn less than $34,762 a year, will need to check how much has been contributed to their KiwiSaver account in the past year. There is still time to top your account to receive the full government contribution if you find that you come up short.

Top-up your KiwiSaver by mid-June:
The official deadline to top-up your KiwiSaver account is 30 June. However, many providers will prefer members to have a minimum amount of $1043 in their account by mid-June in order to process the government contribution efficiently. You could consider making arrangements to top-up your account either by automatic payments or a lump sum, as the government will match each dollar with 50 cents.

Succession planning for small businesses

Retirement is a big commitment and even more so for those who are self-employed or run their own business. All the factors that go into the decision to retire are magnified with a business to consider. Selling or closing are not the only paths if you choose to move on, this is why succession planning for your business is a great start for you to see where you want to go. For business owners, planning for your business’s future can be the key to its survival after you leave.

With the succession planning process, you will need to set ultimate goals, such as what you want to happen to your business, if you still want a role and what would it be, who should run the business in the future and when you want to leave. To make the best plan for you and your company, know all your assets and liabilities. This will help to value your business so you can calculate shares or a sale price. Having a timeframe and early planning will make it easier to leave comfortably when the time comes. Professional advice at various stages of your planning and exit will greatly help with your strategies as well as documenting your plans, having key decisions written down for advisors or successors to easily access.

Everyone’s retirement needs are different, with no official retirement age in New Zealand, super can start being collected from age 65 in conjunction with you continuing to work part-time or having a smaller role in your business. If moving on completely isn’t for you just yet, you could decide to keep a stake or shareholding to give you an income in retirement. Alternatively, you may decide to still offer advice in a director or consultant role. If this is the case, you and your successor will need to have a discussion about how this process will work. Whatever option you want to go with, seeking professional advice will help you make informed decisions.

KiwiSaver benefits

A KiwiSaver account is a great resource for compiling and saving for your retirement and future security. It is a voluntary, government-run initiative designed to help you financially plan ahead, but what exactly are the benefits? Here are a few ways having a KiwiSaver account would aid you throughout your life.

Member Tax Credit:
This credit depends on how much you deposit into your account each year. The government will pay 50 cents to every dollar up until you’ve reached the maximum government payment of $521.43.The government will help you save by making an annual contribution to your account as long as you fit their guidelines.

• You are 18 years or older
• Mainly reside in New Zealand (exceptions for government employees serving overseas, regulated volunteer work or meets requirements under the Student Loan Scheme Act 2011)

Compulsory employer contributions:
Provided you are a member making contributions from your pay, your employer has to put money in, equalling 3% of your pay. Since 2012, employer contributions have been liable for tax, meaning their additions may be reduced.

KiwiSaver HomeStart Grant:
Having contributed to your account for three to five years, you could be entitled to the HomeStart Grant. There are two types of grants available:

• When purchasing an existing home, a grant can be between $3,000-5,000 based on $1,000 each year of membership
• When building/purchasing a new home or land on which to build a home, a grant can be doubled to $2,000 each year of membership, making the maximum amount $10,000.

Whilst eligibility criteria applies, if you have owned a home before you may still qualify under certain circumstances. Housing New Zealand would be the ones to determine if you are eligible to receive funding.