New Zealand salary after tax by profession — 2026
Real take-home figures for the most common professional roles in New Zealand, after PAYE income tax and ACC earner's levy. KiwiSaver contributions are voluntary but widely used — figures below exclude KiwiSaver. Updated for 2026.
Nurse
~NZD 4,720/month after tax
Software Engineer
~NZD 6,445/month after tax
Teacher
~NZD 4,595/month after tax
Accountant
~NZD 5,410/month after tax
Data Analyst
~NZD 5,535/month after tax
Doctor
~NZD 8,395/month after tax
Lawyer
~NZD 4,290/month after tax
Project Manager
~NZD 5,667/month after tax
About New Zealand tax
New Zealand's PAYE income tax runs at 10.5% on the first NZD 14,000, 17.5% from NZD 14,001–48,000, 30% from NZD 48,001–70,000, 33% from NZD 70,001–180,000, and 39% above NZD 180,000. New Zealand has no social security payroll tax in the European sense — the ACC earner's levy (roughly 1.6% of income up to a cap) is the only mandatory deduction beyond income tax.
KiwiSaver — NZ's workplace retirement scheme — deducts 3%, 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10% of gross at the employee's choice, with a minimum 3% employer contribution. Opting in reduces take-home but builds a retirement balance. The government also contributes up to NZD 521/year for members who contribute at least NZD 1,042.