Temporary rate reduction
You can apply for a temporary rate reduction if you want to lower your KiwiSaver contribution rate to 3% for 3 months to a year. If you have more than 1 employer, you can choose which of them to give notice of the rate reduction to.
You can revoke your temporary rate reduction early by completing a KS2 form and giving it to your employer. If you want to use the rate reduction again with the same employer, you’ll need to reapply.
You can apply from 1 February 2026 and will start from 1 April 2026, when the change to the default KiwiSaver contribution rate from 3% to 3.5% comes in.
You cannot apply for a temporary rate reduction if you have a savings suspension.
In myIR go to your KiwiSaver account panel
This is on the homepage once you've logged in.
Select 'KiwiSaver temporary rate reduction'
Follow the prompts to complete your application
Log into myIR
You can call us or send us a web message in myIR asking to apply for a temporary rate reduction.
What happens next
An acceptance letter that shows the start and end dates of your temporary rate reduction will be sent to you. Show it to your employer to get them to reduce your rate.
We’ll send you notification within 30 days of your temporary rate reduction’s end date to let you know it’s about to stop. We’ll also let your employer know closer to the time.
Your responsibilities
Hold on to your notice. If you change jobs, you'll need to show it to your new employer if you want to continue with the rate reduction.
If you do lose it, either print off a copy from myIR or contact us to reissue it.
We’ll send your employer a notification if you asked us to let them know.
We'll let you know when you're near the end of your temporary rate reduction. If you do not apply for another rate reduction, we'll ask your employer to start your deductions at 3.5% again.