KiwiSaver law changes adopt Commissioner’s recommendations

Media release

KiwiSaver law changes adopt Retirement Commissioner’s recommendations

Changes to KiwiSaver passed by Parliament last night will open the scheme to people over 65 for the first time, and enhance it for thousands of others, says Acting Retirement Commissioner Peter Cordtz.

Cordtz said he was pleased to see recommendations made in the Retirement Commissioner’s 2016 Review of Retirement Income Policy enacted in the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2018–19, Modernising Tax Administration, and Remedial Matters) Bill, which passed its third reading on March 12 and will take effect from April 1.

Among the changes the Bill would introduce would be to allow people over 65 to join the scheme, giving them access to KiwiSaver as a provider of low-cost managed funds through retirement. It would also remove the lock-in period that required people over 60 to remain in the scheme for five years before withdrawing their money. These two changes would take effect from July 1.

Until now, people over 65 could not join KiwiSaver or move to a new scheme, although they could continue to contribute to their accounts if they are already a member. If they joined after the age of 60, they still had to wait five years before withdrawing their money, a rule which was inappropriate for this age group.

“Following the 2016 Review of Retirement Income Policy the Retirement Commissioner recommended that allowing entry to KiwiSaver to people over 65 would remove a policy inequity, provide another investment option for this age group, and allow employers to voluntarily make contributions for all employees over 65,” said Cordtz. “There is no apparent reason for those over 65 not being able to join KiwiSaver.”

Other key changes in the Bill are the introduction of new contribution rates of 6% and 10%, reducing the maximum contributions holiday that people can take from the scheme to one year, and renaming the holiday a "savings suspension". These changes take effect from April 1.

“Adding more contribution rates gives members more flexibility and control over their saving,” says Cordtz. “We’ve had many New Zealanders tell us that the gap between 4% and 8% is too large for those able to contribute more, so they feel stuck on the lower rates. Others want the ability to save even more for their retirement.”

Inland Revenue figures showed that 24% of members contribute at the 4% rate, but only 9% of members contribute at the 8% rate, indicating more might take up a 6% option if it were offered.

The 2016 Review recommended that a name change from “contributions holiday” to “savings suspension” would remove the positive connection with a “holiday” and better reflect what occurred. It also recommended that the default suspension period be reduced from five years to one year, when a member could consider whether to extend their suspension for another year.

In the year ended June 31, 2018, 136,000 members were on a contributions holiday. Almost 84% intended to suspend saving for the current default period of five years.

“Stopping contributions for five years has a significant impact and disrupts long-term savings,” says Cordtz. “Not only do members’ accounts not grow by their contributions, but they also miss out on their employers’ contributions, the government contribution of up to $521 a year, and returns from that money being invested. For many people five years is likely to be longer than necessary and a one-year renewal provides a prompt to reconsider their position and assess whether they can restart saving.”

On April 1 2018 another recommendation from the 2016 Review became law, making it compulsory for KiwiSaver providers to disclose the total dollar cost of all fees on annual statements.

Cordtz said it was satisfying that CFFC continued to influence policy change to the benefit of New Zealanders as the 2019 Review of Retirement Income Policy gets underway. Recommendations from the 2019 Review are due to be tabled in Parliament in December.

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