The Process in Order
- Confirm you are eligible. Three years of KiwiSaver membership, first home, and you intend to live in it.
- Get a signed sale and purchase agreement. You cannot apply before you have one, which matters if you are buying at auction.
- Request the withdrawal pack from your KiwiSaver provider — most can be downloaded or requested online.
- Complete the statutory declaration and have your solicitor certify the relevant sections.
- Submit the pack and wait. Allow 10 to 15 working days from a complete submission.
- Funds are paid to your solicitor's trust account, not to you, as part of the settlement flow.
What You Can and Cannot Withdraw
| Component | Available for a first-home withdrawal? |
|---|---|
| Your own contributions | Yes |
| Your employer's contributions | Yes |
| Investment returns on those contributions | Yes |
| Annual government contribution (up to $260.72 a year) | No |
| Former $1,000 kick-start (removed 2015) | No |
| Amounts transferred from an Australian super scheme | No |
| Final balance left behind | You must leave at least $1,000 |
The government contribution was halved on 1 July 2025 — it now matches 25 cents per dollar up to $260.72 a year, down from $521.43 — so the locked-away portion is smaller than it used to be but still worth accounting for. You need to contribute $1,042.86 a year to earn the full amount.
Documents Providers Ask For
- Signed sale and purchase agreement for the property, or the building contract if you are building.
- Solicitor's certification that the withdrawal is for a first home and that the owner-occupier requirement is met.
- Statutory declaration confirming you have not previously made a first-home withdrawal.
- Identification and your IRD number.
- Membership start date evidence, which your provider already holds — this is the three-year test.
The statutory declaration is the most common cause of delay. It is a formal, signed document, and an unsigned or incorrectly witnessed copy sends the whole pack back.
Timing: Work Backwards From Settlement
A complete application typically takes 10 to 15 working days. Because the money goes to your solicitor's trust account rather than your bank account, it has to be requested early enough to arrive before settlement day, and your solicitor needs to know it is coming so the funds flow is coordinated.
- Buying by negotiation or deadline sale: lodge as soon as the agreement is signed and conditions are satisfied.
- Buying at auction: the agreement is signed on the day of the auction, so prepare everything you can in advance and submit immediately afterwards. This is the scenario where a withdrawal can genuinely come up short.
- Building: the building contract sets the timeline, and providers may release funds in stages.
How Much You Might Actually Get
The amount depends on your balance and how long you have been contributing, but a few reference points are useful for planning:
- 3 years of membership at 3% of a $70,000 salary, plus employer contributions: roughly $12,000–$15,000 before investment returns.
- 6 to 8 years of membership at a similar rate: commonly $30,000–$60,000.
- A couple with comparable histories can often combine toward $60,000–$120,000.
Combine that with the First Home Loan's 5% deposit requirement — $38,500 on a $770,000 home — and the arithmetic starts to work for buyers who could never have saved 20% in cash. The default contribution rate also rose from 3% to 3.5% on 1 April 2026, which slowly increases the amount available at withdrawal.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming the full balance is available. Government contributions stay behind, and $1,000 must remain.
- Applying before you have a signed agreement. Providers cannot process a withdrawal without one.
- Expecting the money in your bank account. It goes to your solicitor's trust account.
- Forgetting it is once-only. A KiwiSaver first-home withdrawal is a lifetime entitlement — you cannot use it twice.
- Leaving it until the week before settlement. Ten to fifteen working days is a working estimate, not a promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a KiwiSaver first-home withdrawal take?
Allow 10 to 15 working days from a complete submission. The funds are paid to your solicitor's trust account rather than your own bank account, so the request needs to be lodged early enough to arrive before settlement day.
How much can I withdraw from KiwiSaver for a first home?
You can withdraw your own contributions, your employer's contributions and the investment returns on them. The annual government contribution (up to $260.72), the former $1,000 kick-start and amounts transferred from an Australian super scheme are excluded, and you must leave at least $1,000 in your account.
Can I withdraw KiwiSaver before I have a sale and purchase agreement?
No. Providers require a signed sale and purchase agreement for the property, or the building contract if you are building. This is why buying at auction is the tightest timeline — the agreement is only signed on auction day.
What happens if I have been a KiwiSaver member for less than three years?
You are not eligible for a first-home withdrawal yet. The three-year test is based on your membership period rather than continuous contributions, so the clock does not reset if you stop contributing, but a newer membership date will not qualify.