# Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators (remote · mcp.calculate.co.nz) Search and run New Zealand tax, KiwiSaver, mortgage and property calculators - Trust score: 71/100 (medium) - Change this week: +4 - Registry status: active - Liveness: live - Owner verified: no - Last scored: 2026-09-27 ## Components - remote · `mcp.calculate.co.nz`: 71/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/nz-co-calculate-calculator/mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/nz-co-calculate-calculator/mcp) ## Channel facts - Endpoint: `https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp` - Transports: `streamable-http` - Auth: `none` - Version: `1.15.1` ## Trust breakdown How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog) Scored 2026-09-27. - **Endpoint Security**: 57/100 - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key. - Authorisation not fully verified: no authorisation is required to call this server, and 36 tool(s) never declared a destructiveHint. The MCP spec treats an absent hint as destructive by default, so we cannot call this surface safe. - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path. - HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent. - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC. - **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100 - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake. - **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 58/100 - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent). - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 17383 tokens (~482/item across 36 items; 36 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params. - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples. - **Stability & Change Management**: 97/100 - Stability observed for 29 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses. - **Tool Coverage**: 67/100 - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name). - 0% of tool parameters carry a description. - **Tool Safety**: 75/100 - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured. - 0 of 2 tool(s) whose name or description implies an irreversible operation declare an MCP destructiveHint annotation; "nz_tax_refund_calculator" implies "refund" and declares no destructiveHint at all, which the MCP spec reads as destructive by default. - An AI judge read all 36 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it. - **Capabilities**: 100/100 - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28. ## Install ### How do I install the Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators MCP server? Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators is a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation. ### Claude ```bash claude mcp add --transport http nz-co-calculate-calculator 'https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp' ``` ### Cursor ```json { "mcpServers": { "nz-co-calculate-calculator": { "url": "https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp" } } } ``` ### VS Code ```json { "servers": { "nz-co-calculate-calculator": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp" } } } ``` ### Codex ```toml [mcp_servers.nz-co-calculate-calculator] url = "https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp" ``` ### opencode ```json { "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json", "mcp": { "nz-co-calculate-calculator": { "type": "remote", "url": "https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp", "enabled": true } } } ``` ### OpenClaw ```bash openclaw mcp add nz-co-calculate-calculator --url 'https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp' --transport streamable-http ``` ### Hermes ```yaml mcp_servers: nz-co-calculate-calculator: url: "https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp" ``` ### Netclaw ```json { "McpServers": { "nz-co-calculate-calculator": { "Transport": "http", "Url": "https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp" } } } ``` ### Vellum ```bash assistant mcp add nz-co-calculate-calculator -t streamable-http -u 'https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp' ``` ### Other ```json { "mcpServers": { "nz-co-calculate-calculator": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp" } } } ``` The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs. ## Changelog Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims. ### 2026-09-27 (score 71, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 93 to 97. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 28 days of observed history at the previous scan, 29 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ### 2026-09-25 (score 70, +1) - [functional] We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server ### 2026-09-23 (score 69, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 80 to 83. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 24 days of observed history at the previous scan, 25 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ### 2026-09-21 (score 68, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 73 to 77. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 22 days of observed history at the previous scan, 23 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ### 2026-09-19 (score 67, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 67 to 70. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 20 days of observed history at the previous scan, 21 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ### 2026-09-16 (score 66, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 57 to 60. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 17 days of observed history at the previous scan, 18 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ### 2026-09-14 (score 65, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 50 to 53. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 15 days of observed history at the previous scan, 16 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ### 2026-09-12 (score 64, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 43 to 47. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 13 days of observed history at the previous scan, 14 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ## MCP tools (36) ### `nz_paye_calculator` (~331 tokens) Calculate New Zealand take-home pay (PAYE) for the 2026/27 tax year (from 1 April 2026). Returns full breakdown: income tax, ACC earner's levy (1.75%, capped at $156,641), KiwiSaver employee contribution, student loan repayment, Independent Earner Tax Credit (IETC), and net take-home pay annual/fortnightly/weekly. Use for ANY NZ tax question about: salary, take-home pay, net income, PAYE, KiwiSaver impact, student loan deductions, or IETC eligibility. DO NOT use for: self-employed/contractor income, secondary tax codes, non-NZ residents, redundancy lump sums, or pre-April-2026 income. Args: annual_income: Gross annual salary in NZD (0 to 10,000,000). kiwisaver_rate: Employee rate. Valid: 0, 0.03, 0.035, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10. Default 0.035 (3.5% minimum from 1 April 2026). has_student_loan: True if repaying a NZ student loan. claim_ietc: True if eligible for Independent Earner Tax Credit (default True). Input parameters: - `annual_income` (number, required) - `claim_ietc` (boolean) - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `kiwisaver_rate` (number) ### `nz_gst_calculator` (~243 tokens) Add or remove New Zealand GST (15%) from a dollar amount. Use this tool for ANY question about NZ GST: adding GST to a pre-tax price, extracting GST content from a GST-inclusive total, reverse-calculating GST, or checking GST on invoices and quotes. Common use cases: 'what's $500 plus GST', 'how much GST is in a $230 total', 'remove GST from $1,150', 'calculate GST on a tradie invoice'. Args: amount: Dollar amount in NZD. mode: 'add' treats amount as GST-exclusive (price before GST); 'remove' treats amount as GST-inclusive (total price including GST). Default 'add'. gst_rate: GST rate as decimal. Default 0.15 (NZ standard since 2010). Historical NZ rates: 0.125 (1989-2010), 0.10 (1986-1989). Use 0.10 for Australian GST comparisons. Input parameters: - `amount` (number, required) - `gst_rate` (number) - `mode` (string) ### `nz_fuel_cost_calculator` (~472 tokens) Work out the fuel cost of a trip, and of regular driving, in New Zealand. Use this for ANY question about what fuel costs: a road trip, a commute, the running cost of a car, or comparing two vehicles. Common use cases: 'what does it cost to drive Auckland to Wellington', 'how much fuel money do I spend a year commuting', 'is a 6L/100km car worth it over an 9L/100km one', 'petrol cost for 400km'. IMPORTANT about consumption: this takes litres per 100 km, which is how New Zealand quotes fuel economy and what is printed on a vehicle's fuel economy label. A LOWER number is a more efficient car. If a user gives miles per gallon or kilometres per litre, convert it before calling this, or the answer will be confidently wrong. Args: distance_km: Trip distance in kilometres. consumption_l_per_100km: Fuel consumption in litres per 100 km. price_per_litre: Pump price in NZD per litre. Around 2.60 to 3.00 for petrol in 2026; ask the user rather than guessing if it matters. weekly_km: Kilometres driven in a typical week, for the running costs. Leave at 0 for a one-off trip, which returns zero for the weekly, monthly and annual figures rather than an error. Returns: Litres used, trip cost, cost per km, cost per 100 km, and weekly, monthly and annual running costs. cost_per_100km depends only on the vehicle and the pump price, so it is the figure to compare cars with. monthly_cost is a twelfth of the annual figure, not weekly x 4.33. Covers fuel only. Not road user charges, which diesel and electric vehicles pay by the kilometre, and not servicing, tyres, insurance or depreciation. Input parameters: - `consumption_l_per_100km` (number, required) - `distance_km` (number, required) - `price_per_litre` (number, required) - `weekly_km` (number) ### `nz_tax_refund_calculator` (~703 tokens) Estimate a New Zealand income tax refund, or tax owed, for a year. Use this for ANY question about a NZ tax refund or an end of year tax bill. Common use cases: 'am I owed a tax refund', 'I only worked part of the year, do I get money back', 'I had a second job on an S code, was I overtaxed', 'how much tax should I have paid on 62k'. A refund is what was deducted minus what was actually owed. PAYE comes out of each pay as though that pay continued all year, so the two usual causes of a refund are a part year and a second job on a flat secondary code. Both are broken out in the result, and both are already inside refund_or_bill rather than additional to it. ASK FOR THE PAYE FIGURE if you can. paye_deducted from payslips or an IRD summary gives a real answer; leaving it out estimates it from the tax code and months worked, which is much rougher. Also ask whether that figure includes ACC, because most payslips lump the earner levy in with PAYE and it is not income tax. Args: gross_income: Total gross income for the year, before tax, in NZD. tax_year: 2026-27, 2025-26, 2024-25 or 2023-24. 2024-25 is approximate because thresholds moved part way through it. paye_deducted: Total PAYE deducted for the year. None to estimate it. acc_included_in_paye: Whether ACC is inside that figure. Usually yes. tax_code: M, ME, MSL, or a secondary code. Only used when estimating. months_worked: Months actually worked. Often the whole reason for a refund. secondary_income: Income from a second job on a secondary code. secondary_tax_code: SB, S, SH or ST. donations: Donations to approved donee organisations. student_loan_deducted: Repayments deducted, or None for no loan. ietc_eligible: False for a main benefit, Working for Families or NZ Super. Returns: refund_or_bill, POSITIVE for a refund owed to the person and… Input parameters: - `acc_included_in_paye` (boolean) - `donations` (number) - `gross_income` (number, required) - `ietc_eligible` (boolean) - `months_worked` (number) - `paye_deducted` - `secondary_income` (number) - `secondary_tax_code` (string) - `student_loan_deducted` - `tax_code` (string) - `tax_year` (string) ### `nz_gpa_calculator` (~333 tokens) Calculate a grade point average for a New Zealand university. Use for any NZ GPA question: 'what is my GPA', 'work out my grade point average from these grades', 'how much will a C drag my GPA down'. CRITICAL: New Zealand uses a NINE POINT scale, not the American 4.0 scale. A+ 9, A 8, A- 7, B+ 6, B 5, B- 4, C+ 3, C 2, C- 1, D and below 0. A GPA of 7.0 is a strong New Zealand result. Do NOT convert to or from a 4.0 scale: the bands do not correspond and any conversion will be wrong. It is credit-weighted, so a grade in a 45 credit paper counts three times a grade in a 15 credit one, and failed papers still count their credits at zero points. Args: courses: One dict per paper, each with "grade" (A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, U, F or J) and "credits" (commonly 15). scale: Optional overrides if the institution weights grades differently. Returns: The GPA, the credits and weighted points it came from, and each paper's contribution so the result can be shown rather than asserted. Input parameters: - `courses` (array, required) - `scale` ### `nz_hourly_to_salary_calculator` (~347 tokens) Convert a New Zealand hourly rate into a salary, before and after tax. Use for: 'what is $32 an hour as a salary', 'how much do I take home on $28/hr', 'is $75,000 better than $36 an hour', 'what is my hourly rate really worth after tax'. Gives gross weekly, fortnightly, monthly and annual, then PAYE, ACC, KiwiSaver and student loan, then take-home. Args: hourly_rate: Gross pay per hour in NZD. hours_per_week: Ordinary hours a week. 40 is full time in NZ. weeks_per_year: Weeks actually paid. Use fewer for seasonal or academic work; 52 otherwise. kiwisaver_rate: A DECIMAL, so 0.03 for 3%. Passing 3 is rejected. has_student_loan: Repayments at 12% above the annual threshold. Returns: Gross at each frequency, every deduction, net annual, net weekly, and effective_hourly_after_tax. Note the two weekly figures answer different questions: net_weekly always divides by 52, so it is what arrives each week across the year, while effective_hourly_after_tax uses the hours actually worked. Quote the effective rate when comparing a wage job to a salaried one. Input parameters: - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `hourly_rate` (number, required) - `hours_per_week` (number) - `kiwisaver_rate` (number) - `weeks_per_year` (number) ### `nz_work_hours_calculator` (~277 tokens) Add up a timesheet of work hours, and turn them into gross pay. Use for: 'how many hours did I work this week', 'add up my shifts', 'what will I be paid for these hours', 'I worked 22:00 to 06:00, how long is that'. Handles overnight shifts: a finish time at or before the start is treated as the next day, so 22:00 to 06:00 is eight hours rather than a negative. Args: days: One dict per day worked, each with "start" and "finish" as "HH:MM" in 24 hour time, optional "break_minutes" of unpaid break, and an optional "label". Leave days off out of the list entirely. hourly_rate: Gross pay per hour. Zero returns hours only. Returns: Hours for each day, the total, and GROSS pay weekly, fortnightly, monthly and annually. For take-home pay use nz_hourly_to_salary_calculator with the rate and the hours. Does not apply overtime or penal rates, public holiday entitlements, or a minimum wage check. Input parameters: - `days` (array, required) - `hourly_rate` (number) ### `nz_bonus_tax_calculator` (~412 tokens) Work out the tax on a New Zealand bonus or commission, and what is left. Use for: 'how much tax will I pay on my bonus', 'why was my bonus taxed so much', 'what will I actually get from a $10,000 bonus', 'is commission taxed differently'. A bonus is an extra emolument. It is NOT taxed at a flat rate and NOT at the person's ordinary rate. The tax is the difference between tax on (salary + bonus) and tax on salary alone. This is why a bonus so often looks over-taxed and is not: when it straddles a bracket, part is taxed at the lower rate and part at the higher one, so the effective rate sits between them and above the rate on their salary. crosses_bracket tells you when to explain this. ALWAYS ask for the annual salary. The same bonus costs different amounts of tax depending on the salary underneath it, so an answer without it is a guess. Args: bonus_amount: Gross bonus or commission in NZD. annual_salary: Regular annual salary, excluding the bonus. kiwisaver_rate: A DECIMAL, 0.03 for 3%. has_student_loan: Whether repayments are deducted. Returns: Income tax on the bonus, its effective rate, ACC, KiwiSaver, student loan, and the net amount. ACC stops at the earnings cap and student loan only bites above the repayment threshold, both of which are handled. An employer may deduct at a flat rate through the year and let IRD square it up at assessment, so a payslip can differ from this and both be correct. Input parameters: - `annual_salary` (number, required) - `bonus_amount` (number, required) - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `kiwisaver_rate` (number) ### `nz_parental_leave_calculator` (~498 tokens) New Zealand paid parental leave: the payment, and the shortfall. Use for: 'how much is paid parental leave', 'can I afford to take parental leave', 'am I eligible for parental leave', 'how much less will I earn on parental leave'. LEAD YOUR ANSWER WITH THE GAP, not the payment. The payment is capped, so anyone earning over roughly $42,000 receives exactly the cap and already knows that number. What they do not know is weekly_gap and total_gap, how much less arrives and what it adds up to over the leave. That is the figure the decision actually turns on. Eligibility is a gate, not a reduction: 26 weeks of work in the year before the due date, at 10 or more hours a week. Fail either and the payment is zero. ineligible_reason names which test failed and by how much, so say that rather than only "not eligible". Args: annual_income: Gross annual income before tax, in NZD. employment_type: "employee" or "self_employed". Only the self-employed get the statutory weekly minimum. hours_per_week: Average hours a week. weeks_worked: Weeks worked in the 52 before the due date. weeks_of_leave: Weeks of the 26 week entitlement this parent takes. kiwisaver_opt_in: Contributions during leave are OPT IN. Worth raising unprompted: someone who does nothing contributes nothing for the whole period, employer share included. kiwisaver_rate: Employee rate as a decimal. Returns: Weekly and total payment, the weekly and total gap against usual pay, eligibility with a reason, weeks left for a partner, and what opting into KiwiSaver is worth over the leave. IRD administers this and its assessment is the one that counts. Does not cover preterm baby payments, keeping in touch hours, or partner transfers. Input parameters: - `annual_income` (number, required) - `employment_type` (string) - `hours_per_week` (number) - `kiwisaver_opt_in` (boolean) - `kiwisaver_rate` (number) - `weeks_of_leave` (integer) - `weeks_worked` (integer) ### `bmi_calculator` (~266 tokens) Calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) from metric measurements. Returns BMI value, category classification (Underweight, Healthy weight, Overweight, Obese, Morbidly obese), and the healthy weight range for the person's height. Use for any BMI question including 'what is my BMI', 'am I a healthy weight', 'what should I weigh for my height'. Inputs are metric only. If the user provides imperial units (feet, inches, pounds, stone), convert them first: 1 foot = 0.3048m, 1 inch = 0.0254m, 1 pound = 0.453592kg, 1 stone = 6.35029kg. Note: BMI is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. It doesn't distinguish muscle from fat, so very athletic people often show as 'overweight' despite being healthy. Always caveat with this when relevant. Args: weight_kg: Weight in kilograms (e.g. 75 for 75kg). height_m: Height in metres (e.g. 1.75 for 175cm). Input parameters: - `height_m` (number, required) - `weight_kg` (number, required) ### `nz_mortgage_calculator` (~257 tokens) Calculate NZ mortgage repayments and lifetime interest totals. Uses the standard amortising-loan PMT formula with monthly compounding. Returns monthly, fortnightly, and weekly repayment figures, total repayments over the life of the loan, total interest paid, and the principal/interest share as percentages. Use for ANY mortgage or home loan question: repayment amounts, affordability checks, comparing loan terms, estimating total interest, or evaluating refinance scenarios. For NZ context: typical NZ mortgage terms are 20-30 years, and rates quoted are annual nominal rates compounded monthly. Most NZ borrowers pay weekly or fortnightly even though rates are quoted monthly. Args: loan_amount: Principal borrowed in NZD (e.g. 650000). annual_interest_rate_pct: Annual rate as a PERCENTAGE not decimal (e.g. 6.5 for 6.5%, NOT 0.065). term_years: Loan term in whole years (typical NZ: 25 or 30). Input parameters: - `annual_interest_rate_pct` (number, required) - `loan_amount` (number, required) - `term_years` (integer, required) ### `nz_annual_leave_calculator` (~354 tokens) Project NZ annual leave balance forward under the Holidays Act 2003. Calculates hours accrued per week based on the holiday pay rate (8% standard NZ minimum), then projects the existing balance forward by the requested future period. Returns projected balance in hours, days, and weeks of equivalent leave. Use for any question about: annual leave accrual, future leave balance, planning time off, calculating entitlement after N months/years of work. NZ context: Holidays Act 2003 mandates minimum 4 weeks paid annual leave per year, which equates to 8% of hours worked accruing as leave. Employers may offer higher rates. Standard NZ full-time week is 40 hours across 5 x 8-hour days. Args: current_balance: Existing leave balance (in hours or days). current_balance_unit: 'hours' or 'days'. Default 'hours'. hours_per_workday: Standard workday length for this person (default 8). holiday_rate_pct: Holiday pay accrual rate (default 8% = NZ minimum). hours_per_workweek: Standard work-week (default 40). future_period: How far forward to project (default 12). future_period_unit: 'weeks', 'months', or 'years' (default 'months'). Input parameters: - `current_balance` (number, required) - `current_balance_unit` (string) - `future_period` (number) - `future_period_unit` (string) - `holiday_rate_pct` (number) - `hours_per_workday` (number) - `hours_per_workweek` (number) ### `nz_kiwisaver_calculator` (~845 tokens) Project a NZ KiwiSaver balance from current age to retirement age. Month-by-month compound interest projection matching the calculate.co.nz methodology. Includes employee and employer contributions, voluntary top-ups at your chosen cadence, the government contribution ($260.72/yr if eligible), management fees, and PIR tax on investment gains. Returns both the nominal final balance and the inflation-adjusted real (today's dollars) balance. Use for ANY KiwiSaver retirement-planning question: 'how much will I have at 65', 'is $X enough to retire on', 'what happens if I contribute more', 'how much does switching from Conservative to Growth help', 'what's the impact of fees over 30 years'. FUND TYPES and expected annual returns: - Cash: 1.00% (very low risk, low return) - Conservative: 2.50% (low risk, default) - Balanced: 4.00% (moderate risk) - Growth: 7.00% (higher risk, higher expected return) - Custom: you specify via custom_return_pct PIR (Prescribed Investor Rate) is the tax rate on your KiwiSaver investment gains, NOT your income tax rate. Valid values: - 10.5 (low incomes) - 17.5 (middle incomes) - 28 (higher incomes, default) KEY RULES APPLIED (current as of April 2026): - Government contribution: full $260.72/yr for eligible members (halved from $521.43 on 1 July 2025) - Not available if annual income exceeds $179,999.99 - Minimum contribution 3.5% from 1 April 2026 (rising to 4% in 2028) Args: current_balance: Starting KiwiSaver balance in NZD. current_age: Current age in whole years. retirement_age: Projection end age (default 65). annual_income: Current gross annual salary (default 100000). income_growth_pct: Annual salary increase % (default 1.0). employee_rate_pct: 0, 3, 3.5, 4, 6, 8, or 10 (default 3.5). employer_rate_pct: Employer contribution % (default 3.5, NZ minimum). volunta… Input parameters: - `annual_fee_pct` (number) - `annual_income` (number) - `current_age` (integer, required) - `current_balance` (number, required) - `custom_return_pct` (number) - `employee_rate_pct` (number) - `employer_rate_pct` (number) - `fund_type` (string) - `income_growth_pct` (number) - `inflation_pct` (number) - `pir_rate_pct` (number) - `retirement_age` (integer) - `switch_custom_return_pct` (number) - `switch_fund_at_age` (integer) - `switch_to_fund` (string) - `voluntary_amount` (number) - `voluntary_frequency` (string) ### `find_calculator` (~466 tokens) Search all 2,377 Calculate.co.nz calculators, guides and datasets by topic. Calculate.co.nz is New Zealand's largest free calculator library. Only a handful of its tools have their own MCP tool; this searches EVERYTHING and returns the pages that match, so any calculation the site covers can be found and linked even when no dedicated tool exists here. Use for ANY question of the form "is there a calculator for...", "how do I work out...", "where can I calculate...", or whenever a New Zealand calculation is asked about and no specific tool above fits. Also use it before telling a user that something cannot be calculated: the site covers tax, mortgages, KiwiSaver, property, employment and leave, business metrics, investments, insurance, vehicles, maths, statistics, science, engineering, health and everyday conversions. Results are ranked with New Zealand specific pages first, because the site is written for NZ rules, rates and legislation. Guides and reference datasets are included alongside calculators, so a question about how something works can return an explanation rather than a form. DO NOT use for: performing the calculation itself when a dedicated tool above exists (use nz_paye_calculator for take-home pay, nz_gst_calculator for GST, nz_mortgage_calculator for repayments, nz_kiwisaver_calculator for KiwiSaver projections, nz_annual_leave_calculator for leave). This tool finds pages; it does not compute. It also cannot answer non-New Zealand questions about foreign tax or benefit systems. Args: query: What the user wants to work out, in plain language. Natural questions work better than keywords: "how much redundancy pay am I owed" beats "redundancy". limit: How many results to return, 1 to 20. Default 5. Returns: results: ranked list, each with title, url, type (calculator, tool, guide or dataset), catego… Input parameters: - `limit` (integer) - `query` (string, required) ### `nz_net_to_gross_calculator` (~334 tokens) Work out the GROSS New Zealand salary needed to take home a given amount. Use for: 'what salary do I need to take home $1,200 a week', 'I want $70,000 in the hand, what do I ask for', 'what gross salary gives me $5,000 a month after tax', negotiating a package to a net figure. This cannot be done by scaling. Tax is progressive and the ACC levy is capped, so the gap between gross and net widens as income rises: doubling the take-home needs more than double the gross. ALWAYS tell the person which deductions were counted. By default the target is treated as after income tax and the ACC earner levy only, which is what the website assumes. If they contribute to KiwiSaver or repay a student loan, pass those, because the gross needed goes up materially. Args: target_net: The take-home wanted, in the period given. period: annual, monthly, fortnightly or weekly. kiwisaver_rate: A DECIMAL, 0.035 for 3.5%. Zero by default. has_student_loan: Whether repayments come out before the target. Returns: The gross needed, the deductions between it and the target, and deductions_included naming exactly what was counted. Input parameters: - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `kiwisaver_rate` (number) - `period` (string) - `target_net` (number, required) ### `nz_final_pay_calculator` (~555 tokens) Work out a New Zealand final pay: leave payout, notice and redundancy. Use for: 'what should my final pay be', 'how much annual leave am I owed when I leave', 'I am resigning, what do they owe me', 'do I get 8% holiday pay'. ASK HOW LONG THEY WORKED THERE FIRST. It decides the whole calculation: - Under 12 months: no leave entitlement has vested, so the Holidays Act pays 8% of ALL gross earnings during the employment. Set service="under12" and pass gross_earnings_total. A leave balance showing in a payroll system is NOT what they are owed. - 12 months or more: unused leave is paid out at a daily rate. Set service="over12" and pass leave_balance_days. Getting that branch wrong is the common mistake and it changes the answer completely. ALWAYS say what the total leaves out: ordinary wages for days actually worked are paid on top at the usual rate, and every figure is GROSS. The leave payout is then taxed as an extra pay, which is nz_lump_sum_tax_calculator. New Zealand has NO statutory redundancy pay. If they ask what redundancy they are entitled to, the answer is whatever their employment agreement says, and nothing if it says nothing. Args: annual_salary: Annual salary. Give this OR hourly_rate. hourly_rate: Hourly rate, used with hours_per_week. hours_per_week: Ordinary weekly hours, for an hourly rate. service: "over12" or "under12". leave_balance_days: Unused leave in DAYS, for over12. gross_earnings_total: All gross earned, required for under12. average_weekly_earnings: Optional. Leave is paid at the greater of this and ordinary weekly pay; pass it if their pay varied. notice_weeks: Weeks of notice paid in lieu. redundancy: Agreed redundancy from the employment agreement. Returns: Leave payout with its working shown, notice pay, redundancy, the gross total,… Input parameters: - `annual_salary` (number) - `average_weekly_earnings` (number) - `gross_earnings_total` (number) - `hourly_rate` (number) - `hours_per_week` (number) - `leave_balance_days` (number) - `notice_weeks` (number) - `redundancy` (number) - `service` (string) ### `nz_secondary_tax_calculator` (~408 tokens) Find the right New Zealand secondary tax code and what it costs. Use for: 'what tax code for my second job', 'is secondary tax a rip off', 'why am I taxed so much on my second job', 'what is SH SL', 'do I get that money back', filling in an IR330. CORRECT THE MISCONCEPTION. A secondary code is not a penalty. It approximates the marginal rate the second income attracts on top of the first, so roughly the right amount comes out through the year, and any excess comes back in the year-end square-up. year_end_position says which way it falls for this person, and a refund is common and normal. The rates look brutal because they are not income tax rates: each carries the 1.75% ACC earner levy, and the SL codes add 12% student loan on top. So 31.75% is 30 plus 1.75, not a 31.75% tax rate. The response breaks the rate into its components; use them when explaining. ALWAYS ask for the main job income. The code depends on the two incomes combined, so an answer without it is a guess. Args: main_income: Gross annual income from the main job. secondary_amount: The second income, in the frequency given. secondary_frequency: annual, monthly, fortnightly or weekly. has_student_loan: Changes the code to its SL variant. Returns: The IR330 code, the flat rate broken into its parts, what is deducted and what is left, and the estimated year-end bill or refund from these two sources. Input parameters: - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `main_income` (number, required) - `secondary_amount` (number, required) - `secondary_frequency` (string) ### `nz_pro_rata_salary_calculator` (~386 tokens) Scale a full-time New Zealand salary to part-time hours, gross and net. Use for: 'what would $90,000 be for 3 days a week', 'pro rata salary for 25 hours', 'I am dropping to four days, what will I earn', 'is part time worth it after tax'. THE USEFUL PART IS THE TAKE-HOME, NOT THE GROSS. The gross scales with the hours; the take-home does not, because dropping hours drops the salary out of the higher brackets. Someone going from five days to three often keeps more than 60% of their take-home, and that is what the decision turns on. Lead with it. The Independent Earner Tax Credit defaults on, because part-time earnings are the band where it is worth the most. Turn it off for someone on a main benefit, Working for Families or NZ Super. Args: full_time_salary: The advertised full-time annual salary. full_time_hours: Hours a week full time is based on, usually 40. your_hours: Hours a week actually worked. kiwisaver_rate: A DECIMAL, 0.035 for 3.5%. has_student_loan: Whether repayments are deducted. claim_ietc: Whether the Independent Earner Tax Credit applies. Returns: The pro rata salary gross by year, month, fortnight and week, the implied hourly rate, and the take-home after tax. Input parameters: - `claim_ietc` (boolean) - `full_time_hours` (number) - `full_time_salary` (number, required) - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `kiwisaver_rate` (number) - `your_hours` (number) ### `nz_lump_sum_tax_calculator` (~447 tokens) Tax on a New Zealand redundancy or lump sum, by IRD's rate table. Use for: 'how much tax on my redundancy', 'what will I get from a $40,000 redundancy payment', 'is redundancy taxed differently', 'tax on a retirement payment', checking a redundancy letter. TWO RULES MAKE REDUNDANCY DIFFERENT AND BOTH ARE EASY TO MISS. Redundancy and retirement payments carry NO ACC earner levy, so they always take the lower rate column whatever the income, and NO KiwiSaver is deducted from them at all. Treating a redundancy like a bonus overstates the deductions twice over. Pass payment_type correctly. This applies IRD's published rate TABLE, where annualised income plus the lump sum picks one flat rate charged on the whole payment. That is what an employer deducts on the day. nz_bonus_tax_calculator computes the same tax the exact way instead, which is roughly where the year-end assessment lands. Both are right; they give different answers. Use this one to check a letter or a payslip, and say which method you used. ALWAYS ask for the annual salary. It selects the rate, so the answer depends on it entirely. Args: lump_sum: The gross lump sum in NZD. annual_salary: Annual salary, used as the annualised income. payment_type: redundancy, retirement, bonus, commission, holiday_pay, exit_inducement or back_pay. kiwisaver_rate: A DECIMAL. Forced to zero for redundancy and retirement. has_student_loan: Whether 12% comes off the lump sum. Returns: The rate selected with why_that_rate explaining which row and why, the PAYE, other deductions, and the net amount received. Input parameters: - `annual_salary` (number, required) - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `kiwisaver_rate` (number) - `lump_sum` (number, required) - `payment_type` (string) ### `nz_working_for_families_calculator` (~554 tokens) Work out a New Zealand family's Working for Families entitlement. Use for: 'how much Working for Families will I get', 'what is my family tax credit', 'do I qualify for the in-work tax credit', 'how much Best Start will I get', 'will I lose Working for Families if I earn more'. CORRECT A COMMON AND EXPENSIVE MISTAKE. There is NO hours test for the In-Work Tax Credit and has not been one since 1 July 2020. Anyone with some income from paid work each week, who is not on an income-tested benefit or student allowance, qualifies. Many sources, including our own website page, still repeat the old 20 hours sole parent / 30 hours couple rule. A parent working fifteen hours a week is entitled to $7,670 this year and is often told they are not. ASK FOR THE COMBINED FAMILY INCOME, not one partner's. Everything abates against it, so an answer from one income is wrong. ASK HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE UNDER 3, not under 1. Best Start runs to the third birthday and is worth $4,041 a year per child. The In-Work Tax Credit is temporarily $7,670 a year until 31 March 2027, then reverts to $5,070, so an answer about next year differs from this one. Say which you have given. Args: children: Dependent children in the caregiver's care. family_income: Combined gross annual family income, all sources. children_under_3: How many are under 3, for Best Start. iwtc_eligible: Some paid work and no income-tested benefit. best_start_children_first_year_exempt: Under-3s in their first year born BEFORE 1 April 2026, which are exempt from the income test. iwtc_after_march_2027: Model the reverted $5,070 rate. Returns: FTC, IWTC and Best Start with each abatement shown separately, the annual, weekly and fortnightly totals, an assumptions block naming every rate used, and what the calculation excludes. Input parameters: - `best_start_children_first_year_exempt` (integer) - `children` (integer, required) - `children_under_3` (integer) - `family_income` (number, required) - `iwtc_after_march_2027` (boolean) - `iwtc_eligible` (boolean) ### `nz_road_user_charges_calculator` (~476 tokens) Work out New Zealand road user charges for an EV, diesel or plug-in hybrid. Use for: 'how much RUC will I pay', 'what does RUC cost for an EV', 'is a diesel cheaper than petrol once you count RUC', 'do hybrids pay RUC', 'how much are road user charges a year'. GET THE VEHICLE TYPE RIGHT, because it changes the rate: ev $76 per 1,000 km diesel $76 phev_petrol $38, roughly half, because petrol excise is already paid phev_diesel $76, the FULL rate, since diesel carries no excise hybrid_petrol no RUC at all An ordinary petrol hybrid paying nothing is not an exemption: it pays through fuel excise at the pump. Say that rather than implying it escapes. MENTION THE TRANSACTION FEES. RUC is bought in prepaid blocks and every purchase carries a fee, so 20,000 km in 1,000 km blocks pays it twenty times. Buying bigger blocks is the main saving available, and it is invisible if you only multiply distance by rate. petrol_equivalent_excise answers the question underneath most of these: whether the RUC vehicle is really paying more than a petrol one. Light vehicles 3,500 kg and under. Heavy vehicle rates differ and are not covered. Args: annual_km: Distance driven in a year. vehicle_type: ev, diesel, phev_petrol, phev_diesel or hybrid_petrol. block_size_km: Size of each RUC purchase. purchase_method: online or agent. fuel_efficiency_l_per_100km: For the petrol comparison only. Returns: The rate, the charge, the transaction count and fees, the total, cents per kilometre, and the equivalent petrol excise. Input parameters: - `annual_km` (number, required) - `block_size_km` (number) - `fuel_efficiency_l_per_100km` (number) - `purchase_method` (string) - `vehicle_type` (string) ### `nz_electricity_cost_calculator` (~507 tokens) Estimate a New Zealand household's electricity cost, by region and appliance. Use for: 'how much does power cost in Auckland', 'what does my heat pump cost to run', 'why is my power bill so high', 'is electricity cheaper in Wellington', 'how much does it cost to charge an EV at home'. WHERE THEY LIVE CHANGES THE ANSWER MATERIALLY. Wellington pays 34.61c a unit and Balclutha 48.93c, from MBIE's survey. Ask for the town. LEAD WITH biggest_users. A heat pump and a hot water cylinder dominate almost every bill; standby power almost never does, which is the opposite of where most saving advice points. Naming the two appliances that matter is more useful than the total. MENTION THE FIXED CHARGE. Every connection pays a daily charge whatever it uses, so a low user pays a large share of the bill just for being connected, and a household under 8,000 kWh a year should compare a low fixed charge plan. Those regulations are capped at $1.80 a day from 1 April 2026 and are revoked on 1 April 2027. If they have their bill, pass custom_rate_cents and their own fixed charge rather than the regional average. If they know their own habits, pass appliance_hours: the defaults are a typical household, not theirs. Args: region: An MBIE survey town, or "nz average". household_size: 1 to 5, where 5 means five or more. daily_fixed_charge: In DOLLARS a day, from the bill. custom_rate_cents: Their own rate in cents per kWh including GST. appliance_hours: Override hours, keyed by heat_pump, hot_water, oven, clothes_dryer, ev_charger and the rest. Returns: Daily, monthly and annual cost with usage and fixed charge separated, every appliance costed, the three biggest users, and how the region compares with the national average and the extremes. Input parameters: - `appliance_hours` - `custom_rate_cents` (number) - `daily_fixed_charge` (number) - `household_size` (integer) - `region` (string) ### `nz_ncea_rank_score_calculator` (~458 tokens) Turn NCEA credits into a University Entrance rank score and a GPA. Use for: 'convert my NCEA to GPA', 'what is my rank score', 'what rank score do I need for medicine', 'how many credits do I need for university', 'NCEA to 4.0 GPA'. ANSWER WITH THE RANK SCORE EVEN WHEN THEY ASKED FOR A GPA. NZQA issues no GPA, so the 4-point figure is an unofficial convention and must be labelled as one. The University Entrance rank score is the number every New Zealand university actually uses to select for limited-entry programmes like medicine, law and engineering, and almost nobody asks for it by name. THE MOST USEFUL THING YOU CAN TELL THEM IS IN credits_ignored. The rank score uses the BEST 80 credits at Level 3 or above, counted Excellence first. A student with 80 Excellence and 40 Achieved scores exactly the same as one with 80 Excellence alone. So collecting more Achieved credits is worth nothing once they have 80, while lifting one existing subject from Achieved to Merit is worth 80 points. next_step says which case they are in; lead with it. Not Achieved credits earn nothing towards the rank score but do pull the indicative GPA down, which is why the two numbers can move apart. Args: excellence_credits: Level 3 or above credits at Excellence. merit_credits: Level 3 or above credits at Merit. achieved_credits: Level 3 or above credits Achieved. not_achieved_credits: Credits attempted and not achieved. Returns: The rank score out of 320 with its working shown, how many credits counted and how many were ignored, an unofficial 4-point GPA, and what would actually raise the score for this student. Input parameters: - `achieved_credits` (integer) - `excellence_credits` (integer) - `merit_credits` (integer) - `not_achieved_credits` (integer) ### `nz_vehicle_loan_calculator` (~430 tokens) Work out repayments on a New Zealand car loan, and what it really costs. Use for: 'what would repayments be on a $35,000 car', 'car loan calculator', 'is a 5 year car loan a bad idea', 'how much interest will I pay on car finance'. LEAD WITH interest_share_of_borrowing, NOT THE MONTHLY PAYMENT. Car finance runs at rates a mortgage borrower would not recognise, so over five years the interest often exceeds 30% of what was borrowed. That single figure informs the decision more than the payment does, and it is the one nobody is shown at the dealership. The term is short, so stretching it barely moves the monthly payment and moves the total interest a great deal. If they are considering a longer term, run both and show the difference in total interest. fortnightly_equivalent is the monthly payment converted, because that is how most people are paid. It is NOT fortnightly amortisation, which would clear the loan faster and is a different product. Say which you mean. ALWAYS mention excludes before quoting a payment as what they will pay. Establishment fees, PPSR registration, mechanical breakdown insurance and dealer add-ons are usually financed too, so a real contract is higher. A balloon payment cuts the monthly figure and leaves a lump sum at the end. Args: vehicle_price: Price of the vehicle. deposit: Cash or trade-in up front. annual_interest_rate_pct: A PERCENTAGE, so 12.95 not 0.1295. term_years: Loan term in years. Returns: Monthly, fortnightly and weekly figures, total repaid, total interest, and the interest as a share of the borrowing. Input parameters: - `annual_interest_rate_pct` (number) - `deposit` (number) - `term_years` (number) - `vehicle_price` (number, required) ### `energy_expenditure_calculator` (~566 tokens) Work out maintenance calories (TDEE), BMR, and a target for a goal. Use for: 'how many calories should I eat', 'what is my TDEE', 'calorie deficit to lose weight', 'how many calories to lose 5kg', 'what are my macros'. NAME THE FORMULA. Mifflin-St Jeor and the revised Harris-Benedict differ by 5 to 10% for the same person, which is often more than the entire deficit they are trying to run. formula_spread_kcal is that gap and bmr_formula_used says which one the answer took. Quoting a calorie number without saying where it came from is the mistake to avoid here, because the person will treat it as measured rather than estimated. ASK FOR BODY FAT IF THEY MIGHT KNOW IT. With it, Katch-McArdle works from lean mass and is the better estimate, particularly for anyone muscular or carrying more fat than average, where the weight-based formulas are worst. WARN ABOUT THE ACTIVITY LEVEL. Most people overestimate it, and one level is worth several hundred calories a day. One level lower than it feels is usually closer. Projections use 7,700 kcal per kilogram of body fat, so 500 kcal a day is about half a kilogram a week. Pass on the caveats: these are population formulas, not a measurement, and a long timeline runs optimistic because metabolic rate falls as weight does. The honest advice is to eat at the number for two to three weeks and adjust from what the scale does. Args: sex: male or female. It changes the formula constant. age: Years. weight_kg: Body weight in kilograms. height_cm: Height in centimetres. activity_level: sedentary, light, moderate, very_active, extra_active. goal: lose, maintain or gain. body_fat_pct: Optional, and worth asking for. target_weight_kg: Optional, produces a timeline. Returns: All three BMR formulas with their spread, the TDEE, a calorie target for the goal, protein, fat… Input parameters: - `activity_level` (string) - `age` (integer, required) - `body_fat_pct` (number) - `goal` (string) - `height_cm` (number, required) - `sex` (string, required) - `target_weight_kg` (number) - `weight_kg` (number, required) ### `nz_fbt_calculator` (~691 tokens) Work out New Zealand fringe benefit tax on a company vehicle, a low-interest loan, or another benefit. Use for: 'FBT on a company car', 'how much FBT do I pay', 'fringe benefit tax calculator', 'is the alternate rate cheaper', 'FBT on a staff loan'. THE RATE IS THE EASY PART. What goes wrong is the taxable value, because FBT is charged on a value derived from the asset, not on what the benefit cost the employer. For a vehicle the two methods give very different answers on the same car. Cost price is 5% a quarter of the GST-inclusive price the employer paid and NEVER FALLS as the car ages. Tax book value is 9% a quarter of the written-down value, with a floor of $8,333. An older vehicle is usually cheaper on tax book value; a cheap one can be dearer, because of the floor. If someone is choosing, run both. THE DAYS DIVISOR IS ALWAYS 90, under section RD 29(5)(a) of the Income Tax Act 2007. It is not the number of days in the actual quarter. Do not "correct" it to 91 or 92. On the rate, be careful: 63.93% is the single rate, applies to every employee whatever they earn, and needs no wash-up. 49.25% is lower but available in quarters one to three ONLY, and using it obliges a quarter four wash-up that can claw the saving back. NEVER present the alternate rate as simply cheaper. quarter_four_washup_required says so for you. annual_fbt is the quarter times four, which holds only if the benefit is unchanged all year. A car bought mid-year is not. Args: benefit_type: 'vehicle', 'loan' or 'other'. rate_method: 'single' (63.93%) or 'alternate' (49.25%). vehicle_value: Vehicle only. GST-inclusive cost price or tax book value. value_method: 'cost_price' or 'tax_book_value'. days_available: Vehicle only. Days available for private use, capped at 90. employee_contribution: Vehicle only. What the employee paid this quarter. loan… Input parameters: - `actual_rate_pct` (number) - `benefit_type` (string) - `days_available` (number) - `employee_contribution` (number) - `loan_balance` (number) - `other_quarterly_value` (number) - `prescribed_rate_pct` (number) - `rate_method` (string) - `value_method` (string) - `vehicle_value` (number) ### `nz_redundancy_entitlement_calculator` (~654 tokens) Work out what is actually owed when a New Zealand role is made redundant. Use for: 'what redundancy am I entitled to', 'redundancy pay NZ', 'made redundant what do I get', 'is redundancy pay compulsory in New Zealand'. START WITH THIS, BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST COMMON ERROR IN GENERAL ADVICE: NEW ZEALAND HAS NO STATUTORY REDUNDANCY PAY. None. An employee is entitled to redundancy compensation ONLY if their employment agreement provides for it. This is the opposite of the UK and Australian position, and answers written from overseas sources get it wrong. The default clause here is "none" for that reason, and statutory_position says it in words. What IS owed by law is the mandatory side: wages worked and unpaid, annual leave not taken, alternative holidays not taken, and the notice period. TWO TOTALS COME BACK AND THEY ANSWER DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. total_all_in everything the person receives. The SAME figure whether notice is worked or paid in lieu. Quote this when someone asks what they will get. total_package the final pay only. Quote this when they are asking about the payslip. They differ because notice worked arrives as ordinary salary over those weeks rather than as a lump sum. Quoting only the final pay makes payment in lieu look better off by a whole notice period, which it is not. Every figure is GROSS. Redundancy compensation is an extra pay taxed at the lump sum rate, so use nz_lump_sum_tax_calculator for the tax on it. If they do not know whether they have a clause, tell them to check the employment agreement, and any collective agreement or company policy it refers to, before concluding they are owed nothing. Args: annual_salary: Gross annual salary. years_of_service: Completed years. Part years are not counted. notice_weeks: Notice period in weeks. notice_worked: T… Input parameters: - `alternative_holiday_days` (number) - `annual_leave_days` (number) - `annual_salary` (number, required) - `custom_redundancy_amount` (number) - `notice_weeks` (integer) - `notice_worked` (boolean) - `outstanding_wages` (number) - `redundancy_clause` (string) - `years_of_service` (integer) ### `nz_grocery_budget_calculator` (~503 tokens) Work out a weekly grocery budget for a New Zealand household. Use for: 'how much should I spend on groceries', 'grocery budget for a family of four NZ', 'average food bill New Zealand', 'am I spending too much on food'. Build the household person by person. A teenager is not a child-sized cost, and an average per head hides exactly the thing that makes the answer useful. Member types are child_5_10, teen_11_17, adult_male, adult_female and elderly_65; list one entry per person. ALL THREE SPEND LEVELS COME BACK EVERY TIME, and that is the point. A single figure invites "that seems high". The gap between basic and liberal for the SAME household, in dollars a year, is the number that changes behaviour, and on a family of four it is usually several thousand dollars. annual_gap_basic_to_liberal puts it in one place. Lead with it. BE STRAIGHT ABOUT WHAT THESE FIGURES ARE. They are indicative planning figures, not measured survey data and not a benchmark to hold anyone to. Do not present them as official. If someone wants measured New Zealand data, point them at the Household Economic Survey pages on the site instead. Args: members: One entry per person, e.g. ['adult_male', 'adult_female', 'teen_11_17']. Between one and twelve. spend_level: 'basic', 'moderate' or 'liberal'. diet: 'standard', 'vegetarian', 'vegan', 'gluten_free', 'organic' or 'halal'. region: 'nz_average', 'auckland', 'wellington', 'christchurch', 'hamilton', 'tauranga', 'dunedin', 'provincial' or 'rural_remote'. include_non_food: Add $25 a week for cleaning products and toiletries. Returns: Weekly, monthly and annual budgets, all three spend levels, the annual gap between them, and the per-person weekly figure. Input parameters: - `diet` (string) - `include_non_food` (boolean) - `members` (array, required) - `region` (string) - `spend_level` (string) ### `nz_contractor_vs_employee_calculator` (~741 tokens) Compare contracting with salaried employment in New Zealand, on what is actually kept. Use for: 'should I go contracting', 'contractor rate vs salary', 'what rate do I need to match my salary', 'is contracting worth it NZ'. ALMOST EVERYONE COMPARES THE TWO HEADLINE NUMBERS AS THOUGH THEY WERE THE SAME KIND OF NUMBER. They are not. An employee's package includes things a contractor has to fund out of the rate: - Employer KiwiSaver, at least 3.5% from 1 April 2026, less ESCT. A contractor gets no match, so the same percentage costs them all of it. - Annual leave, ten sick days and eleven public holidays. Around 45 of the 260 working days in a year. - The ACC work levy, which an employer pays and a contractor does not. SO TWO COMPARISONS COME BACK. cash_difference is take-home against take-home, and it is the one that FLATTERS CONTRACTING because it ignores all of the above. package_difference is the honest one. It is common for a contract to be well ahead on cash and behind on package. If you quote only the first you have given bad advice, so quote both and say which is which. breakeven_contract_income answers the question people actually have, which is what they need to charge to be no worse off. Lead with it when someone is deciding on a rate. annual_contract_income is the year's TOTAL invoicing, not a rate to be multiplied up. billable_weeks only expresses the implied weekly and daily rate. GST is excluded: over $60,000 of turnover registration is compulsory, but GST is collected and passed on rather than earned. Also worth saying out loud, because it has no dollar figure and is not nothing: an employee has notice periods and personal grievance rights, and a contractor does not. Args: annual_gross_salary: The salaried offer, gross. annual_contract_income: Total expected to invoice for the year, GST exclusive. annu… Input parameters: - `acc_work_levy_pct` (number) - `annual_business_expenses` (number) - `annual_contract_income` (number, required) - `annual_gross_salary` (number, required) - `annual_leave_days` (number) - `billable_weeks` (number) - `claim_ietc` (boolean) - `employer_kiwisaver_rate_pct` (number) - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `own_kiwisaver_rate_pct` (number) ### `nz_benefit_entitlement_calculator` (~661 tokens) Estimate a New Zealand main benefit, its abatement and the Accommodation Supplement that goes with it. Use for: 'how much is jobseeker', 'sole parent support rate', 'supported living payment amount', 'how much can I earn before my benefit is cut', 'accommodation supplement how much', 'winter energy payment'. FOUR THINGS DECIDE THE ANSWER AND ONLY THE FIRST IS WIDELY KNOWN. The base rate depends on the benefit and the living situation. ABATEMENT IS NOT A DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR CUT. The first $160 a week of other income is free. Above that a sole parent loses 30c in the dollar up to $250 and 70c after; everyone else loses 70c from the start. People routinely believe every dollar earned is a dollar lost and turn down work on that basis, so if someone is asking whether it is worth working, say the free zone exists and how big it is. THE ACCOMMODATION SUPPLEMENT IS 70% OF HOUSING COSTS ABOVE AN ENTRY THRESHOLD, not 70% of the rent. The threshold is 25% of the base rate for renters and boarders and 30% for owners, and only 62% of a board payment counts as a housing cost at all. It is then capped by area, 1 being the highest cost. Someone whose rent is below the threshold gets nothing. The Winter Energy Payment runs 1 May to 1 October and is only paid while some main benefit is still payable after abatement. Rates are read from the published register, and rate_source says which figure was used, when it was verified and when it next changes. Benefit rates move every 1 April, so do not reuse an answer across that date. THIS IS AN ESTIMATE OF PUBLISHED RATES, NOT AN ASSESSMENT. Entitlement also depends on residency, relationship status, assets and obligations no calculator sees. Say so rather than presenting it as a decision. Args: benefit_type: Which main benefit is being received. situation: Living situation, which selects the weekly rate. wee… Input parameters: - `accommodation_cost` (number) - `area` (integer) - `benefit_type` (string) - `children` (integer) - `housing_type` (string) - `situation` (string) - `weekly_income` (number) - `winter` (boolean) ### `nz_schedular_payment_calculator` (~532 tokens) Work out the withholding tax on a New Zealand schedular payment to a contractor, and what the contractor is actually left with. Use for: 'withholding tax on contractor payment', 'schedular payment tax rate', 'IR330C rate', 'director fee tax NZ', 'what tax do I deduct from a contractor', 'no IR330C what rate'. TWO RULES CAUSE MOST OF THE TROUBLE. WITHHOLDING TAX IS CHARGED ON THE PAYMENT EXCLUDING GST. A GST registered contractor invoicing $1,000 plus GST bills $1,150, and the withholding is charged on the $1,000. Charging it on the GST-inclusive figure over-deducts by 15% of the tax every single time, and it is a common payroll error. THE RATE DEPENDS ON THE ACTIVITY, NOT ON THE CONTRACTOR. Schedule 4 sets a standard rate per listed activity. A contractor may elect anything between 10% and 40% on an IR330C. WITHOUT THAT FORM THE PAYER MUST DEDUCT AT 45%, the no-notification rate, which is punitive by design and catches people who simply never sent the paperwork back. If someone is being deducted 45%, the fix is usually a form, not an argument. THE DEDUCTION IS NOT A FINAL TAX. It is a credit against the contractor's income tax for the year, so a contractor with deductible expenses usually gets some back and one with a large profit usually owes more. year_end_credit is the figure that goes in the return. Do not describe the deduction as "the tax they paid on that job". Args: payment_excluding_gst: The fee BEFORE GST. activity: Schedule 4 activity, which sets the standard rate. rate_option: standard, nominated (an IR330C election), or no_form. nominated_rate_pct: The elected rate, 10 to 40. Required for nominated. gst_registered: Whether the contractor is GST registered. Returns: The invoice, the rate and why it applies, the tax deducted, the net to the contractor, and the credit claimable at year end. Input parameters: - `activity` (string) - `gst_registered` (boolean) - `nominated_rate_pct` - `payment_excluding_gst` (number, required) - `rate_option` (string) ### `nz_acc_weekly_compensation_calculator` (~506 tokens) Estimate what ACC pays each week while an injury stops someone working. Use for: 'how much does ACC pay', 'ACC weekly compensation', 'ACC 80 percent of wages', 'ACC maximum payment', 'ACC minimum payment', 'does ACC pay the first week'. "80% OF YOUR EARNINGS" IS THE HEADLINE AND IT IS INCOMPLETE THREE WAYS. THE FIRST WEEK IS THE EMPLOYER'S COST, NOT ACC'S. ACC starts from the second week. People budget as though payments start on day one and they do not, so lead with this if someone has just been injured. THERE IS A CEILING. Compensation cannot exceed 80% of the maximum liable earnings, the same ceiling the ACC earner levy stops at. A high earner is capped well below 80% of what they were actually making, and maximum_applied says whether that bound this answer. THERE IS A FLOOR, BUT ONLY FOR FULL-TIME EARNERS, meaning 30 hours a week or more. It is 80% of the adult minimum wage for a 40 hour week. A part-timer on low earnings is NOT lifted to it. This is the one most often assumed the other way round. Both bounds are derived from the rate register rather than typed, so they move on 1 April with the levy ceiling and the minimum wage. The short-term basis uses the four weeks before the injury and applies for the first four weeks; after that ACC moves to a 52 week basis, which matters a great deal for anyone with irregular or seasonal earnings. This is an estimate on published settings, not a decision on any claim. Entitlement depends on cover being accepted and an assessed incapacity. Args: weekly_earnings: Gross weekly earnings before the injury. hours_per_week: Hours normally worked. 30 or more is full time. basis: short_term for the first four weeks, long_term after. Returns: The weekly payment, the uncapped 80% figure, both bounds, whether either applied, and what the employer pays for the first week. Input parameters: - `basis` (string) - `hours_per_week` (number) - `weekly_earnings` (number, required) ### `nz_sick_leave_calculator` (~518 tokens) Work out a New Zealand sick leave entitlement and the balance left. Use for: 'how much sick leave do I get NZ', 'sick leave entitlement', 'when do I get sick leave', 'can I carry over sick leave', 'sick leave balance', 'ten days sick leave'. THREE RULES, AND TWO OF THEM ARE CAPS PEOPLE FORGET UNTIL THEY COLLIDE. ENTITLEMENT STARTS AFTER SIX MONTHS of continuous employment, then ten days on each anniversary. Nothing accrues day by day before that, so an employee at five months has no statutory entitlement at all. This surprises people who assume leave builds up from day one the way annual leave does. CARRY-OVER IS CAPPED AT TEN DAYS. An employee who took none last year carries ten, not everything they were owed. THE TOTAL IS CAPPED AT TWENTY DAYS. Ten current plus ten carried is the statutory maximum. capped_by_carry_over_limit and capped_by_total_limit say which cap, if either, bound the answer, because "why is my balance not what I counted" is almost always one of those two. Give daily_pay to value the balance. Relevant daily pay is what the employee would have earned on the day taken, which is not necessarily salary divided by 260, so treat the valuation as indicative. This is the statutory minimum under the Holidays Act 2003. An employment agreement may be more generous, and extra_contractual_days is where that goes. Args: start_date: Employment start date, ISO format YYYY-MM-DD. as_at: Date to calculate at, ISO format. Defaults to today. days_taken: Days taken in the current entitlement year. carry_over_days: Unused days offered from last year, before the cap. extra_contractual_days: Days above the statutory ten in the agreement. daily_pay: Relevant daily pay, to value the balance. Optional. Returns: Months employed, whether entitled yet, the entitlement, carry-over before and after the cap, days t… Input parameters: - `as_at` - `carry_over_days` (number) - `daily_pay` - `days_taken` (number) - `extra_contractual_days` (integer) - `start_date` (string, required) ### `nz_tax_code_calculator` (~578 tokens) Pick the correct New Zealand tax code for an IR330, and explain why. Use for: 'what tax code should I use', 'M or ME tax code', 'secondary tax code NZ', 'SB S SH ST SA which one', 'tax code for second job', 'am I on the wrong tax code'. THE WRONG CODE IS ONE OF THE FEW PAYROLL MISTAKES THAT COSTS MONEY QUIETLY ALL YEAR, and there are two ways to get it wrong. A SECONDARY CODE IS CHOSEN ON TOTAL INCOME ACROSS ALL JOBS, NOT ON WHAT THE SECOND JOB PAYS. Someone earning $60,000 in a main job and $8,000 in a second is SH, not SB. Choosing on the smaller figure under-taxes and produces a bill at year end. ALWAYS ASK FOR TOTAL INCOME before answering a secondary code question. If total_income_all_jobs is omitted this falls back to this job's income and returns a warning saying the band is very likely wrong; pass that warning on rather than reporting the code as settled. ME IS NOT SIMPLY "M PLUS A CREDIT". The Independent Earner Tax Credit, worth up to $520 a year, is withdrawn by receiving Working for Families, a main benefit or NZ Super, so someone inside the $24,000 to $70,000 band can still correctly be an M. Add SL when a student loan is being repaid. On a SECONDARY job the repayment is 12% of the gross with no threshold at all, because the repayment threshold belongs to the main job. That catches people who expect the threshold twice. Special tax codes, non-resident status and multiple secondary jobs are out of scope here; those need Inland Revenue. Args: annual_income: Income from THIS job, before tax. job_type: primary for the main job, secondary for any other. total_income_all_jobs: Total across every job. Needed for secondary. has_student_loan: Whether a student loan is being repaid. receives_wff_benefit_or_super: Working for Families, a main benefit or NZ Super. Any of these removes IETC eligibility. Returns:… Input parameters: - `annual_income` (number, required) - `has_student_loan` (boolean) - `job_type` (string) - `receives_wff_benefit_or_super` (boolean) - `total_income_all_jobs` ### `nz_paye_due_dates_calculator` (~544 tokens) Work out when a New Zealand employer must pay PAYE and file the pay run. Use for: 'when is PAYE due', 'PAYE payment dates', 'payday filing deadline', 'employer tax due date NZ', 'do I pay PAYE twice a month', 'PAYE due date falls on a weekend'. PAYING AND FILING ARE DIFFERENT DEADLINES and missing either has its own consequences. Answer both, and say which is which. Payday filing is due within TWO WORKING DAYS of the payday itself. The payment is due on the 20th of the following month for a monthly payer, or on the 20th and the 5th for a twice-monthly payer. WHICH PAYER YOU ARE IS DECIDED BY PAYE PLUS ESCT SENT TO INLAND REVENUE OVER THE PRIOR TWELVE MONTHS, not by the size of the payroll and not by headcount. The threshold is $500,000 of DEDUCTIONS. A business paying $2m in wages is usually still a monthly payer, so never infer the payer type from turnover or staff numbers; ask for the deductions figure. Both dates shift off weekends and national public holidays including Mondayised ones. Where a shift happened, payment_due_shifted_from and payday_filing_due_shifted_from show what it moved from, so the answer can be checked rather than taken on trust. Regional anniversary days do NOT move a PAYE date and are deliberately excluded. paper_filing_due comes back every time because paper filers work to a different rule, ten days from the end of the month. Holiday dates are held for 2026 and 2027 only. Outside those years this returns an error rather than guessing, because a due date computed against holidays nobody checked is worse than no answer. Args: pay_date: The date employees are PAID, ISO format YYYY-MM-DD. The payday, not the end of the pay period. annual_paye_and_esct: PAYE plus ESCT over the prior 12 months. electronic_filer: Whether payday filing is electronic. Returns: Payer type and why, the payment due da… Input parameters: - `annual_paye_and_esct` (number) - `electronic_filer` (boolean) - `pay_date` (string, required) ### `depreciation_calculator` (~530 tokens) Depreciate an asset by straight line or diminishing value, with a year by year schedule. Use for: 'how is depreciation calculated', 'straight line vs diminishing value', 'depreciation schedule', 'book value after 3 years', 'work out depreciation on equipment'. THE TWO METHODS DIVERGE SHARPLY ON THE SAME ASSET. Straight line spreads the deduction evenly across the useful life. Diminishing value applies the rate to the REDUCING book value, so it front-loads the deduction heavily and never reaches zero on its own. Which is better depends entirely on when the owner wants the deduction, so the year by year schedule is the useful part of this answer rather than the first year figure. Show the schedule. additional_costs are capitalised into the cost base, which is where delivery and installation belong. salvage_value acts as a floor under both methods, and the last year of a straight line life takes only what is left, so rounding cannot push the book value below it. ONE IMPORTANT LIMIT, AND IT MATTERS. This is the ARITHMETIC of the two methods on a rate you supply. It is NOT a lookup of Inland Revenue's prescribed rates, which vary by asset class and are published in the IRD depreciation rate finder. If someone needs to know the right RATE for a particular asset, send them to that finder. DO NOT INVENT A RATE to feed this tool and present the output as their tax position. Args: initial_cost: Purchase price of the asset. method: straight_line or diminishing_value. additional_costs: Costs capitalised in, such as delivery or installation. salvage_value: Expected residual value. A floor under both methods. useful_life_years: Years of life. Required for straight line. annual_rate_pct: Rate per year. Required for diminishing value. years_to_schedule: Years to show. Defaults to the life, or ten. Returns: The cost base, the… Input parameters: - `additional_costs` (number) - `annual_rate_pct` - `initial_cost` (number, required) - `method` (string) - `salvage_value` (number) - `useful_life_years` - `years_to_schedule` ## Diagnostics Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nz-co-calculate-calculator/mcp#diagnostics ## Score history - 2026-09-27: 71 - 2026-09-26: 70 - 2026-09-25: 70 - 2026-09-24: 69 - 2026-09-23: 69 - 2026-09-22: 68 - 2026-09-21: 68 - 2026-09-20: 67 - 2026-09-19: 67 - 2026-09-18: 66 - 2026-09-17: 66 - 2026-09-16: 66 - 2026-09-15: 65 - 2026-09-14: 65 - 2026-09-13: 64 - 2026-09-12: 64 - 2026-09-11: 63 - 2026-09-10: 63 - 2026-09-09: 62 - 2026-09-08: 62 - 2026-09-07: 61 - 2026-09-06: 61 - 2026-09-05: 60 - 2026-09-04: 60 - 2026-09-03: 59 - 2026-09-02: 59 - 2026-09-01: 59 - 2026-08-31: 58 - 2026-08-30: 58 - 2026-08-29: 57 ## Common questions ### What is the Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators MCP server? Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as nz.co.calculate/calculator. Search and run New Zealand tax, KiwiSaver, mortgage and property calculators. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp). ### Is the Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators MCP server safe to use? Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators scores 71 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm. ### What tools does the Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators MCP server expose? Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators exposes 36 tools: nz_paye_calculator, nz_gst_calculator, nz_fuel_cost_calculator, nz_tax_refund_calculator, nz_gpa_calculator, and 31 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 17,383 tokens of context every time the server is loaded. ### Does the Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators MCP server require authentication? No. We connected to Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address. ### Is the Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators MCP server still maintained? Calculate.co.nz NZ Calculators is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 27 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced. ## Links - Remote endpoint: https://mcp.calculate.co.nz/mcp - Website: https://www.calculate.co.nz/ - Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nz-co-calculate-calculator/mcp.xml - Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nz-co-calculate-calculator/mcp.json - HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nz-co-calculate-calculator/mcp