Rank among 6 metros
#5
← Metro paycheck examples (New Zealand)
Wellington · pop #2 · 2026
🇳🇿Wellington paycheck example
$100,000 single PAYE → about $75,372 take-home (rank #5). COL index 115.
🇳🇿
Wellington take-home at $100,000
At $100,000 single PAYE (2026/27), Wellington take-home is about $75,372 (24.6% effective) under nationwide IRD rates — PAYE ≈ $22,878, ACC ≈ $1,750, KiwiSaver $0 (opted out), COL index 115. New Zealand metros do not add a city or regional wage tax.
Scoreboard
Population rank
#2
Annual take-home
$75,372
Effective levy
24.6%
PAYE
$22,878
ACC
$1,750
KiwiSaver
$0
Tax stack
IRD nationwide PAYE
COL index
115
COL-adj. proxy $65,541
No Wellington city or regional wage income tax — nationwide PAYE + ACC only (KiwiSaver opted out). Modeled take-home ties every other metro on this hub; COL index 115 (avg 1BR rent model NZ$2100) sits between Christchurch and Auckland.
Income ladder (IRD PAYE)
| Gross | Take-home | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $41,987 | 16.0% |
| $75,000 | $58,966 | 21.4% |
| $100,000 | $75,372 | 24.6% |
| $150,000 | $107,997 | 28.0% |
| $200,000 | $140,181 | 29.9% |
Bands: $50,000 · $75,000 · $100,000 · $150,000 · $200,000
Wellington paycheck snapshot
At $100,000 single PAYE (2026/27), Wellington take-home is about $75,372 (24.6% effective) under nationwide IRD rates — PAYE ≈ $22,878, ACC ≈ $1,750, KiwiSaver $0 (opted out), COL index 115. New Zealand metros do not add a city or regional wage tax.
On $100,000 single PAYE (2026/27), modeled take-home is $75,372 — PAYE $22,878, ACC $1,750, KiwiSaver $0 (opted out), effective 24.6%.
No Wellington city or regional wage income tax — nationwide PAYE + ACC only (KiwiSaver opted out). Modeled take-home ties every other metro on this hub; COL index 115 (avg 1BR rent model NZ$2100) sits between Christchurch and Auckland.
How the Wellington PAYE stack works
Wellington (Wellington) uses nationwide IRD PAYE brackets plus ACC — the same stack as every other metro on this hub. KiwiSaver is opted out here.
Ladder check: NZ$50k → $41,987; NZ$100k → $75,372; NZ$200k → $140,181.
Nationwide peers and COL
Dunedin, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch, Auckland share nationwide take-home on this vignette. COL: Wellington 115; Dunedin 85; Hamilton 88; Tauranga 92; Christchurch 95; Auckland 125.
COL-adjusted proxy for Wellington: $65,541 (take-home × 100 ÷ 115) — purchasing-power hint only from the New Zealand salary × city series model.
Wellington vs Dunedin
Vs Dunedin: $75,372 vs $75,372 at NZ$100k — tax tie. COL 115 vs 85.
Attribute ranking differences to cost of living, not a local wage tax and not a different PAYE/ACC schedule on this model.
Worked IRD PAYE examples
NZ$100k single PAYE — all metros
- IRD progressive PAYE brackets for 2026/27; ACC earner levy at 1.75%.
- PAYE ≈ $22,878; ACC ≈ $1,750; KiwiSaver $0 (opted out).
- Take-home ≈ $75,372 — identical in Auckland through Dunedin.
$75,372 take-home
Matches our New Zealand PAYE engine with KiwiSaver opted out and student loan off.
NZ$50k single hand-check
- Lower PAYE bands with ACC still applied — both smaller than the NZ$100k vignette.
- PAYE ≈ $7,138; ACC ≈ $875; KiwiSaver $0.
- Take-home ≈ $41,987.
$41,987 take-home
Lower-income vignette — validates PAYE + ACC path in the engine.
ACC & KiwiSaver context
Same ACC everywhere on this hub
At NZ$100k, ACC ≈ $1,750 in Auckland and $1,750 in Dunedin — identical (1.75% capped).
KiwiSaver opted out on this vignette
Employee KiwiSaver is $0 at every ladder rung here. Real payslips may deduct 3%, 3.5% (default), 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10% — personalize in the New Zealand paycheck calculator.
Ranking gap is COL, not PAYE/ACC
Dunedin outranks Auckland only on COL (85 vs 125) — PAYE and ACC match.
Validation notes
- NZ$100k take-home locks to $75,372 (PAYE $22,878 + ACC $1,750).
- All six metros share identical take-home, PAYE, and ACC on every ladder rung; KiwiSaver is 0% (opted out).
- COL indexes locked from the New Zealand salary×city series: Auckland 125, Wellington 115, Christchurch 95, Tauranga 92, Hamilton 88, Dunedin 85.
- Official bands from IRD PAYE and ACC earner levy (2026/27).
- ACC modeled at 1.75% up to $156,641.
- Vignette excludes KiwiSaver contributions, student loan, Working for Families, and self-employed income.
- Not tax advice — confirm codes and deductions with IRD / your employer.
What this vignette excludes
- Employee KiwiSaver contributions (opted out at 0% on this vignette)
- Student loan repayments
- Working for Families / Best Start
- Employer KiwiSaver (employer-only cost)
- Self-employed / provisional tax income
- Share-based remuneration (RSUs, options)
- Non-PAYE income (dividends, capital gains)
Same nationwide IRD stack · different COL
Nearby take-home peers
Who this helps
Job offers & relocators
Compare Wellington take-home and COL before accepting a New Zealand offer — nationwide PAYE ties across cities.
Inter-city movers
Moving between New Zealand cities rarely changes PAYE — focus on rent and commute in Wellington.
COL-sensitive corridors
Auckland ↔ Dunedin and Auckland ↔ Christchurch gaps are cost of living, not local wage tax.
Planning tips
Model KiwiSaver separately
Employee KiwiSaver is opted out on this fixed vignette — personalize the rate in the calculator.
Check student loan
Student loan is off here — enable it in the calculator if repayments apply.
Personalize brackets
Open /calculator/new-zealand for KiwiSaver, student loan, and custom gross. Insights: /tax-insights/new-zealand.
FAQs
About $75,372 (24.6% effective) — rank #5 of 6. PAYE ≈ $22,878; ACC ≈ $1,750; KiwiSaver $0 (opted out).
No Wellington city or regional wage income tax — nationwide PAYE + ACC only (KiwiSaver opted out). Modeled take-home ties every other metro on this hub; COL index 115 (avg 1BR rent model NZ$2100) sits between Christchurch and Auckland.
Same take-home as Dunedin, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch, Auckland — COL indexes Wellington 115; Dunedin 85; Hamilton 88; Tauranga 92; Christchurch 95; Auckland 125.
NZ$50k take-home ≈ $41,987; NZ$200k ≈ $140,181.
Wellington ≈ $75,372 vs Auckland $75,372 at NZ$100k (tax tie). COL 115 vs 125.
Use the calculator at /calculator/new-zealand. Tax insights: /tax-insights/new-zealand. COL index for Wellington is 115.