- are a New Zealand (NZ) citizen
- are an NZ permanent resident, or
- hold an NZ residence class visa
If you are ordinarily resident in a country NZ has a Social Security Agreement (SSA) with when you apply for NZ Super, you may still qualify. There may be additional criteria you need to meet, it depends on your situation.
If you get other income, it may affect your NZ Super payments.
You must have lived in NZ
You must have lived in New Zealand for a certain number of years from age 20. This must include 5 years from age 50.
The total number of years you need is based on your date of birth.
These years (including the 5 years from age 50) do not need to be consecutive.
What we mean by 'have lived in NZ'
When we say 'have lived in NZ', we mean you were 'resident' and 'physically present' in NZ at the same time.
If you left NZ to travel overseas, this period may not be counted as having lived in NZ. Read the definition to find out more.
You're a refugee or protected person
If you're recognised as a refugee or protected person, the number of years may be worked out differently. It depends on the age you started living in NZ.
Work out how many years you need
Use the table below to work out how many years you must have lived in NZ.
Date of birth
Total number of years you must have lived in NZ from age 20
Example - born in 1961
Your date of birth is 28 March 1961. You must have lived in NZ for at least 11 years from age 20. The 11 years must include 5 years from age 50.
The 11 years (including the 5 years from age 50) do not need to be consecutive.
Haven't lived in NZ for required years
If you haven't lived in NZ the whole time, you may be able to use another country to meet this criteria if:
- it is a country that has a Social Security Agreement (SSA) with NZ, or
- it is a NZ realm country (the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau).
SSA countries are: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Malta, the Netherlands, South Korea and United Kingdom.
Wait until you meet the residence criteria
If you don't meet the residence criteria when you're 65, you can wait until either:
- you've lived in NZ for the required number of years, or
- you can use another country to meet this criteria.
Then you can apply for NZ Super (as long as you meet all the other criteria).
If you get other income
You can still be working when you apply for NZ Super. It doesn't depend on your income or your assets. However any income you do earn can affect other payments you get from us.
If you get other income, it may also change the tax code you use. This means you could get less for your NZ Super payments, it depends what tax code you're on.
If you get an overseas pension, you can still get NZ Super. However this could affect your NZ Super payment.
