Answer
Most new eligible employees must be automatically enrolled in KiwiSaver when they start work. As an employer, your obligation is to deduct contributions from the first pay, set the correct KiwiSaver status in Lightning Payroll, and submit an Employee Details task to Inland Revenue.
Who must be auto-enrolled
An employee aged 18 to 65 who is not already a KiwiSaver member and does not hold a contributions holiday must be auto-enrolled. You cannot decline to enrol them ÔÇö KiwiSaver contributions start immediately. Employees under 18, over 65, or on a casual or temporary basis that makes them ineligible are treated differently; set their status to the appropriate code rather than auto-enrol.
Step 1 ÔÇö Set the KiwiSaver status when adding the employee
In the desktop app: open the employee and go to Employees >> Super >> KiwiSaver Settings. Set KiwiSaver status (Employee Details) to AE ÔÇö Auto-enrol for a new eligible employee. Set the Employee contribution rate (minimum 3%) and the Employer contribution rate (minimum 3%). Set the ESCT rate (when applicable) to match the employee's expected annual income.
In the online (web/mobile) app: when adding the employee, the Add New Employee wizard includes KiwiSaver Employee Rate, KiwiSaver Employer Rate, KiwiSaver Status Code, and ESCT Rate fields in the NZ tax section. After saving, go to the employee's KiwiSaver Settings screen under Super to review or update any field. Save changes to apply them.
Step 2 ÔÇö Process pays with contributions from day one
Once the status is set to auto-enrol and contribution rates are saved, Lightning Payroll deducts the employee KiwiSaver contribution and calculates the employer contribution and ESCT on every pay. No additional pay-level action is required ÔÇö the amounts appear automatically in the pay.
Step 3 ÔÇö Submit an Employee Details task to Inland Revenue
Lightning Payroll generates an outstanding Employee Details task when you save the new employee's KiwiSaver settings. You must submit this task to Inland Revenue before or alongside the first Employment Information filing for that employee.
In the desktop app: go to Pays >> Employee Details Dashboard, select the outstanding task for the new employee, and click Submit selected to IR.
In the online app: go to Pays >> NZ Employee Details. The outstanding task will appear in the list. Click Submit selected to IR to send it.
The 8-week opt-out window
An employee who does not want to join KiwiSaver can opt out between days 14 and 56 after starting (the 8-week window). During this period the employee's KiwiSaver status stays as auto-enrolled and contributions continue. If the employee opts out within the window, tick Employee has opted out of KiwiSaver (KS10 submitted) in the KiwiSaver Settings screen, enter the Opt-out signature date (KS10), and save. Lightning Payroll stops contributions from the next pay and updates the Employee Details submission. See How Do I Record A KiwiSaver Opt-Out With The Correct Late Opt-Out Reason? for full opt-out steps.
If the employee is already a KiwiSaver member
If the employee has an existing KiwiSaver account from a previous employer, set the KiwiSaver status (Employee Details) to AK ÔÇö Existing KiwiSaver member instead of AE. Their contributions continue as normal without a new opt-out window. See What Do The KiwiSaver Status Codes Mean And When Should I Use Each? for a full description of every code.
