CalculatorNew ZealandTax year 2026-27
Where do my taxes go? New Zealand
Enter your income (or the tax you paid) to see how it is shared across New Zealand government spending, based on official 2024-25 figures.
Where it goes
Block size is each function's share of New Zealand government spending, 2024-25. Hover or tap a block; the full list is below.
Your tax, function by function
| Spending function | Share | Your tax | Government total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social security and welfare (NZ Super, benefits) | 33.5% | $4,433 | $47.5 billion |
| Health | 21.4% | $2,828 | $30.3 billion |
| Education | 14.7% | $1,950 | $20.9 billion |
| Finance costs (interest on government debt) | 6.3% | $827 | $8.9 billion |
| Core government services | 5.6% | $738 | $7.9 billion |
| Law and order | 4.8% | $628 | $6.7 billion |
| Transport and communications | 3.9% | $511 | $5.5 billion |
| Economic and industrial services | 2.5% | $328 | $3.5 billion |
| Defence | 2.3% | $305 | $3.3 billion |
| Environmental protection | 1.7% | $225 | $2.4 billion |
| Housing and community development | 1.5% | $201 | $2.1 billion |
| Heritage, culture and recreation | 1.0% | $136 | $1.5 billion |
| Primary services | 0.7% | $93 | $996.0 million |
| Other | 0.1% | $12 | $127.0 million |
| Government Superannuation Fund pensions | 0.0% | $6 | $65.0 million |
How this calculator works
Enter your income to estimate your income tax and see it split across core Crown expenses by function in the year ended 30 June 2025, from the Treasury's audited Financial Statements of the Government. Social security and welfare (including NZ Super), health and education take most of it.
How the tax is estimated: rates from 1 April 2025: 10.5% to $15,600, 17.5% to $53,500, 30% to $78,100, 33% to $180,000 and 39% above. The ACC earners' levy, the independent earner tax credit, KiwiSaver and GST are not included.
Worked example: on $70,000 you pay about $13,220 in income tax. Social security and welfare took 33.5% of core Crown expenses, which is $4,433 of that.
The spending figures: core Crown expenses by functional classification (actual, excluding losses) came to $141.7 billion in year ended 30 June 2025 (actual), in 15 functions. The five largest took 81.5% of the total, and the smallest, gsf pension expenses, took 0.05%. Every share in the table is that function's amount divided by the total, and the amounts are NZD as published in the source below.
Questions and answers
- Where does New Zealand income tax go?
- In 2024-25 the largest functions were social security and welfare (33.5%), health (21.4%), education (14.7%), finance costs (6.3%).
- How much goes to NZ Super and benefits?
- Social security and welfare was 33.5% of core Crown expenses.
- Is GST included?
- No. Only income tax is estimated, but you can enter any amount of tax you paid with 'I know my tax'.
Related
Sources and notes
- Spending data: New Zealand Treasury, Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the year ended 30 June 2025, Fiscal Indicator Analysis: Expenses by Functional Classification. Core Crown expenses by functional classification (actual, excluding losses), year ended 30 June 2025 (actual). Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. Published 2025-10.
- Tax rules: Inland Revenue, Tax rates for individuals (rates from 1 April 2025).
- Shares are each function's part of the positive spending lines (total $141.7 billion). Your tax is spread in proportion. Method. Page built 2026-10-07.