The frozen UK State Pension in New Zealand

Your UK State Pension stops rising the day you settle in New Zealand. The twist is that, for many British retirees, NZ Super quietly fills the gap.

The short version

New Zealand is a frozen country: the UK State Pension is paid here at the rate you first got abroad and doesn't go up each April [1][2].
NZ Super is New Zealand's state pension, paid from 65 to legal residents who meet a residence test of 10 years since age 20, now rising in stages to 20 years by July 2042 [7].
NZ Super is reduced dollar for dollar by overseas state pensions, including the UK one [5][6].
So if your UK pension is smaller than your NZ Super rate, the freeze mostly costs New Zealand, not you. If it's bigger, or you're in a couple, the freeze bites [5].
The part of your UK pension built from voluntary National Insurance contributions isn't deducted [4][5].

Why the UK pension is frozen here

The UK pays its State Pension almost anywhere, but it only pays the yearly increase in the EEA, Switzerland and countries with a social security agreement that includes uprating [1][2]. New Zealand isn't on DWP's uprating list [2]. The UK and New Zealand do have a social security arrangement, but it doesn't cover the annual increase [1].

So you get the rate you were paid when you first went abroad, or the rate when you first claimed if you were already living in New Zealand, and it stays there [1]. The full new State Pension is £230.25 a week in 2025/26 and £241.30 a week in 2026/27 [3]. Someone who moved to Auckland during 2025/26 on the full rate is stuck on £230.25, while a neighbour who stayed in Leamington Spa gets £11.05 a week more, and the gap grows every April.

If you ever move back to the UK, the pension goes up to the current rate [1].

How NZ Super treats your UK pension

This is the part most British guides skip. New Zealand doesn't simply pay NZ Super on top of your UK pension.

Under sections 187 to 191 of the Social Security Act 2018, a New Zealand benefit or pension "must be reduced by the amount of the overseas pension" [6]. Work and Income puts it plainly: for every dollar you get from an overseas pension, your NZ payment goes down by a dollar. It converts the overseas pension into New Zealand dollars using the gross, before-tax amount [5]. If your overseas pension is bigger than your NZ Super, you get the overseas pension only [5].

You also must apply for any overseas pension you qualify for [5]. You can't leave your UK pension unclaimed to get full NZ Super instead.

NZ Super rates

Work and Income's current rates (from 1 April 2026; page updated 2 July 2026) are [8]:

Your situation	NZ Super before tax, per fortnight	Per week	In pounds, per week
Single, living alone	NZD 1,294.74	NZD 647.37	about £270
Single, sharing	NZD 1,191.14	NZD 595.57	about £248
Each partner in a couple	NZD 984.28	NZD 492.14	about £205

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = NZD 2.4016). Work and Income uses its own conversion when it works out your deduction, so your actual figures will differ a little.

Who actually loses from the freeze?

Put the two rules together and the freeze plays out very differently depending on your household.

Single and living alone: the freeze barely matters

Take a single retiree in Howick stuck on the full new State Pension of £230.25 a week, about NZD 553 at our rate. NZ Super for a single person living alone is NZD 647.37 a week [8]. Work and Income deducts the UK pension, so NZ Super pays the difference of about NZD 94 a week [5]. Total income: NZD 647.37.

Now imagine the UK pension had been uprated to £241.30 (about NZD 580). NZ Super would simply pay less, about NZD 68 a week. Total income: still NZD 647.37.

In other words, while your UK pension is smaller than your NZ Super rate, every pound DWP doesn't pay, Work and Income does. The freeze is real, but New Zealand's taxpayers absorb it.

Couples: the freeze bites

Each partner in a couple gets NZD 492.14 a week [8], which is less than a full frozen UK pension of about NZD 553. So if you both have full UK pensions, your NZ Super is reduced to nothing and you live on the UK pensions alone [5]. Now every missed uprating comes straight out of your pocket.

There's some good news on the partner rule. If you only get NZ Super, your payment isn't affected by your partner's overseas pension, unless your partner was included in your NZ Super as a non-qualified partner before 9 November 2020 [5].

Other cases where the freeze costs you

Situation	Does the freeze cost you?
UK pension smaller than your NZ Super rate	Mostly no: NZ Super tops up the difference [5]
UK pension bigger than your NZ Super rate	Yes, you get the UK pension only [5]
You reach UK State Pension age before you qualify for NZ Super	Yes, until NZ Super starts
You haven't lived in NZ long enough for NZ Super	Yes, you rely on the UK pension alone [7]
You leave New Zealand for a non-uprating country	Yes, NZ Super no longer tops you up

The residence test is worth checking early. Sorted, the government-backed money guidance service, says the requirement is rising from 10 years since age 20 to 20 years since age 20, five of them after 50, phased in from July 2024 to July 2042 [7]. Work and Income can confirm where you sit.

Voluntary contributions: the exception that pays

Here's the quirk that makes topping up your UK record worth a second look. Work and Income says that if you make voluntary contributions, the voluntary amount isn't counted as part of an overseas pension [5]. MSD confirmed in February 2025 that it deducts only the part of the UK pension based on compulsory National Insurance and that DWP tells it what share comes from voluntary contributions [4].

So years you buy with voluntary National Insurance add to your income in New Zealand rather than just shrinking your NZ Super. They're frozen too, but they aren't clawed back. MSD notes that voluntary amounts can still count as income for some income-tested extra help [4].

The catch is that buying years from abroad got harder on 6 April 2026: voluntary Class 2 for time abroad has gone, and new Class 3 applicants need 10 years of UK residence or contributions. Our guide to voluntary National Insurance from abroad explains who can still pay and how to apply on form CF83.

Getting paid

Claim your UK pension through the International Pension Centre within four months of your State Pension age. See the UK State Pension abroad.
Apply for NZ Super through Work and Income from 65, and tell it about your UK pension.
Choose how you're paid. By default DWP pays your UK pension straight into your bank account. Under the Special Banking Option, available for UK pensions, you get one combined payment from Work and Income instead [5].
Keep records of any voluntary contributions so the right amount is left out of the deduction.

Tax

The UK State Pension is paid without tax taken off. As a New Zealand tax resident, you'd generally pay New Zealand tax on it, but check the UK–New Zealand double taxation agreement and our guide to double taxation agreements and reliefs. A tax adviser who knows both countries can check your case.

Private and workplace pensions

None of this applies to your UK workplace or personal pensions, which aren't state pensions. Transfers to New Zealand schemes need regulated financial advice, can trigger the overseas transfer charge and are a favourite target of scammers, so read the FCA and MoneyHelper warnings first. Our guide to KiwiSaver, the FIF rules and your UK pensions covers the New Zealand tax side.

Want to compare notes with other British retirees? Our community group for Brits in New Zealand has plenty of people who've been through the NZ Super paperwork.

The frozen UK State Pension in New Zealand: why NZ Super softens the blow, and when it doesn't