Police employees
Membership is voluntary if you are a Police employee and not otherwise required to be a member. This includes authorised officers. In this case, you can join as:
- an optional entrant – employer contributions will be paid on your behalf, but these will come from within your existing total remuneration
- a savings contributor, making employee contributions only (i.e. Police will not match your contributions).
If you join as an optional entrant, you may later elect to change your membership and become a savings contributor with effect from the following 1 April.
Membership category |
Standard contribution rate (as a % of salary*) |
|
Employee |
Employer (before tax**) |
|
Optional entrant |
6.0% |
12.5% (paid from your existing total remuneration) |
Savings contributor*** |
4.0% |
Nil |
*Under the current Police Employees’ and Constabulary Collective Employment Agreements, salary includes the competency service increment (CSI) paid as a lump sum if you are at the top of your pay band as well as certain allowances specified in your employment agreement. It excludes bonuses, commissions, fees or other like payment and allowances not specifically regarded as superable.
**Employer superannuation contribution tax is deducted from employer contributions before they are credited to your employer's account. See fees and tax for details.
***The minimum employee contribution rate for savings contributors depends on when you joined the scheme – 4% of salary if you joined on or after 1 April 2008 or 2% of salary if you joined before that date.
Contact payroll at payroll@police.govt.nz if you have a question about contributions.
Voluntary employee contributions
You can make voluntary employee contributions in addition to the standard employee contributions shown above as regular deductions from your pay. Voluntary employee contributions must be between 1% and 10% of salary in increments of 0.5%. Police will not match any additional voluntary employee contributions you make. Voluntary employee contributions are credited to your member's account and are subject to the same rules for in-service withdrawals as your standard employee contributions (see partial withdrawals and in-service benefit).
Making or changing voluntary employee contributions
You can start making or change voluntary employee contributions by completing the vary contributions form and returning it to payroll.
PSS or KiwiSaver?
You may be wondering whether you would be better off joining the PSS as an optional entrant or joining KiwiSaver. Here’s a summary and comparison of some benefits of both schemes.
Police Superannuation Scheme |
KiwiSaver |
You can withdraw your account balance when you leave Police or defer payment and leave your money in the scheme. |
Your investment is generally locked in until the date you qualify for New Zealand Superannuation (currently age 65). |
PSS provides the following benefits while in service. |
KiwiSaver provides the following benefits while in service. |
How to join
Download a product disclosure statement (PDS). This document includes important information about this investment that we are required to provide under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. Complete the application at the back of the PDS and return it to payroll at the address on the form.