Skilled Migrant points calculator: what this job gives you towards 6
The Skilled Migrant Category's Points-based pathway needs 6 points from one category: a qualification, a New Zealand registration or the job's pay. Skilled work in New Zealand can add up to 3. A job paying 1.5 times the $35.00 wage threshold gives 3 income points, 2 times gives 4 and 3 times ($105.00 an hour) gives all 6. Enter the job to see your total.
Worked out for the example. Change the boxes to make it yours.
| Pay an hour ($115,000 / 40 hours x 52) | $55.29 |
|---|---|
| SMC wage threshold from 9 March 2026 | $35.00 an hour |
| Skilled work in New Zealand by 2 Nov 2026 | 1 year, 7 months: 2 points |
| Threshold set by your skilled work (from 3 Mar 2025) | $31.61 an hour |
| Income | 3 points + 2 for skilled work = 5 |
| Qualification | 4 points + 2 for skilled work = 6 |
| Best total | 6 points (6 needed) |
| Pay for 4 income points (with skilled work points) | $63.22 an hour ($131,498 a year) |
| Pay for 6 income points (enough on their own) | $105.00 an hour ($218,400 a year) |
- Points come from one category only: qualification, registration or income. Skilled work in New Zealand can add up to 3 to that one category. They do not add to each other.
- Skilled work is counted to the date of your expression of interest, assuming full-time work (30 hours or more) paid at or above the rate your claim needs (the threshold, or 1.5 or 2 times it for income points) all the way from the start date. Experience after a registration counts only from the registration.
- The page is an estimate on Immigration New Zealand's published rules. INZ decides every application, and this is not immigration advice: for that, use a licensed immigration adviser or a lawyer.
- An international qualification needs an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA, unless it is on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment.
Points are not saved to an account. Your Job Hunt is free while you are between jobs and tracks every application with take-home pay; visa mode, part of On the Move, records whether each employer is listed as accredited on the INZ register, with the register a link away.
See Your Job HuntSix points from one category
Immigration New Zealand's Points-based pathway needs 6 skilled resident points. You claim 3 to 6 from one category: your qualification, a New Zealand occupational registration, or the pay of your current job or job offer. The categories do not add to each other, so a 4-point degree and 3 income points are 4, not 7. If your category gives fewer than 6, skilled work in New Zealand adds 1 point for a year, 2 for 18 months and 3 for 2 years. The calculator tries every category with the experience you have and shows the best total. Our guide to getting a job in New Zealand as a migrant covers the job search itself.
The pay and the wage threshold
INZ works in pay an hour. A salary is divided by the maximum contracted hours in your employment agreement times 52, so $115,000 at 40 hours is $55.29 an hour. From 9 March 2026 the SMC wage threshold is $35.00 an hour: 1.5 times is $52.50 (3 income points), 2 times is $70.00 (4 points) and 3 times is $105.00 (6 points). A qualification or registration claim needs the job to pay at least the threshold, or 1.5 times it for an ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 job. Our article on hourly rate to salary shows the conversion both ways.
Why your start date matters
When you claim points for skilled work in New Zealand, your threshold is the one in place when that work started, and it does not change after. Work that started on 3 March 2025 sets the threshold at $31.61, the rate from 28 February 2024 to 17 August 2025, so 1.5 times is $47.41 and 2 times is $63.22. The work must also fall in a window twice as long as the experience claimed, counted back from your expression of interest: 3 years for 18 months. If your work started before that window, the threshold is the one at the window's start. Claiming 6 points without skilled work experience (from pay, a doctorate, a 6-point master's or a 6-point registration) always uses the threshold in place when you are invited to apply.
What the points do not cover
Points are the start. You also need a job or job offer with an accredited employer, at least 30 hours a week and permanent, fixed-term for 12 months or more, or contracts of at least 6 months. You must be 55 or younger and speak English, and evidence is checked when you apply. INZ updates the threshold each year, so an expression of interest after the next update is checked against new rates. The calculator assumes full-time work paid at the rate your claim needs all the way from the start date, counted to your expression of interest, though work up to the residence application also counts. It is an estimate, not immigration advice: INZ decides, and a licensed immigration adviser can check your case. To weigh two offers after tax, use the Offer Comparer.
Questions
How many points do I need for the Skilled Migrant Category?
6 skilled resident points on the Points-based pathway, from one category (qualification, New Zealand occupational registration or income), plus up to 3 for skilled work in New Zealand if the category gives fewer than 6.
What is the SMC wage threshold in 2026?
$35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026. Income points need 1.5 times ($52.50 an hour) for 3, 2 times ($70.00) for 4 and 3 times ($105.00) for 6. If you claim skilled work experience, your threshold is the one in place when that work started.
Can I add qualification points and income points together?
No. You claim from one category only. Skilled work in New Zealand is the only thing that adds to it, up to 3 points.
How do I work out my hourly rate from a salary for INZ?
Divide the salary by the maximum contracted hours a week in your employment agreement, times 52. $115,000 at 40 hours is $55.29 an hour; at 45 hours it is $49.15.
Does my job need to be with an accredited employer?
Yes. Immigration New Zealand requires a current job or job offer with an accredited employer, at least 30 hours a week, as well as the points.
What does the button do?
Nothing is saved: points are not something your account stores. It opens Your Job Hunt, which is free while you are between jobs and tracks every application with take-home pay. Visa mode, part of On the Move, records whether each employer is listed as accredited on the INZ register, with the register a link away.
Sources
- Immigration New Zealand: Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.
- Immigration New Zealand: the SMC wage threshold.
- Legislation Act 2019.
More free tools: see all the calculators.