If you're going through tough financial times, you might be eligible to access your KiwiSaver savings earlier. This falls under the rules of the KiwiSaver Act, which defines significant financial hardship as situations where you:

• Can't cover your basic living expenses.
• Are unable to pay your home mortgage, and your mortgage provider is taking steps to enforce it.
• Need to make modifications to your home for yourself or a dependent family member's special needs.
• Have medical expenses for yourself or a dependent family member.
• Are facing funeral costs for a dependent family member.

Before applying for a significant financial hardship withdrawal, make sure you've reached out to Work and Income, your bank, and any other financial institutions you're involved with for assistance. You must also show that you've been declined assistance from them. To support your application, you'll need to provide a completed statutory declaration about your assets and debts. Additionally, you should provide documents that prove the following:

• Bank statements for all your accounts over the last three months.
• Proof of your income.
• Statements for mortgages, loans, and other debts, along with their repayment plans.
• Any other relevant evidence that demonstrates you can't cover your basic expenses or are dealing with one of the situations mentioned above.

Please note that expenses related to non-personal entities like businesses or family trusts won't be considered for a financial hardship withdrawal application. If you'd like to apply for a significant financial hardship withdrawal, please complete this referral form. Once we receive all the required information we will then assess the application. We will keep you updated on progress. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.