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SMC Wage Threshold 2026: NZD 35 an Hour and the Rate History

From 9 March 2026 the Skilled Migrant Category wage threshold is NZD 35.00 an hour. INZ fixes the rate that applies to a person when their skilled work experience starts counting, and says that once set, it does not change. This guide sets out INZ's published rate history, multiples and worked examples as read on 9 October 2026.

Pay is the part of the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) that causes the most confusion, because the number that applies to one person is not the number that applies to another. INZ publishes a single hourly figure, the SMC wage threshold, and then attaches multiples of it to different pathways, different job types and different start dates.

This guide sets out what INZ publishes on its "SMC wage threshold" page, read on 9 October 2026: the current rate, the history, the multiples, and the rules for which rate attaches to a person. It explains the rule. It does not say which rate applies to any reader, since that depends on their own dates and pay history and applying the rule to a person's facts is immigration advice that only a licensed immigration adviser or a lawyer may give in New Zealand. INZ provides its own SMC wage threshold tool for that question.

All amounts are hourly and in New Zealand dollars (NZD), as INZ publishes them.

The current threshold and its history

INZ says wage thresholds for the SMC Resident Visa "are based on the median wage and are updated each year." The rate has been NZD 35.00 an hour since 9 March 2026. INZ's table of earlier rates, by the date skilled work experience started in New Zealand:

  • From 9 March 2026: NZD 35.00
  • 18 August 2025 to 8 March 2026: NZD 33.56
  • 28 February 2024 to 17 August 2025: NZD 31.61
  • 27 February 2023 to 27 February 2024: NZD 29.66
  • 24 October 2022 to 26 February 2023: NZD 27.76
  • 19 July 2021 to 23 October 2022: NZD 27.00
  • 24 February 2020 to 18 July 2021: NZD 25.50

The history matters because INZ does not apply a single current rate to everyone. Whether the current rate or an older one governs depends on what the applicant is claiming, which is where most of the rule sits.

INZ also notes that "There are different wage thresholds for different visas." The wage rates used for work visas and work to residence visas are separate from the SMC figure, and the figure in this article is the SMC figure only.

The multiples attached to each pathway

The base threshold is multiplied depending on the pathway and the job. INZ publishes the results for each historical start date; the current (9 March 2026 onward) figures are:

Points-based pathway, no New Zealand skilled work experience needed: - claiming 6 points for a qualification: NZD 35.00 (ANZSCO skill levels 1 to 3 jobs), or NZD 52.50 (1.5 times) for skill level 4, 5 or unlisted jobs; - claiming 6 points for an occupational registration: the same two figures, NZD 35.00 and NZD 52.50; - claiming 6 points for income: 3 times the threshold, NZD 105.00.

Points-based pathway, with New Zealand skilled work experience: - skill levels 1 to 3: NZD 35.00; - skill level 4, 5 or unlisted, or claiming 3 income points: 1.5 times, NZD 52.50; - claiming 4 income points: 2 times, NZD 70.00.

Trades and Technician pathway: the threshold itself, NZD 35.00.

Skilled Work Experience pathway: 1.1 times the threshold, NZD 38.50; for Amber List jobs 1.2 times, NZD 42.00.

The same table is published for every earlier period. For example, a person whose skilled work experience started between 28 February 2024 and 17 August 2025 faces NZD 31.61 on the Trades and Technician pathway, NZD 34.77 on the Skilled Work Experience pathway and NZD 37.93 for Amber List jobs. INZ lists every period, so the page is the reference for any date back to 24 February 2020.

The key rule: once set, the threshold does not change

INZ's page distinguishes two situations.

If the pathway does not require skilled work experience in New Zealand. This covers an applicant claiming 6 points for a doctoral degree, a New Zealand master's degree, an occupational registration, or income. INZ says the current job or job offer "must meet the SMC wage threshold that is in place when you are invited to apply for residence. This is usually the same date that you submit your expression of interest (EOI)."

If the pathway requires skilled work experience in New Zealand. Then "you must meet the SMC wage threshold that was in place when you started gaining this work experience." INZ's labelled key rule: "Once your threshold is set, it does not change. Any further skilled work experience you complete, and the current job or job offer you use to apply, must meet or be higher than this threshold."

The consequence is that a person's threshold is a fixed historical number, not the current one. A later rise in the threshold does not push an earlier-fixed person up, and the rule works both ways: an earlier, lower threshold cannot be claimed retrospectively if pay did not meet it at the time.

INZ illustrates this with two named examples. Max "first started skilled work experience in November 2025, when he was paid NZD $34.00 an hour. The SMC wage threshold at the time was NZD $33.56 an hour." His experience counts from November 2025 and his threshold is set at NZD 33.56. Priya started in November 2025 on NZD 31.00, below the NZD 33.56 then in force, so her experience could not start counting. After a pay rise to NZD 35.50 in June 2026, when the threshold was NZD 35.00, her experience can start counting from June 2026 and her threshold is set at NZD 35.00. INZ states: "You cannot use an earlier SMC wage threshold (that was in place when you started work in New Zealand) and start meeting it later."

How far back a threshold can be set

There is a limit on how early a threshold can be fixed. INZ says the skilled work experience used to set the threshold must fall inside an eligible timeframe, "twice the amount of skilled work experience you need, counted back from the date you submit your EOI." The table:

  • Points-based pathway, 1 point from skilled work experience (1 year needed): 2 years.
  • Points-based pathway, 2 points (1.5 years needed): 3 years.
  • Points-based pathway, 3 points (2 years needed): 4 years.
  • Trades and Technician pathway (1.5 years needed): 3 years.
  • Skilled Work Experience pathway (2 years needed): 4 years.

INZ's example: "if you need 2 years of skilled work experience and you submit your EOI on 1 September 2026, the earliest you can set your threshold is 1 September 2022." A second example, Amira, claims 1 point under the Points-based pathway and so needs 1 year within 2. She plans to submit her EOI on 10 September 2026, so her window runs from 10 September 2024. She worked from 1 April 2024, but experience before 10 September 2024 cannot be used to set her threshold. The threshold in force on 10 September 2024 was NZD 31.61, and because she earned NZD 32.50 an hour, her threshold can be set from the start of the window.

INZ stresses a distinction that catches people out: the window for setting the threshold is counted back from the EOI date, but the window for counting skilled work experience is counted back from the date of the residence application. The practical effect INZ spells out is that a person "can continue gaining skilled work experience after submitting your EOI and before applying for residence."

Changing jobs, pay cuts, breaks and skill-level changes

INZ addresses each of the situations that arise during several years of work.

Changing jobs. "For most people, you will not need to meet a higher SMC wage threshold if you change jobs during your skilled work experience." The set threshold carries across a new employer or a new position with the same employer. There is one exception: a person on the Points-based pathway may need a higher threshold when moving from an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job to a skill level 4 or 5 job, because the latter must be paid at 1.5 times.

A pay cut. "If your pay drops below the threshold that applies to you, that work experience cannot count towards your SMC application." INZ's example, Alex, set her threshold at NZD 31.61 in February 2025. In November 2025 she started a new job at NZD 30.10, below her set threshold, so that period cannot be counted. If she later changes job or gets a rise that reaches NZD 31.61, she can start counting again.

A skill-level change. Sally started in a skill level 4 job in March 2024 on NZD 48.00, when 1.5 times the threshold was NZD 47.41. In September 2025 she moved to a skill level 3 job on NZD 32.00. Her date stays March 2024, so the rate for the new job is the March 2024 threshold of NZD 31.61, not the current one.

Breaks between jobs. "Breaks between jobs do not change your wage threshold if it has already been set," although the experience still has to fall within the eligible timeframe, so older experience may drop out if too much time passes.

Qualification and registration timing. For the Trades and Technician pathway, and for registration points on the Points-based pathway, work experience gained before the qualification was completed or the registration obtained cannot count.

The five-month grace period

Thresholds rise during the year. INZ therefore allows a short grace period for people who were granted a work visa under a lower threshold and then started their skilled work experience just after a rise.

INZ says the grace period applies if all four of these are true:

  1. the person started gaining skilled work experience within 5 months of the work visa being granted;
  2. the SMC wage threshold increased between the date the work visa was granted and the date the skilled work experience started;
  3. the skilled work experience was within the eligible timeframe; and
  4. when the experience started, the person was paid at least the threshold in place when the work visa was granted.

INZ also states that "The grace period does not apply to a variation of conditions or an AEWV Job Change."

The example is Peter, on the Skilled Work Experience pathway in a job that is not on the Amber List, so he needs 1.1 times the threshold. His work visa was granted on 23 February 2024, when the figure was NZD 32.62. He began work on 1 May 2024 on NZD 34.56, at a time when the figure had risen to NZD 34.77. Because he started within 5 months of the visa grant, he only needs to meet NZD 32.62.

Contracts for services and the highest income tier

INZ treats contractors differently when 6 points are claimed through the Points-based pathway. For someone working under a contract for services who is claiming 6 points, INZ says "you need 1 year of skilled work experience."

Two separate pay tests then apply. The current job or job offer must meet 3 times the SMC wage threshold in place when the EOI is submitted, and the skilled work experience must meet 3 times the threshold in place when that experience started. INZ's historical table for three times the threshold:

  • From 9 March 2026: NZD 105.00
  • 18 August 2025 to 8 March 2026: NZD 100.68
  • 28 February 2024 to 17 August 2025: NZD 94.83

INZ's worked example, Julie, claims 6 points for a PhD and has a contract for services. She submits her EOI on 30 August 2026 with a skill level 2 job paying NZD 42.00 an hour, and uses a prior 12-month contract that began on 30 July 2025 at NZD 34.50, when the threshold was NZD 31.61. INZ's example compares both pay figures with the base threshold in force at each date and concludes that both parts meet the requirement. It shows two different dates being used for two different parts of the same application. Because INZ's rule text for contracts for services refers to 3 times the threshold, while its example compares pay with the base figure, the live INZ page is the authority on exactly which multiple applies in a given situation.

A salaried employee needs to compare the rate with hours. INZ's tip: "If you are paid a salary, make sure you use the maximum contracted hours stated in your employment agreement." That figure, not the hours actually worked, is the denominator.

What to check before relying on any figure

Three cautions follow from INZ's own pages.

First, the NZD 35.00 figure is the 2026 threshold. INZ updates it when the median wage changes, and rates are listed by date for exactly that reason. Quoting NZD 35.00 for a 2024 start date would be wrong.

Second, the threshold is only one of the tests. The job must be with an accredited employer, full-time, and permanent, fixed-term for at least 12 months, or a contract or continuous contracts for at least 6 months, and the ANZSCO skill level has to be right. INZ points out that some occupation codes sit at skill level 4 or 5, where the multiple is 1.5.

Third, evidence of pay has to line up with the claim: INZ asks for tax statements and summaries of earnings by month that show the required threshold was met during the claimed period.

Because the rate is a historical, person-specific number, many applicants find it worth paying a licensed immigration adviser to fix the date and confirm the multiple before lodging. Advisers are regulated by the Immigration Advisers Authority and must give a written service agreement before starting work.

Finding a licensed immigration adviser

Migratio lists licensed immigration advisers so you can compare them and contact one directly. Every listing shows the adviser's licence number, which you can check on the Immigration Advisers Authority's public register before you book. We don't assess cases and don't tell anyone which visa or pathway fits them; that is the adviser's job.

Questions people ask

What is the SMC wage threshold in 2026?

INZ publishes NZD 35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026. That makes 1.5 times NZD 52.50, 2 times NZD 70.00 and 3 times NZD 105.00. Pathways add further multiples, such as 1.1 times (NZD 38.50) for the Skilled Work Experience pathway.

What was the SMC wage threshold before March 2026?

INZ lists NZD 33.56 for 18 August 2025 to 8 March 2026, NZD 31.61 for 28 February 2024 to 17 August 2025, and NZD 29.66 for 27 February 2023 to 27 February 2024. Earlier periods go back to NZD 25.50 from 24 February 2020.

Does the SMC wage threshold change after it is set?

INZ says it does not: "Once your threshold is set, it does not change." Further skilled work experience, and the current job or job offer, must meet or beat that set rate.

Which threshold applies if I started work in New Zealand years ago?

INZ's rule is that the threshold in force when skilled work experience started counting applies, as long as the experience falls inside the eligible timeframe counted back from the EOI date. INZ's wage threshold tool works out the rate for a given start date.

What happens if my pay falls below the threshold in a new job?

INZ says work experience at a pay rate below the set threshold cannot be counted. Counting can resume from a later pay rise or job that meets the threshold.

Is the SMC threshold the same as the AEWV or Green List wage?

No. INZ publishes separate wage rates for the Accredited Employer Work Visa, work to residence visas and the SMC. The SMC threshold in this article applies only to the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • SMC Points in NZ: How the 6-Point System Works — The Skilled Migrant Category points-based pathway needs 6 skilled resident points. INZ lets points come from one category only (qualification, occupational registration or income), topped up by up to 3 points of New Zealand skilled work experience. This guide sets out INZ's published tables as read on 9 October 2026.
  • SMC Skilled Work Experience Pathway Explained — INZ's Skilled Work Experience pathway to residence is built on work history, not a degree: a skill level 1 to 3 job paid at 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold, 3 years of relevant experience and a further 2 years of skilled experience in New Zealand. Amber List jobs face higher requirements; Red List jobs are excluded. All rules here are INZ's, read on 9 October 2026.
  • SMC Trades and Technician Pathway Explained — INZ's Trades and Technician pathway to residence needs a job in a listed trades or technician occupation paid at least the SMC wage threshold, a level 4 or higher qualification, 2.5 years of post-qualification experience and a further 1.5 years of post-qualification skilled experience in New Zealand. The occupation list has 109 entries. Rules as read on 9 October 2026.
  • SMC EOI and Invitation to Apply: Step by Step — A Skilled Migrant Category application starts with an expression of interest (EOI). INZ charges no fee for it, tells the applicant immediately whether the requirements are met, and, if so, emails an invitation to apply that must be used within 4 months. This guide follows INZ's published steps as read on 9 October 2026.
  • Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV): The 2026 Rules — The Accredited Employer Work Visa is New Zealand's main employer-sponsored work visa. The job must be full-time (30+ hours), with an accredited employer holding an approved job check, and paid at least the required rate. INZ showed a fee of NZD 1,540 and 80% of applications within 5 weeks on 9 October 2026. The longest continuous stay is 5 years, or 3 years for skill level 4 or 5 jobs.