SMC Points Calculator — the 6-Point Pathway
The points-based pathway is the original route to residence under the Skilled Migrant Category, and for degree holders and higher earners it is often the quickest. You need 6 points and skilled employment in New Zealand. This calculator counts your points the way Immigration New Zealand does and shows the wage threshold your job has to meet.
Free, no signup. Figures current as at September 2026.
How the points work
You claim points from one skill category only. Categories can't be combined.
- Qualifications: from 4 points for an overseas bachelor's degree (usually with an NZQA International Qualification Assessment) up to 6 points for a doctorate. New Zealand qualifications generally score higher than their overseas equivalents.
- Occupational registration: points based on the New Zealand registration your occupation requires.
- Income: 3 points at 1.5 times the median wage ($52.50 an hour), 4 points at 2 times ($70.00) and 6 points at 3 times ($105.00).
If your skill category gives you fewer than 6 points, you can top up with New Zealand skilled work experience: 1 point for 1 year, 2 points for 18 months and 3 points for 2 years. A common combination is an overseas bachelor's degree (4 points) plus 18 months of skilled work in New Zealand (2 points).
The wage threshold, and why it locks in
Your job must pay at least the SMC wage threshold. For skilled work experience starting on or after 9 March 2026, that is $35.00 an hour for ANZSCO skill level 1–3 roles and $52.50 an hour for skill level 4–5 roles.
The threshold that applies to you is the one in force when your pay first met it. Once it is set, later median wage increases don't move it, but every job you count from then on has to pay at least that rate. Time paid below the threshold doesn't count as skilled work experience, even in the same job.
Two separate look-back windows apply: one fixes your wage threshold, and the other counts your skilled work experience back from the date you apply for residence. Mixing them up is one of the easiest ways to get a points calculation wrong.
Where it stops
The calculator works from the figures you enter. It can't assess substantial match (whether your real duties fit the occupation you've claimed), how NZQA will assess your qualification, whether your employment will be accepted as genuine, or whether variable hours in your employment agreement pull your effective hourly rate below the threshold. You also need to be 55 or younger and meet health, character and English requirements.
Not sure the points-based pathway is your best route? The SMC Pathfinder compares it with the Trades and Technician and Skilled Work Experience pathways.
If your result is close either way, book a 30-minute consultation ($99, credited to your fee) with a licensed adviser before you lodge anything.