SMC income points: salary, guaranteed hours and the applicable wage multiplier
An SMC role paid NZD 35 an hour does not automatically earn three income points. SR 3.25.10 awards three, four or six points for at least 1.5, two or three times the applicable SMC wage threshold, with at least 30 guaranteed hours per working week. Establish the relevant date and contract before comparing annual salaries.
Basic employment eligibility is a different test
The points pathway has occupation-level and pay requirements for the job itself, including when points are claimed from qualifications or registration. Income is a separate skill category, not an automatic bonus for meeting that basic test. Select one of qualification, income or registration, then add qualifying New Zealand experience if needed; the three skill categories cannot all be stacked.
Income claim | Illustration using the NZD 35 threshold from 9 March 2026 |
1.5 times for three points | NZD 52.50 an hour |
Two times for four points | NZD 70 an hour |
Three times for six points | NZD 105 an hour |
These illustrate the current base, not the threshold for every historical month. Commencement of qualifying experience, invitation and an applicable work-visa date can affect which threshold applies. SR 3.10 includes specific timing and five-month provisions. Use the real record, rather than applying today's figure retrospectively or treating an old base as permanent.
The same salary can produce different hourly figures
For arithmetic illustration, NZD 109,200 a year divided by 52 weeks and 40 hours is NZD 52.50 an hour. The same total over 45 hours is about NZD 46.67. This is not an individual's pay assessment. It explains why the amount alone is insufficient; the actual guaranteed hours, remuneration components and rules still need evidence.
Full-time employment under SR 3.25.10 means at least 30 guaranteed hours for each week worked. Do not use only the strongest week or count unguaranteed overtime and bonuses as fixed pay without the applicable basis. Supply the agreement and job description identifying the applicant, employing legal entity, occupation, hours and remuneration, consistent with the payments made.
Experience used with income points needs the multiplier too
A four-point income claim requiring experience cannot be based on today's doubled wage while automatically counting earlier work at only the general threshold. The instructions require the relevant income multiplier for the skilled experience relied on. Reconcile periods and actual pay instead of using a recent increase to rewrite the past.
Current experience points use specified one-year,18-month and two-year periods and look-back windows. Total service on a CV is not automatically the eligible period. Use authentic agreements, pay, tax and other required evidence. Identify shortfalls without counting future months as already worked.
Update evidence when the employment changes
A new employer, hours or remuneration can affect the job, experience or original EOI claims. Provide the complete earlier and current position for assessment. Being able to use a particular historical wage threshold does not make every contract change irrelevant. Material changes should be handled truthfully rather than preserving only the old agreement to protect a score.
Payslips, bank records, tax and the agreement establish different facts. Expected annual income is not all already paid, and INZ may request more evidence. A translation must not convert variable pay into guaranteed pay or change 45 hours into 40 to improve the calculation.
Even six income points leave employment, age, English, health and other requirements. A six-point skill claim involving contracts for services also has the SR 3.25.25 requirement for a year of qualifying New Zealand experience in the prior two years. Check invitation transition rules too. A high salary or one private calculation is not a guarantee of immediate eligibility or approval.
Official sources and verification date
18 October 2026
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