NSSF Pension Calculator
Estimate your monthly NSSF contribution under the NSSF Act 2013 tiers, and roughly how large the pension pot could grow by age 60 — in Kenyan shillings. Free, no sign-up.
Your Details
Contributions are only charged up to the Upper Earnings Limit (KSh 108,000 a month at the Year 4 rate).
Check your balance on the NSSF member portal or the self-service app. Leave at 0 if you are just starting out.
The NSSF declares an interest rate on members' funds each year. It has often been in the high single digits; it is not guaranteed.
Your Estimate
Projected NSSF Pot at 60
Ksh 8,542,499
about Ksh 76,859/mo as an indicative pension
💬 In Plain Words
At 35 you are 25 years from the NSSF pension age of 60. On pay of Ksh 60,000 a month, about Ksh 3,600 comes off your payslip and your employer adds Ksh 3,600, so Ksh 7,200 goes into your NSSF account each month. Growing at 9% a year, the pot could reach about Ksh 8,542,499 by 60 — of which roughly Ksh 6,332,499 is credited interest.
Monthly Contribution
Estimate for educational purposes, not an official projection from the National Social Security Fund. It uses the Year 4 (February 2026) earnings limits and assumes they, your pay and the credited interest rate stay constant — in reality the limits rise each year of the phase-in. The indicative pension is a rough 20-year annuity, not the NSSF's own factor. Check your record on the NSSF member portal.
How the NSSF Pension Works
👋 Simple Explanation
The National Social Security Fund is Kenya's compulsory retirement scheme. Under the NSSF Act 2013 — which began rolling out in February 2024 — it changed from a small flat provident fund into an earnings-related, two-tier pension. While you work, 6% of your pensionable pay goes to NSSF and your employer adds another 6% (self-employed people pay both shares), up to the Upper Earnings Limit. That record, plus the interest the NSSF credits, becomes a monthly pension from age 60.
Contributions are split into Tier I (on pay up to the Lower Earnings Limit, which stays with the NSSF) and Tier II (on pay between the LEL and the Upper Earnings Limit, which an employer can 'contract out' to an approved private scheme). Both limits are being raised in annual steps during the phase-in, so the amounts coming off pay keep rising. NSSF contributions are deducted before PAYE.
Why You Need Savings on Top
For most people the NSSF pension will replace only a small share of their working income, especially anyone retiring in the next couple of decades. The layers on top are a workplace pension or provident scheme (often with an employer match), an individual personal pension, and a retirement-focused unit trust — contributions to a registered scheme are tax-deductible up to KSh 30,000 a month. Property and SACCO savings are also widely used. Use our retirement calculator to project how a monthly contribution grows by age 60, and confirm your employer is remitting to NSSF.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the NSSF retirement age in Kenya?
- 60 for the normal retirement benefit. You can access it earlier — from age 50 — if you have genuinely retired from regular employment, are emigrating permanently, or qualify on ill-health grounds. NSSF is not means-tested, so you can keep working and still receive it.
- How much is deducted for NSSF?
- 6% of your pensionable pay from you and 6% from your employer, split into Tier I (on pay up to the Lower Earnings Limit) and Tier II (on pay between the LEL and the Upper Earnings Limit). Both limits rise each year of the NSSF Act 2013 phase-in. At the Year 4 Upper Earnings Limit of KSh 108,000 the maximum employee contribution is KSh 6,480 a month, matched by the employer.
- How much NSSF pension will I get?
- The pension tier is a defined-contribution pot: your contributions plus the employer's, plus the interest the NSSF credits each year, build up until retirement and then provide a monthly pension (part of which can be taken as cash). Because the scheme is young and the earnings limits started low, the pension for someone retiring in the next couple of decades is modest — treat it as a floor and build a workplace or personal pension on top.