Contribution Terms

These terms explain how contributions to Kivvo goals work: how you set them up, how they're processed, what happens when things go right, and what happens when they don't. They sit alongside our general Terms of Service, which continue to apply.

The short version

A contribution is money you add toward a goal. You can make scheduled contributions (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) or one-off contributions.

Minimum contribution amounts apply depending on your schedule:

Weekly: $50

Bi-weekly: $100

Monthly: $200

One-off: $10 per day

One-off contributions are limited to $10 per day. If you're making one-off contributions, that's the minimum (and the maximum) you can add in a single day.

A contribution fee applies to scheduled contributions. See our Fees & Charges page for the current fee.

Contributions are processed by our third-party payment provider. Kivvo doesn't take custody of your funds.

If a contribution fails, we may retry it. Repeated failures can pause your schedule and affect eligibility for Kivvo Payouts.

You can change or cancel your schedule at any time. Changes apply from the next scheduled contribution.

Failed payments affect your contribution streak — an important detail if you're aiming for Kivvo Payouts.

What a contribution is

A contribution is money you add toward a savings goal you've set in Kivvo. Contributions accumulate toward your goal's target amount. When your goal reaches its target, it's complete.

Contributions are your money. Kivvo doesn't own them, doesn't invest them, doesn't pay interest on them, and doesn't take custody of them.

Types of contribution

Scheduled contributions

A scheduled contribution is a recurring contribution that runs automatically:

Weekly — every week on the day you chose when you set the schedule

Bi-weekly — every two weeks on the day you chose

Monthly — once a month on the day you chose

You can have scheduled contributions running toward any of your goals.

One-off contributions

A one-off contribution is a single contribution you make manually, outside your schedule. You can make one-off contributions at any time. They aren't part of your streak for Kivvo Payouts purposes.

**One-off contributions are fixed at $10 per day.** You can make a one-off contribution of $10 once per day. This applies as both the minimum and the maximum for one-off contributions.

Minimum contribution amounts

To keep contributions meaningful and processing efficient, Kivvo enforces minimum contribution amounts. These differ by schedule:

These minimums apply per contribution. Contributions below the minimum will be rejected.

A note on one-off contributions: One-off contributions are set at **$10 per day**. You can make one one-off contribution of $10 per day. This is a firm limit — you can't make multiple one-off contributions in a single day, and you can't make one-off contributions below or above $10.

A note on the monthly threshold: Contributing at or above the monthly minimum (i.e. $200 per month or equivalent) is one of the requirements for Kivvo Payouts eligibility. See our Payouts Policy for details.

Contribution fees

A contribution fee applies to scheduled contributions. The fee is deducted from the contribution amount before the remainder is allocated to your goal.

Current fees:

Flat fee: NZD $2.00 per contribution

Percentage fee: 8% of the contribution amount

Maximum fee: NZD $15.00 per contribution

Worked example: A $200 monthly contribution incurs:

Flat fee: $2.00

Percentage fee: 8% of $200 = $16.00

Fee before cap: $18.00

Capped fee: $15.00

Net contribution to goal: $185.00

The cap protects larger contributions from being disproportionately expensive.

For a full breakdown of fees, see our Fees & Charges page.

How contributions are processed

When a contribution is due (or when you make a one-off), here's what happens:

Kivvo initiates the payment through our third-party payment provider.

The provider collects the funds from your linked payment method (card or bank account authorised through the provider).

Kivvo records the contribution against your chosen goal.

The contribution fee is deducted, and the remainder is applied to your goal.

Your contribution history and goal progress update in your account.

Kivvo doesn't take custody of your funds at any point. Funds are handled by the payment provider under their terms. See our Bank Payments & Cards page and Financial Services Disclosures for more detail.

Setting up a contribution schedule

To set up a scheduled contribution:

Choose the goal you want to contribute toward.

Choose your frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly).

Choose the amount (subject to the minimum for your frequency).

Choose the day of the week or month you want the contribution to run.

Confirm your payment method.

Confirm the schedule.

You can have different schedules running toward different goals at the same time.

Changing a contribution schedule

You can change your schedule at any time:

Change the amount

Change the frequency

Change the day

Pause the schedule

Cancel the schedule

Changes apply from the next scheduled contribution. A contribution that is already in progress when you make a change won't be affected.

If you decrease your contribution to below the applicable minimum, the schedule change won't be accepted. If you decrease below the monthly threshold required for Kivvo Payouts, your eligibility for payouts may be affected.

Pausing a contribution schedule

You can pause a scheduled contribution. While paused:

No contributions are processed for that schedule.

The schedule itself is retained, so you can resume it later.

Pausing affects your contribution streak for Kivvo Payouts purposes. A paused schedule won't generate the contributions needed to maintain a streak.

See our Payouts Policy for how pauses affect cashback eligibility.

Cancelling a contribution schedule

You can cancel a scheduled contribution at any time. When you cancel:

No further contributions are processed for that schedule.

The schedule is removed from your account.

Contributions already made remain allocated to your goal.

You can create a new schedule at any time.

Failed contributions

If a scheduled contribution fails — for example, because a card is declined, a bank mandate is cancelled, or a bank account has insufficient funds — here's what happens:

Retries

Kivvo may automatically retry a failed contribution, typically within the same week, using the same payment method. You'll be notified through your account and may be able to update your payment method before the retry.

Streak impact

A failed contribution means you don't have a qualifying contribution for that week. This breaks your contribution streak for Kivvo Payouts purposes, even if the retry later succeeds. See our Payouts Policy for details.

Repeated failures

If contributions fail repeatedly (for example, three times in a row), Kivvo may:

Pause the affected contribution schedule

Notify you to update your payment method

Require you to actively resume the schedule

Kivvo does not charge a fee for a failed contribution.

Cancelled or reversed contributions

If a contribution is later cancelled, refunded, or reversed (for example, because of a chargeback from your card issuer or a dispute), the contribution is removed from your goal and your history. This also affects:

Your goal progress — the reversed amount is deducted.

Your contribution streak — a reversal may break the streak.

Your cashback eligibility — a reversal affects eligibility for Kivvo Payouts.

If a reversal leaves your goal with a negative balance (which shouldn't normally happen), Kivvo will contact you to resolve the situation.

Contribution allocation to goals

If you have multiple goals and a single contribution, Kivvo allocates the contribution across your goals according to the priority order you've set. The allocation model works as follows:

Goals with the same priority share their allocation equally.

Completed goals are skipped — the allocation moves to the next goal in priority order.

Any remaining amount (for example, if all goals are complete) goes to your Kivvo Saver pool as unallocated balance.

You can see exactly how a contribution was allocated in your contribution history.

One-off contributions

You can make a one-off contribution once per day, of $10. This applies as both the minimum and the maximum for one-off contributions.

Choose the goal you want to contribute toward.

Confirm the $10 amount.

Confirm your payment method.

Confirm the contribution.

One-off contributions are processed immediately (or on the next available processing day) and are applied to your goal after the contribution fee is deducted.

One-off contributions:

Are not part of a schedule

Are not counted toward your streak

Are subject to the same contribution fee as scheduled contributions

Are limited to one per day at $10

Contribution history

Every contribution — scheduled or one-off — is recorded in your contribution history. Your history shows:

The date and amount of each contribution

The goal the contribution was allocated to

The fee charged

The status of the contribution (sent, failed, pending, reversed)

You can view your history in your account. You can also download it in CSV or PDF format from the Data Requests area.

Contribution and payment method relationships

Your scheduled contributions are linked to a specific payment method (a card or a bank account authorised through our payment provider).

If your payment method changes:

You can update it in your account.

Existing schedules may need to be re-linked to the new payment method.

Some payment methods may not be compatible with all schedule types.

If a payment method becomes invalid (for example, a card expires), you'll be notified and asked to update it before the next scheduled contribution.

Contributions and Kivvo Payouts

Contributions are directly linked to your eligibility for Kivvo Payouts (cashback). In particular:

The amount and consistency of your scheduled contributions determine your streak.

The minimum monthly threshold for Kivvo Payouts is the same as the standard monthly contribution minimum ($200/month or equivalent).

Failed, cancelled, or reversed contributions affect your streak and eligibility.

For a full description, see our Payouts Policy.

What Kivvo contributions are not

To be clear:

A contribution is not a deposit in the banking sense.

A contribution is not an investment — it doesn't earn interest, dividends, or returns.

A contribution is not a loan — you're not lending money to Kivvo or to anyone else.

A contribution is not a payment for a product or service beyond the fee that applies to it — it's your money, moving toward your goal.

Changes to these terms

We may update these Contribution Terms from time to time. When we make material changes:

We'll update this page.

We'll notify you where the change materially affects you.

Continued use of contributions after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

If you don't agree with a change, you can cancel any active contribution schedules in accordance with these terms.

Where to find more detail

For more information, see:

Terms of Service — the general agreement between you and Kivvo

Fees & Charges — what Kivvo charges for

Bank Payments & Cards — how payments flow through Kivvo

Payouts Policy — how Kivvo Payouts works, including cashback eligibility

Kivvo+ Membership Terms — the terms of the Kivvo+ subscription

Tax Information — how tax generally applies

Privacy Policy — how we handle your personal information

Complaints Policy — how to raise a concern

Financial Services Disclosures — Kivvo's regulatory position

If you have a question about contributions that isn't answered here, please submit a support ticket via the Support page. We don't use email for support.

This page was last reviewed in October 2026.