Game regions
Every world plays under one country’s real financial rules
MoneyCQ region packs turn real income tax, social contributions, and retirement schemes into a playable life-sim — a payslip you can live, a tax bill you can feel, and a retirement balance you can watch grow.
Real rules make real lessons
Every week in the life-sim, the player earns a salary, pays rent and bills, saves, invests, and faces real decisions. Region packs make the simulation authentic: the money rules are real, verified against official sources, and versioned by tax year.
- Real rules, as data. Tax brackets, social levies, and retirement schemes encoded exactly — updated as data, not code.
- A real payslip flow. Gross salary in, then tax withheld and retirement contributions posted as separate ledger entries.
- A visible ledger. Every cent traceable: salary in, tax out, retirement locked away, bills paid.
- Deterministic and honest. Pure calculations with no randomness — every lesson can be replayed and explained.
- Locked retirement balances. KiwiSaver, CPF, EPF, SSS and friends grow weekly as locked assets — teaching the difference between cash, savings, and money you can’t touch yet.
17 countries, one engine
Seventeen country packs are live, plus the Generic baseline that powers simple starts and existing worlds. Each pack teaches the same universal money thinking through that country’s own institutions.
| # | Country | Key | Currency | Income tax | Retirement scheme |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | nz | NZD | 10.5–39% | KiwiSaver |
| 2 | 🇦🇺 Australia | au | AUD | 0–45% + Medicare | Superannuation |
| 3 | 🇺🇸 United States | us | USD | 10–37% + FICA | 401(k) |
| 4 | 🇨🇦 Canada | ca | CAD | 14–33% + Ontario | CPP |
| 5 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | gb | GBP | 20–45% + NI | Auto-enrolment pension |
| 6 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | ie | EUR | 20/40% + USC + PRSI | My Future Fund |
| 7 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | za | ZAR | 18–45% | Retirement fund (RA) |
| 8 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | se | SEK | ~32.4% + state tax | Public pension |
| 9 | 🇳🇴 Norway | no | NOK | 22% + bracket tax | OTP workplace pension |
| 10 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | dk | DKK | ~37–57% | Workplace pension |
| 11 | 🇫🇮 Finland | fi | EUR | 20.1–45% | TyEL |
| 12 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | sg | SGD | 0–24% | CPF |
| 13 | 🇮🇳 India | in | INR | 0–30% | EPF |
| 14 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | id | IDR | 5–35% | JHT + JP |
| 15 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | ph | PHP | 15–35% | SSS |
| 16 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | my | MYR | 0–30% | EPF |
| 17 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | vn | VND | 5–35% | Social insurance pension |
The countries
Oceania
🇳🇿
New Zealand
nz · NZD
Income tax: 10.5–39%
Retirement: KiwiSaver
- How PAYE and ACC come out of a paycheque
- Living on net pay
- Auto-enrolment, government top-ups, and compound growth
- Choosing a KiwiSaver rate with real trade-offs
🇦🇺
Australia
au · AUD
Income tax: 0–45% + Medicare
Retirement: Superannuation
- Bracket math and the Medicare levy
- How superannuation works and who pays
- Employer contributions and salary sacrifice
- Finding the co-contribution sweet spot
North America
🇺🇸
United States
us · USD
Income tax: 10–37% + FICA
Retirement: 401(k)
- Progressive brackets and the standard deduction
- Income tax vs payroll tax (FICA)
- Employer matching and the cost of early withdrawals
- How much to defer vs take home today
🇨🇦
Canada
ca · CAD
Income tax: 14–33% + Ontario
Retirement: CPP
- Federal brackets, the basic personal amount, and the 2026 rate cut
- Provincial tax as a second layer with its own exemption
- EI and CPP payroll contributions and their ceilings
- How employer contributions double retirement saving
Europe
🇬🇧
United Kingdom
gb · GBP
Income tax: 20–45% + NI
Retirement: Auto-enrolment pension
- Allowances, marginal rates, and the £100k taper
- National Insurance and how it funds the state
- Why opting out of auto-enrolment loses employer money
- The real cost of the 60% tax trap
🇮🇪
Ireland
ie · EUR
Income tax: 20/40% + USC + PRSI
Retirement: My Future Fund
- Why a tax credit is worth more than a deduction
- USC, PRSI, and layered deductions
- State-boosted auto-enrolment savings
- Net pay after the full stack
🇸🇪
Sweden
se · SEK
Income tax: ~32.4% + state tax
Retirement: Public pension
- Income-dependent allowances and tapers
- Municipal vs state tax and public pensions
- How pay-as-you-go pensions work
🇳🇴
Norway
no · NOK
Income tax: 22% + bracket tax
Retirement: OTP workplace pension
- Deductions before brackets, layered taxes
- National insurance and occupational pensions
- Mandatory employer pension saving
🇩🇰
Denmark
dk · DKK
Income tax: ~37–57%
Retirement: Workplace pension
- A genuinely layered tax system
- How contributions interact with tax thresholds
- High pension-saving rates and retirement
🇫🇮
Finland
fi · EUR
Income tax: 20.1–45%
Retirement: TyEL
- State vs municipal tax, and employer pension burden
- Combined marginal rates across layers
- How much of a salary funds a pension
Africa
🇿🇦
South Africa
za · ZAR
Income tax: 18–45%
Retirement: Retirement fund (RA)
- Rebates vs deductions and bracket creep
- UIF and the retirement-fund industry
- Voluntary retirement saving with employer matching
Asia
🇸🇬
Singapore
sg · SGD
Income tax: 0–24%
Retirement: CPF
- A wide, low progressive schedule
- A national forced-savings system (CPF)
- Locking money for housing, health, and retirement
- Take-home pay vs a compulsory nest egg
🇮🇳
India
in · INR
Income tax: 0–30%
Retirement: EPF
- The rebate cliff: a real marginal-rate jump
- Tax regimes, deductions, and the provident fund
- Forced retirement saving with an employer match
- Why a small raise can change your tax bill
🇮🇩
Indonesia
id · IDR
Income tax: 5–35%
Retirement: JHT + JP
- BPJS: health, old-age, and pension in one system
- Non-taxable income and capped deductions
- The JHT old-age savings account
🇵🇭
Philippines
ph · PHP
Income tax: 15–35%
Retirement: SSS
- A three-pillar payroll contribution system
- Monthly salary credits and contribution caps
- SSS pensions and mandatory membership
🇲🇾
Malaysia
my · MYR
Income tax: 0–30%
Retirement: EPF
- Many narrow bands and reliefs
- SOCSO, EIS, and the KWSP pension fund
- Uncapped EPF saving with employer contributions
🇻🇳
Vietnam
vn · VND
Income tax: 5–35%
Retirement: Social insurance pension
- A tax system mid-reform and how new rules land
- Personal deductions and contribution ceilings
- Pay-as-you-go social insurance and survivor benefits
Design principles
- One file per country, rules as data — adding a country never changes the engine.
- Verified and versioned — every pack cites official sources, carries its tax year, and has a re-check cadence.
- Honest simplifications — where a full tax code is too complex, the pack models the rules that matter and flags what’s simplified.
- Existing worlds keep playing — the Generic baseline backfills old worlds when a new country lands.
What’s next
- Annual KiwiSaver government top-up and per-player retirement rate choices.
- More packs on the roadmap: Canada, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Thailand, Hong Kong.
Every classroom learns the same core money thinking — but through the system their own students will grow up in. See how that works for teachers here.
Want to see how these choices move your score? MoneyCQ is a life-sim where your Cash Quotient rises and falls with decisions just like these. Follow the blog for build updates and early access.