KiwiSaver members are being urged not to tap into their retirement savings unless it's a last resort

Hardship withdrawals surged during the lockdown.

Inland Revenue figures show almost 14 million dollars was taken out of KiwiSaver accounts in April through financial hardship claims.

That's nearly double the amount taken out in April last year.

The average also jumped from around five and a half thousand per person to just over seven thousand per person.

Massey University retirement savings expert Claire Matthews says hardship claims could rise again as more people lose their jobs through the economic downturn.