Words we use
The meanings of some words and acronyms we use on this site and in our publications.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Abatement
Where the benefit is reduced because of income that a person receives.
Alternative Assessment
A health or disability assessment provided to support an application for Invalid's Benefit. Some of the sources of an alternative assessment include:
- medical practitioners' or specialists' reports
- Group Special Education (GSE) reports
- Needs Assessment and Service Co-ordination (NASC) agency assessments
- written confirmation from GP, specialist or hospital.
Appeal Authority / The Authority
Refers to the Social Security Appeal Authority. This is an independent judicial tribunal made up of people who don't work for the Ministry of Social Development.
Approved Out of School Care and Recreation programme (OSCAR)
An OSCAR programme that has been approved as a Community Service under the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act 1989. A letter of approval is given to the OSCAR provider by Child, Youth and Family that details their current certification.
AS
Accommodation Supplement.
B
Beneficiary
A person who has been granted a benefit and also includes their partner if some or all of that benefit is payable to them.
Benefit
Financial assistance from the government.
BRC
Benefit Review Committee. A three-member panel that is established to review decisions made by the Ministry to ensure that decisions are fair and correct with regard to procedure and the law.
C
Capacity for work
A person’s ability to work. This takes into account any sickness, injury or disability the person may have.
Case Manager
A Work and Income employee who works with clients to help them achieve independence and ensures they received the assistance they need.
Cash assets
Assets that a person and his or her partner have that such as savings, shares, stocks, bonds, loans to others.
It doesn’t include motor, caravan, boat or other vehicle with a market value of less than $2,000, or which a person or their family privately uses.
CCS
Childcare Subsidy.
CDA
Child Disability Allowance (formerly known as Handicapped Child Allowance).
Child
A single person under the age of 18 years who is financially dependent on their parents or carer. It also includes a person who is 18 years old who is not financially independent and attending school or tertiary study up until the end of the school year in which they turn 18.
Civil union
A legally recognised union similar to marriage between two people of the same or opposite sex. A civil union relationship is treated in the same way as a marriage relationship for the purposes of income assistance.
Course-related costs
Costs that a student will have as part of their course, such as books and travel.
CSC
Community Services Card.
CSR
A Customer Service representative who is based at a contact centre and responds to enquiries over the phone.
CSRE
Centre for Social Research and Evaluation - a business unit of the Ministry responsible for research and evaluation.
D
DA
Disability Allowance.
De-facto relationship
A relationship between two people (either the same or opposite sex) who are not legally married or in a civil union, but are living together in the nature of marriage or civil union. A de facto relationship is treated in the same way as marriage for the purpose of income assistance.
For more information about relationships and how we work out if you’re in a relationship please visit our page: Relationships and income assistance.
Exception – 17 year olds and below
If a person is 17 years old or below and in a de-facto relationship, we must have either:
- parental consent for this relationship
- established a family breakdown exists.
If both persons in the relationship are 17 years old and below, we will need parental consent or have established that a family breakdown exists in both sides.
Dentist
A health practitioner who is, or is deemed to be, registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand and cares for any disease, disorder or condition of the teeth.
Dependent child
A child (whether own, stepchild, adopted, grandchild or mokopuna) is considered dependent if they are:
- primarily under the care and responsibility of the person
- living with that person as a member of their family
- substantially reliant on that person for financial support.
DPB
Domestic Purposes Benefit.
DPB - CSI
Domestic Purposes Benefit - Care of Sick or Infirm.
DPB - WA
Domestic Purposes Benefit - Women Alone.
E
EB
Emergency Benefit.
EC
Employment Co-ordinator - a Work and Income employee who works with sole parents, people with ill health and disabled people to help them find suitable work. Employment co-ordinators also work with employers and other agencies to ensure clients get the right support.
EMA
Emergency Maintenance Allowance.
Employment-related training course
A course is generally employment related where it will either:
- provide specific work skills which will improve a person’s employment opportunities
- be a related training course which will provide confidence and competence to participate in a specific work skills course (this includes self-awareness, self-confidence and assertiveness courses).
The course must also be provided by a secondary school or tertiary institution.
Enduring Power of Attorney
An Enduring Power of Attorney, unlike an ordinary Power of Attorney, operates after a person becomes mentally incapacitated.
Enterprise Allowance
Financial assistance to help clients move into self employment.
Essential living costs
These may include (but are not limited to):
- rent
- food
- power
- clothing.
Ex gratia
Payment made to a person without legal obligation or acceptance of liability by the Crown in recognition of harm experienced by that person.
F
FTC
Family Tax Credit.
Financially interdependent
Financially interdependent means that a person and his or her partner rely on both of their joint finances to support themselves and/or family. It doesn’t mean that both of them need to be contributing equally. For example, if one person’s income is a lot more than their partner’s, they might pay the mortgage and most of the bills, and the other person might pay for the weekly shopping.
Full-time employment
See: full-time work.
Full-time student
A person enrolled in a full-time course, or was enrolled in the semester or academic year just ended and who is or intends to be enrolled in a full time course in the next semester or academic year.
Full-time work
Full-time work is paid work for 30 hours or more each week. This includes temporary or casual employment during any week that a person works for 30 hours or more.
Full-time work for the purposes of applying for ReStart payments means:
- a person working 30 hours or more per week
- a sole parent, working 20 hours or more per week
- if a person is in a relationship and not working 30 hours or more a week, but whose hours when combined with their partner adds up to 30 hours or more.
G
General Practitioner
A medical doctor who provides primary care and specialises in family medicine.
Grant Date
The date a person becomes entitled to a benefit. This is not the date the payment will be made. Normally the first payment is made during the following week.
Gross wage
A person’s wage before any tax is taken out.
H
HDC
Health and Disability Co-ordinator. A Work and Income employee responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with health and disability providers, in particular with general practitioners.
High level of care
A high level of care is when a person has received care from a caregiver who was living with them and that care enabled them to remain in the community without receiving home-based disability services or it delayed their entry into residential care.
Hospital care
Hospital care means in-patient or residential care. It does not mean that the patient is under the care of a hospital specialist or receiving out-patient care.
Host doctor
A host doctor is someone who signs a person’s medical certificate and is usually their General Practitioner, but can also be their dentist or midwife who must have a current practicing certificate.
HPI
Health Practitioner Index - a unique identifier for each health practitioner in New Zealand. The HPI number is on a health practitioner's annual practising certificate.
I
IB
Invalid's Benefit.
ICD10
International Classification of Diseases Version 10 –New Zealand currently has two coding systems for clinical diagnosis – ICD10 codes for inpatient events (used by hospitals) and READ codes for primary care events (used by GPs, Ministry of Health, and Accident Compensation Corporation).
Income
Income is any money a person gets before income tax is taken out. For example: wages, salary, commission, and Parental Leave payments.
Income-tested benefit
This includes any of the following benefits:
- Domestic Purposes Benefit
- Emergency Benefit
- Independent Youth Benefit
- Invalid’s Benefit
- New Zealand Superannuation - non-qualified partner included
- Orphan's Benefit
- Sickness Benefit
- Unsupported Child's Benefit
- Unemployment Benefit
- Veteran’s Pension – non-qualified partner included
- Widow's Benefit.
In-work tax credit
A payment by Inland Revenue to working families with dependent children who qualify.
IYB
Independent Youth Benefit.
J
JSA
Job Seeker Agreement - a plan made with some clients.
Job Search Service
Work and Income's service to assist working age clients to find employment within 13 weeks.
L
LAP
Living Alone Payment.
Long-Term Unemployed
Clients who have been in receipt of an unemployment related benefit for over four years.
LSV
Limited Service Volunteers - a six-week residential motivational training scheme for young job seekers, run by the New Zealand Defence Force.
M
MAP
Manual and Procedures - an on-line tool that provides assistance for staff.
Married rate (in relation to New Zealand Superannuation)
The total amount payable to a married, civil union or de-facto couple, who are both entitled to get New Zealand Superannuation.
MDA
Medical Disability Advisor - an on-line tool used by the Ministry to provide benchmarks on disability or incapacity duration based on job classification.
Medical Practitioner
A health practitioner who is, or is deemed to be, registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand as a practitioner of the profession of medicine.
Midwife
A health practitioner who is registered with the Midwifery Council of New Zealand and trained to provide the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour and the period after childbirth up to six weeks.
MSD
Ministry of Social Development.
MYD
Ministry of Youth Development.
N
NAC
National Accounting Centre - the centralised purchasing, payment and processing service for the Ministry which is based in Rotorua.
Net Equity
The net equity in a property is the house and/or land value minus the outstanding mortgage only (not including any interest on the mortgage).
Net equity in a vehicle, caravan or boat is the amount of money you would get if you sold it at its current market value and after you had paid any debts owing on it.
Net wage
A person’s wage after tax is taken out.
Non-cash assets
Things you own that are easily converted to cash. Examples of non-cash assets are:
- leisure boats
- caravans
- land or buildings other than your home, eg holiday homes.
NZS
New Zealand Superannuation.
O
OB
Orphan's Benefit.
Offender Reintegration Programme
A joint initiative between the Department of Corrections and the Ministry of Social Development that aims to help prisoners find employment on release.
OIA
Official Information Act.
OP
Overseas Pension.
Open employment
Employment that isn’t sheltered employment.
Ordinarily resident
Ordinarily resident means a person who is normally and lawfully in New Zealand, intends to stay here and consider New Zealand to be their home.
Out of School Care and Recreation programme (OSCAR)
An OSCAR programme that has been approved as a Community Service under the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act 1989. A letter of approval is given to the OSCAR provider by Child, Youth and Family that details their current certification.
P
Paid employment
Paid employment includes employment for which a person gets non-monetary benefits, such as free board, payments in kind, or drawings from an unprofitable business.
Partner
A person’s partner is someone they are legally married to, in a civil union or de facto relationship (whether with the opposite or same sex).
For the purpose of applying for income assistance, a person and their partner must be committed to each other and financially interdependent. For more information about relationships and how we work out if you are in a relationship please visit our page: Relationships and income assistance.
Part-time work
Work that is less than 30 hours per week.
PATHS
Providing Access To Health Solutions - an initiative (between Work and Income, DHBs, PHOs and community-based NGO providers) offering intensive case management to assist people with complex health or disability needs into work.
Pay day
The day a benefit is due to be paid.
PDEP
Personal Development and Employment Plan - a plan made with non work-tested clients.
PAM
Planning and Assessment Module - A group seminar that forms part of the Job Search Service. Clients will meet as a group to;
- Complete their jobz4u profile
- access work brokerage services
- complete a Self Assessment of their job search requirements to help determine their next activity.
Power of Attorney
A Power of Attorney is a formal legal document, giving one person the right to act on behalf of another person. It can be general, for example, allowing the agent to look after all financial matters, or specific, such as managing a bank account while the person is overseas.
Principal caregiver (in relation to a dependant child)
The person who has the primary responsibility for the day to day care of the child on a permanent basis. It does not include owners or employees of any childcare home or institution.
Proof of identity
Identification that shows who you are and your New Zealand residency status, such as a birth certificate, current passport or citizenship papers.
Psychologist
A health practitioner who is, or is deemed to be, registered with the Psychologists Board as a practitioner of the profession of psychology.
R
RAP
Recoverable Assistance Payment.
Reside
To live in a place permanently or for an extended period.
RC
Regional Commissioner for Social Development – responsible for leading their region and ensuring responsiveness and flexibility in developing, implementing and monitoring solutions to the social and labour market issues within their area.
RCS
Residential Care Subsidy.
RD
Regional Director – responsible for the management of Work and Income’s regional performance and the delivery of services in service centres and the community.
RDA
Regional Disability Advisor – a Work and Income employee who provides advice and recommendations on disability factors associated with benefit applications and the appropriateness of services.
READ Codes
A diagnostic classification standard for coding health conditions in primary care.
Redundant
A person’s employment is terminated because their employer have decided that the person’s position is in excess to their needs.
Redundancy payment
A payment (after income tax is taken off) to a person who is being made redundant.
Refugee
A refugee is a person who is lawfully in New Zealand whose refugee status has been recognised by:
- the Minister of Immigration or an immigration officer appointed under the Immigration Act 1987
- the Refugee Status Appeal Authority or
- a court on appeal or by way of judicial review from the decision made by the Minister, Immigration Officer or Authority.
Regular (in relation to work)
Work which isn’t either:
- casual employment
- employment on call if there are no specified hours in the person’s employment contract.
Rehabilitation
A process aimed at enabling disabled people to reach and maintain their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric and/or social functional levels. It includes a wide range of measures and activities from more basic and general rehabilitation to goal-oriented activities, for instance vocational rehabilitation.
ROD
Review of Decision – an opportunity for a client to apply for a formal review of a decision that has been made about their financial assistance.
RHA
Regional Health Advisor – a Work and Income employee responsible for providing advice and recommendations on health factors associated with benefit applications and the appropriateness of services.
S
SA
Student Allowance.
Salary or wages
Any money or award gained from employment. This includes commission.
SB
Sickness Benefit.
Services to Employers
Formerly the Sustainable Employment Strategy. An initiative that delivers services to employers according to their potential to provide Work and Income clients with sustainable employment opportunities.
Sheltered employment
Employment conditions that have been designed to cater for the needs of a person’s disability or illness.
Sickness
An illness. For the purpose of getting income assistance, it can also mean pregnancy after the 27th week.
SL
Student Loan.
SNG
Special Needs Grant.
SPB
Special Benefit - Superceded by Temporary Additional Support.
Specialised Assessment
An assessment undertaken by a health or disability practitioner, engaged by Work and Income, to provide detailed information not able to be obtained elsewhere (eg addiction medicine specialist, psychologist, community worker). Work and Income meets the cost of this service. The requirement for a specialised assessment will be established by the regional health advisor or the regional disability advisor.
Stable Employment
Employment measure - in employment more than 91 days.
Suitable employment
Work that is suited to a person taking into account their circumstances. It can be work for any number of hours a week that is less than or equal to the hours needed to satisfy the work test.
T
TAS
Temporary Additional Support.
Temporary employment
Full employment that is for less than 26 weeks.
TFG
Taskforce Green.
THI
Targeted Health Intervention - an initiative for clients who experience ill health or disability, who;
- want to return to full-time work
- require a single health intervention to enable them to return to work
- are unable to access the intervention through the public health system within three months.
TIA
Training Incentive Allowance.
TOP
Training Opportunities Programme.
TTW
Transition to Work Grant.
U
UB
Unemployment Benefit.
UBH
Unemployment Benefit Hardship - for clients who do not meet the residency criteria for Unemployment Benefit (formerly known as Emergency Unemployment Benefit).
UB Student Hardship
Unemployment Benefit Student Hardship - provides financial assistance for a full-time student who does not have employment during vacation periods.
UB (Training)
Unemployment Benefit (Training) - for clients on Unemployment Benefit who are doing a training course.
UCB
Unsupported Child's Benefit.
V
VOE
Verification of earnings.
Voluntary Work
Work undertaken that is not paid employment (other than reimbursement of direct expenses) for a non-profit community organisation or other person. This does not include Activities in the Community, or work undertaken as part of a work experience or work exploration activity.
VOS
Verification of study.
VP
Veteran's Pension.