Domestic Purposes Benefit - Care of Sick or Infirm
Domestic Purposes Benefit - Care of Sick or Infirm is a weekly payment which helps people who are caring for someone at home who needs full-time care.
Who can get it
You may get the Domestic Purposes Benefit - Care of Sick or Infirm if you are caring for someone at home and this person:
- needs full-time care
- is not your spouse or partner
- would otherwise need hospital care, rest home care, residential disability care, extended care services for severely disabled children and young people, or care of a similar kind.
If you're a parent who needs to provide full-time care and attention at home for your high needs dependant child you may be able to get this benefit.
You must:
- be over 16 years old
- be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- have lived in New Zealand for at least 2 years at any one time since becoming a New Zealand citizen or resident (unless you are a refugee).
You should also normally live in New Zealand and intend to stay here.
If you are 16 or 17 years old there must be no other carer reasonably available.
The information provided in this page is a guide only. Contact us to talk about your individual circumstances.
Retrospective (backdated) payments
If you have been caring for a dependant child, and any previous application for financial assistance was declined, you can apply for a retrospective (backdated) Domestic Purposes Benefit - Care of Sick or Infirm.
For more information about getting this benefit retrospectively, read our factsheet or contact us.
For more information
If you'd like more information read:
Do you know that Work and Income can help you financially?
Are you eligible?
Find out if you might get this benefit, and what other financial assistance may be available to you.
If you don’t want to complete the form online you can print out and complete the application form below.
If you can’t print the form out we’ll send an application form to you or you can complete it when you come in to see us.
We can grant you the financial assistance you’re entitled to from the date you first contact us if you complete your application within 20 working days of that date.
Contact us for more information
Retrospective applications
If you want to apply for retrospective payments, fill out the Carer Statement (stage 1 in the assessment process for retrospective applications).
