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.

How much you can get

This depends on your circumstances.

For more information

If you'd like more information read:

For more detail go to our:

Are you eligible?

Check what you might get


Find out if you might get this benefit, and what other financial assistance may be available to you.

How to apply

Apply online for financial assistance


Complete your application form for financial assistance online.

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).