Help from Work and Income
Work and Income offers financial assistance for people who are caring for someone else’s child. The payments are made to you, the caregiver, to help with the costs of providing for the child.
- The Unsupported Child’s Benefit can help support the child if their parents can’t support them because of a family breakdown
- The Orphan’s Benefit can help support the child when their parents have died or can’t be found, or when they can’t look after the child because they have a long term illness
- Alternatively if you are single and caring for the child, you may qualify for your own benefit at the sole parent rate of payment. Please ask us about this.
We can grant you financial assistance from the date you first contact us, if you complete your application within 20 working days of that date.
Who can get an Unsupported Child’s Benefit or Orphan’s Benefit?
To qualify for either benefit, the child you are looking after must be under 18, single and financially dependent on you – and you must
- be 18 years or over and
- be the main caregiver of the child and expect to care for the child for at least 12 months and
- not be the child’s natural or adoptive parent.
These benefits are not based on your income or any money the child gets from working after school or in the holidays. But other income the child gets such as from a family trust, ACC, investments or their parents estate could affect whether you qualify and the amount you can get.
You won’t be able to get the Unsupported Child’s Benefit or Orphans Benefit at the same time as Board payments from Child, Youth and Family or Working for Families Tax Credits from Inland Revenue (except in-work tax credit) for the same child.
For the Unsupported Child’s Benefit...
You will need to apply for Child Support from the child’s parents. This money goes to the government to help cover what we pay you. You will also need to attend a Family Meeting (if you haven’t already had a Family Group Conference) to confirm that there has been a family breakdown and that you will be the main caregiver for the next 12 months.
Step-parents won’t be able to get an Unsupported Child’s Benefit.
