Information for parents about the Parental Assistance Test
If a young person is 18 or 19 years old and applying for Jobseeker Support or an equivalent Emergency Benefit, we may need information from you as part of the Parental Assistance Test.
Why we ask for information
If a young person is 18 or 19 years old and applying for Jobseeker Support or Emergency Benefit, they may need to complete a Parental Assistance Test.
The Parental Assistance Test helps us understand:
- if you can support a young person financially, or
- if there are reasons a young person cannot reasonably rely on support from you.
We use this information to check if a young person is eligible for support.
Providing information does not automatically mean a young person will qualify for support. We'll consider all relevant information before making a decision.
What information you need to provide
Depending on a young person's circumstances, we may ask them for:
- information about your income
- proof of income, such as payslips or tax returns
- information about your circumstances if you can't reasonably support the young person. For example, a medical certificate confirming you're in hospital care.
Who is considered a parent
For the Parental Assistance Test, a parent is:
- a natural (birth) parent
- an adoptive parent
- a step-parent
Foster parents and whāngai caregivers are not considered parents.
How we assess parent income
For most young people, we need their parents income information from the last 52 weeks to check if they can financially support them. We will consider the income of up to two parents.
The parental income limit is $67,225 before tax and is adjusted annually.
Sharing your income information
We only collect the information we need and use it to help us assess a young person's application.
You can choose to provide your income information directly to us if you want to keep it private.
You can also decide if a young person can:
- know your income details
- see the results of the parental income assessment
- tell us about your income when reapplying or reporting a change in circumstances.
Read our privacy notice to find out how we collect, use, share and manage personal information.
Privacy notice for the Parental Assistance Test
How to provide information
If we need information from you, we'll explain to the young person:
- what information we need
- how it can be provided
- when we need it by.
To provide information directly to us, you can drop it in at a service centre or post it in.
If I don't want to provide information
If we don't receive the information we need, it will affect our ability to assess a young person’s eligibility for support. We'll assume the young person can be supported by their parents.
Check the information on Parental Assistance Tests to see what is needed. If you're unsure, talk to the young person.
If a young person can't rely on support from me
Sometimes a young person may not be able to rely on support from a parent because of their family circumstances. This is called a Parental Support Gap.
Examples may include:
- family breakdown
- long-term hospital care
- imprisonment
- safety concerns
- death of a parent.
A young person may need to provide information and supporting evidence about their circumstances. This can include information from a registered professional in the education, health, justice or social services sectors who know their situation, and can help us understand why they cannot rely on support from their parent or parents.
If my income changes
If you've already provided information to support a young person's application and your income increases, we'll need updated information from you. The young person can let us know if this happens. Usually we’ll need to meet with them.
If my relationship changes
If you've already provided information to support a young person's application and you enter or leave a relationship, we'll need updated information from you. The young person can let us know if this happens.
If a young person reapplies
Some parents may be asked to provide updated income information when a young person reapplies or reports a change in circumstances.