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Benefits and payments homepage
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Overview
Take a look at the range of benefits and payments we have available.
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Not working
Redundancy, health condition or disability or another reason you can’t work
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Living expenses
Food, school costs, power, accommodation or other living expenses you need help with
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Relationship changes
You’ve had a relationship break-up, family breakdown or violent relationship end
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Health and Disability
Counselling, prescription and GP costs, medical alarms and other costs we can help with
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Seniors
Travelling overseas, how to apply, payment rates and dates, overseas pensions, income and other info for Seniors
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Caring
Caring for someone else’s child or someone with a health condition, injury or disability
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Urgent or unexpected costs
Dental, glasses, car repairs, fridge, washing machine, funeral or other urgent costs you need help with
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Children
Childcare, school uniforms, stationery, having a baby and other costs if you have children
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Payment issues
Fixing issues with Accommodation Supplement, Special Benefit and other payments we’ve made
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16-19 year olds
Education, training, work and benefit help for 16-19 year olds
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Benefits and forms
A-Z list of benefits, forms, benefit rates
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Work homepage
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Overview
Find out what services we can offer to help you find work and when you start a new job.
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Looking for work
We have jobs available now in various industries and you can search on our job websites.
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Help with your job search
From advice on making a plan, to tips on where to look and following up leads.
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Training and experience
Our programmes can help you get ready for work with training and work experience.
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Apprenticeship Support Programme
Get help to retain and bring on new apprentices.
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CVs and cover letters
We’ve got great templates and advice for writing your CV or cover letter, and filling out job applications.
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Help with work costs
Get help to pay for the things you need to start work
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Job support and advice
Get all the support and advice you need to stay in work.
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Health and disability
If you want to work, we can support you to find the right job for you.
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Start your own business
We can help you get your business up and running.
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Job interviews
Get advice about how to prepare for and deliver a great interview.
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Help for 16-19 year olds
We’ve got extra support for young people to get ready for work and find a job.
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On a benefit homepage
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Overview
Check out what you need to do when you're getting a benefit or other payment from us.
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Something's changed
Address, contact details, overseas travel, childcare, relationship or anything else that’s changed.
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Income
Declare income, wages deduction calculator and tables
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Childcare
Change in your childcare situation, continue childcare payments, cohort entry schools and other childcare information
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Re-apply
Re-apply for Jobseeker Support, Sole Parent Support, Temporary Additional Support and more
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Payments
Check or stop your payments, payment cards and other information
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Debt
Check your debt, repayments and other debt information
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Rights and responsibilities
Our commitment to you, obligations, complaints, benefit fraud and more
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Housing homepage
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Overview
Find out how we can help you with housing.
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Nowhere to stay
Get help if you have nowhere to stay right now.
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Find a house
Find out where to look for private housing, or apply for public (social) housing.
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Living in your home
Get help with accommodation costs, and advice on any housing issues and public housing tenancies.
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Move house
Find out how we can help if you’re moving house.
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Dental treatment
If you're on a low income or benefit, we may be able to help pay towards the cost of dental treatment, especially if it's urgent.
From 1 December 2022, you can apply for up to $1,000 in a 52-week period for immediate and essential dental work. This change is part of Budget 2022.
We may not be able to cover the full cost of your dental treatment.
You don't have to be on a benefit to qualify for this help.
Remember you may have to pay some of the money back, depending on your situation.
Who can get it
You may be able to get help for dental treatment for you or a child, if whoever needs it is in serious pain and the dentist has said that urgent work needs to be done.
We may also be able to help pay for other essential dental work that needs to be done.
Whatever your situation, to apply you need to:
- be 16 or over (if you're 16 to 19 and have a Youth Service provider, contact Youth Services)
- be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- normally live in New Zealand and intend to stay here
- have an immediate and essential need.
It also depends on:
- how much you and your partner earn
- any money or assets you and your partner have.
Your income will be assessed either weekly or yearly, depending on the kind of help you qualify for. The following income and asset limits usually apply.
Asset limits
These don't include what you need for day-to-day living, eg your home or your car. They do include money in the bank, or things like a caravan or a second property.
If you are: | Your assets are worth less than |
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Single | $1,193.21 |
Couple (with or without children) or sole parent | $1,988.20 |
Current income limits
If you are: | Weekly income before tax is less than |
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Single and 16 to 17 years old | $737.86 |
Single and 18 years old or over | $848 |
Couple (with or without children) | $1,231.72 |
Sole parent with 1 child | $1,029.02 |
Sole parent with 2 or more children | $1,084.13 |
What you can get
Urgent dental treatment
If you need help with urgent dental treatment, we generally pay up to $300.
We usually only make payments for urgent dental treatment once a year. You may be able to get help for more than one treatment in a year, or help with treatment over $300, but you might have to pay some of this back.
Essential dental treatment
How much you get depends on your situation.
Community Services Card
If you have a Community Services Card, you may be able to get dental treatment through your local hospital.
Talk to a health practitioner, eg, your doctor or dentist, about this.
How to apply
You need to contact your dentist to get costs for the treatment you need.
If the cost is under $300 and you haven’t had help from us within the last 12 months, you won’t need to show us evidence of your dental costs. If you’ve had help for other one-off costs in the past 12 months, or the costs are more than $300, you may need to show us evidence of your dental costs. We'll let you know if this is needed.
If you're a new client: You will need to call us. We'll talk with you to understand your situation and how we can help, and let you know if you need to do anything else.
If you're a current client: You may be able to apply using MyMSD. MyMSD will tell you what information is needed and if you need to talk with us. If you can't use MyMSD you can call us and we'll book you an appointment to come in and see us. We'll tell you what you need to bring.
If your payment's approved, we'll send you a text or email to confirm.
What happens next
We'll give you a payment card (if you don't already have one) and load the money onto it.
You have 7 working days to pay the dentist before it expires.
You'll pay the dentist with your payment card (much like an Eftpos card). Check with your dentist to see if they accept them. If they don't, they can register online as a supplier.
You can also login to MyMSD to see how much you have left on your payment card and when the grant expires.
Other help available
ACC may be able to cover dental injuries caused by accidents, sports injuries, or as a result of medical or dental treatment.
Find out more about injuries ACC covers
You may be able to get publicly funded dental care if you’re under 18 years of age, or have a Community Services Card, or have a disability or medical condition.
Find out about publicly funded dental care from the Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health has advice about emergency dental care, including how to find an after-hours dentist or how your local hospital can help.
Find out more about emergency dental care from the Ministry of Health