Social Security Agreement with Guernsey - living in New Zealand
If you've lived in Guernsey and now live in New Zealand, you may be able to get some payments. This is because New Zealand (NZ) has an agreement with Guernsey to share responsibility for social security coverage.
This agreement can help you if you either:
- are an NZ citizen
- are an NZ permanent resident, or
- have an NZ resident visa.
How this Social Security Agreement helps you
This agreement generally allows you to apply for certain NZ payments (paid by us) or Guernsey payments (paid by the Guernsey Social Security Department).
NZ payments covered by this agreement are:
- New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super)
- Veteran's Pension
- Supported Living Payment, where you have a health condition, injury or disability.
- Sole Parent Support for widows and widowers
- Jobseeker Support, where you have a health condition, injury or disability.
Guernsey payments covered by this agreement are:
- Sickness Benefit
- Bereavement Allowance (formerly Widow's Benefit)
- Industrial Injury Benefit
- Industrial Disablement Benefit
- Invalidity Benefit.
This agreement also allows you to add together your periods of residence in either country so you can meet certain criteria for these payments.
NZ and Guernsey payments
If you already get a Guernsey payment and move to NZ, contact the Guernsey Social Security Department. They'll change the payment if needed.
Contact the Guernsey Social Security Department
If you're not already getting a NZ or Guernsey payment, read the information below.
Who can get these payments
Who can get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
You may be able to get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension while you're living in NZ if:
- you've lived in Guernsey, and
- you meet the criteria for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension.
You need to have lived in New Zealand for a certain amount of time to get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension. If you haven't, you may be able to use your or your partner's time you've spent contributing to the Guernsey insurance scheme to meet this criteria. To use this time, you must have contributed to the Guernsey insurance scheme for at least 12 months.
Using SSA countries to meet residence criteria for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
Who can get Supported Living Payment
You may be able to get the Supported Living Payment for a health condition, injury or disability while you're living in NZ if:
- you've lived in Guernsey, and
- you meet the criteria for Supported Living Payment.
You need to have lived in New Zealand for a certain amount of time to get Supported Living Payment. If you haven't, you may be able to use your or your partner's time you've spent contributing to the Guernsey insurance scheme to meet this criteria. To use this time, you must have contributed to the Guernsey insurance scheme for at least 12 months.
Who can get Sole Parent Support for widows or widowers
You may be able to get Sole Parent Support as a widow or widower while you're living in NZ if:
- you've lived in Guernsey, and
- you meet the criteria for Sole Parent Support
You need to have lived in New Zealand for a certain amount of time to get Sole Parent Support. If you haven't, you may be able to use your or your partner's time you've spent contributing to the Guernsey insurance scheme to meet this criteria. To use this time, you must have contributed to the Guernsey insurance scheme for at least 12 months.
Who can get Jobseeker Support
You may be able to get Jobseeker Support for a health condition, injury or disability while you're living in New Zealand if:
- you've lived in Guernsey, and
- you meet the criteria for Jobseeker Support.
You need to have lived in New Zealand for a certain amount of time to get Jobseeker Support. If you haven't, you may be able to use your or your partner's time you've spent contributing to the Guernsey insurance scheme to meet this criteria.
To use this time, you must have:
- contributed to the Guernsey insurance scheme for at least 12 months, and
- had paid employment in New Zealand for at least 30 hours a week for at least 8 weeks from your most recent arrival in NZ.
Who can get Guernsey payments
You may be able to get Guernsey payments while you're living in NZ. These are the:
- Sickness Benefit
- Bereavement Allowance (formerly Widow's Benefit)
- Industrial Injury Benefit
- Industrial Disablement Benefit
- Invalidity Benefit.
You may need to have lived in Guernsey for a certain amount of time to get a Guernsey payment. If so, you may be able to use periods of residence in New Zealand to meet this criteria.
The Guernsey Social Security Department decides who can get these Guernsey payments.
How to apply for these payments
How to apply for NZ payments
Use our Check What You Might Get tool to find out what NZ payments you can get and how to apply.
Check What You Might Getexternal
You also need to apply for:
- any Guernsey payment that you may qualify for and
- any other overseas payments that you may be able to get.
How to apply for Guernsey payments
You should apply through the Guernsey Social Security Department before you leave Guernsey.
If you already live in New Zealand, contact our International Services team. They'll send you an application form to complete and you'll need to send it back to them. Then they'll forward that to the Guernsey Social Security Department.
The Guernsey Social Security Department will decide whether you can get a Guernsey payment and let you know. This may take a few months.
How much you'll get
New Zealand payments
We'll decide how much you will be paid based on certain criteria. If you get an overseas pension, it's usually deducted from your New Zealand payment.
Generally, the amount you're paid is about equal to what you would be paid if you had lived all your life in New Zealand.
Guernsey payments
The Guernsey Social Security Department decides how much you will be paid.
How you'll be paid
NZ payments
NZ payments are paid into your nominated NZ bank account.
NZ Super and Veteran's Pension are paid fortnightly. All other NZ payments are paid weekly.
Guernsey payments
Contact the Guernsey Social Security Department to find out how Guernsey payments are paid.
Contact the Guernsey Social Security Department
Taxes
You may have to pay tax on your Guernsey payment. It depends what NZ payment you get.
We recommend you discuss your tax liabilities with Inland Revenue (New Zealand).
If you get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
If you get a Guernsey payment and it's paid by:
- Direct Payment Method, you may have to pay tax on your Guernsey payment.
- Special Banking Option (SBO), you will not have to pay tax on your Guernsey payment.
If any of your Guernsey payment is paid out of the SBO account to you, then you may have to pay tax on it. This will only happen in specific circumstances.
If you get a main benefit
If you get a main benefit and a Guernsey payment, you will not have to pay tax on your Guernsey payment.
If your Guernsey payment is more than your main benefit, and:
- you're paid by Direct Payment Method, you will only get the Guernsey payment and you may have to pay tax on it.
- it's paid to a Special Banking Option (SBO) account, you will only get your main benefit. You will not have to pay tax on your Guernsey payment.
If any of your Guernsey payment is paid out of the SBO account to you, then you may have to pay tax on it. This will only happen in specific circumstances.
Keep copies of your banking records
Make sure you keep copies of all your banking records. These will show your gross Guernsey payments required for tax purposes.
When your payments will start from
NZ payments will start from the date of your application or the entitlement date - whichever is later. We'll let you know what date your payment will start in the letter we send you, once your application's approved.
The Guernsey Social Security Department decides when you get paid any Guernsey payments.
Travelling from NZ to another country (not Guernsey)
Before you leave New Zealand you need to contact:
- our International Services team
- Guernsey Social Security Department, if you get a Guernsey payment.
Guernsey Social Security Department
You may keep getting your NZ payment but it depends on:
- where you're going
- how long you're going for, and
- what type of payment you're getting.
Our International Services team will talk you through this when you call.
Talk to the Guernsey Social Security Department for information about what will happen to your Guernsey payment.