Living overseas while on a benefit
If you get a main benefit from us and are going to live overseas, you may be able to keep getting your benefit payment. It depends which country you're moving to and what benefit you get. In most cases you can't get any other payments from us while you're living overseas.
You must tell us you're going overseas before you leave New Zealand.
There are different rules if you:
- are going overseas temporarily while on a main benefit, or
- get New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension.
Going overseas temporarily while on a benefit
Going overseas for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
What we mean by 'main benefit'
When we say 'main benefit', we mean:
- Jobseeker Support
- Supported Living Payment
- Sole Parent Support
- Youth Payment
- Young Parent Payment
- Emergency Benefit
- Emergency Maintenance Allowance.
You can't get any other payments from us while you're living overseas, e.g:
- Orphan's Benefit (unless you're moving to Greece or Ireland)
- Unsupported Child's Benefit
- Winter Energy Payment
- Accommodation Supplement
- Disability Allowance
- Temporary Additional Support
- Family tax credit
- Best Start tax credit
- Funeral Grant (unless you're moving to Greece).
When your main benefit may continue
The only countries where you may be able to keep getting your main benefit payment are ones that New Zealand has a Social Security Agreement (SSA) with. It depends which SSA country you're moving to and which main benefit you get.
If you're moving to a country that's not an SSA country, your payment will stop.
Countries we have an SSA with
Countries we have Social Security Agreements with where you may be able to keep getting a main benefit payment are:
- Australia
- Canada
- Denmark
- Greece
- Ireland
- Jersey
- Guernsey, and
- Netherlands.
There are 3 SSA countries where your main benefit payment won't continue:
- Malta
- South Korea, and
- United Kingdom (UK).
You may be able to get other payments in these 3 countries instead that are paid by the relevant agency in that country.
Moving to an SSA country
Select the SSA country you're moving to, to find out what main benefit payments may continue.
Australia
You may be able to keep getting the Supported Living Payment. All other main benefit payments from us will stop.
For your Supported Living Payment to continue, you need to do certain things. What you need to do depends on whether you already get Australian Disability Support Pension or not.
You don't already get Australian Disability Support Pension
Your Supported Living Payment will continue after leaving NZ if you:
- qualify for the Australian Disability Support Pension
- apply for the Australian Disability Support Pension within 4 weeks of leaving NZ, and
- apply to continue getting your Supported Living Payment - you need to apply within 1 year of applying for Australian Disability Support Pension.
Who can get Disability Support Pension – Services Australiaexternal
If you don't apply within those 4 weeks, your Supported Living Payment will stop. You will need to pay back any money you received from the day you left NZ.
You already get Australian Disability Support Pension
You have to apply to continue to get your Supported Living Payment. You need to apply within 4 weeks of leaving New Zealand.
If you don't apply within this timeframe, your NZ payment will stop after 4 weeks. You'll need to pay back the 4 weeks of NZ payment you received after you left NZ.
How to apply
You need to:
- contact our International Services team before you leave NZ. Let them know the date you're leaving.
- contact Services Australia within the first 4 weeks of leaving NZ to either:
-
- claim an Australian Disability Support Pension from them - if you're not already receiving it, or
- apply to continue to get your Supported Living Payment - if you're already receiving Australian Disability Support Pension.
Contact Services Australiaexternal
Once Services Australia have processed your Australian Disability Support Pension form, they will send you a NZ payment application form. This form is to continue your Supported Living Payment. You need to complete this form and send it back to Services Australia.
We'll get a copy of the form and use it to work out:
- whether your Supported Living Payment can continue, and
- how much you can be paid.
If Australian Disability Support Pension is declined
If your Australian Disability Support Pension application is declined because of:
- your income or assets, we'll most likely decline your NZ payment application.
- another reason, e.g. residency requirements, we may still approve your NZ payment application.
If we decline your NZ payment application, your Supported Living Payment will stop from the date your Australian Disability Support Pension is declined. We'll then review the NZ payments you received since you left NZ. We do this to make sure you were getting the right amount of payment during this time.
How much you can get
You’ll get your Supported Living Payment at the same rate you would get if you lived in NZ. This rate will continue for up to 4 weeks.
Changes to this rate will start once:
- your Australian Disability Support Pension is approved, and
- your NZ payment application is approved.
These rate changes will then be backdated to the date you applied for Australian Disability Support Pension. For example, if you applied for this within one week of leaving NZ, your rate change will be backdated to week one.
More information
More information about getting Supported Living Payment in Australia can be found on our Australian Social Security Agreement page.
Social Security Agreement with Australia – living in Australia
Canada, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Netherlands
You may be able to keep getting either the:
- Supported Living Payment (SLP), if you're getting this because you have a health condition, injury or disability
- Sole Parent Support (SPS) if you're getting this because you're a widow or widower, or
- Orphan's Benefit, if you're going to Greece or Ireland.
All other main benefit payments from us will stop.
You may also be able to get a Funeral Grant if you're going to live in Greece.
How much you get for SLP or SPS depends on how long you've lived in New Zealand since you were 20 years old. If you get SLP and have a partner, they can be included in your payments.
What you need to do
You need to apply to keep these payments going. To apply, contact our International Services team at least 4 weeks before you leave NZ. They'll arrange a meeting for you to come in and see someone.
You and your partner (if you have one) will need to bring:
- your passport/s
- another form of ID, and
- your travel itinerary or tickets.
More information
More information about getting SLP or SPS in these countries can be found on our Social Security Agreement pages.
Social Security Agreements and special arrangements with Pacific countries
Malta
Your main benefit payment will stop.
If you're a widow, you may be able to get a Maltese Survivor's (Widow's) Pension from the Maltese Department of Social Security in Malta.
The Maltese Department of Social Security decides who can get this pension and how much will be paid. You'll need to contact them when you get to Malta.
Visit the Department of Social Security - Malta websiteexternal
South Korea
Your main benefit payment will stop.
If you're 60 or older, you may be able to get the Korean Old Age benefit. This is paid by the South Korean National Pension Service in South Korea. They'll decide who can get this pension and how much will be paid.
If you want to apply for this pension, contact International Services before you leave New Zealand.
United Kingdom
Your main benefit payment will stop.
You may be able to get payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the United Kingdom (UK). It depends what payments you're getting from us.
If you're getting:
- Jobseeker Support from us, you may be able to get Jobseeker's Allowance or Statutory Sick Pay from DWP. Statutory Sick Pay is paid for up to 28 weeks.
- Supported Living Payment from us because you have a health condition, injury or disability, you may be able to get Employment and Support Allowance from DWP.
- Sole Parent Support from us because you're a widow or widower, you may be able to get Widowed Parent's Allowance or Bereavement Allowance from DWP.
The DWP in the UK decides who can get these payments and how much will be paid.
If you want advice or guidance about what to do, you can contact International Services.
If you want to apply for a DWP payment, you need to contact the DWP.
Temporarily returning to NZ
If you're visiting New Zealand temporarily or on holiday, you can continue to get the same payments as you get when overseas.
Community Services Card
If you live overseas but are going to be temporarily in New Zealand, you may be able to get a temporary Community Services Card. This can help with the costs of health care and public transport while in New Zealand.
There are certain criteria you need to meet.
Call us on 0800 999 999 for more information.