Backdated ACC weekly compensation payments
What happens if you get backdated ACC weekly compensation payments for the time you were getting a benefit.
If ACC approves weekly compensation for a period in the past, we need to review any benefits or extra help you received for that same time. This is to make sure you got the right amount of financial support.
How backdated ACC payments affect payments from us
People get two types of payments from us. Weekly compensation payments from ACC affects your main benefit payments and any extra help payments.
- Main benefits are payments like Jobseeker Support, Sole Parent Support or Supported Living Payment – including Winter Energy Payment when it’s paid.
- Extra help are payments like Accommodation Supplement, Disability Allowance or Temporary Additional Support.
Main benefit payments
If you are entitled to backdated ACC Weekly Compensation for a period when you were receiving a main benefit, we may determine that a benefit should not have been paid.
This would result in a debt with us because you can’t get both for the same time. This debt must be repaid from your backdated ACC payment by law, then any remaining amount is paid to you.
Extra help payments
ACC Weekly Compensation is treated as income, so you may still be entitled to some or all of the extra help payments you received. We will work this out and if you have a debt, you will need to repay us.
If a debt is created, this needs to repaid in one of the following ways:
- We can deduct the debt from your backdated ACC payment before it’s paid to you, or
- You can make an arrangement with us to pay it back .
What happens during the review
ACC and MSD work together and share the information for the assessment the law allows them to. There’s nothing you need to do at this stage.
The process works like this:
- ACC asks us to confirm whether you received benefits and extra help during the period covered by your weekly compensation entitlement.
- We identify any benefits that may need to be reviewed and advise ACC.
- If you’re moving from a benefit to ACC payments, we provide a handover date so there is no gap in your payments and it's a smooth transition.
- ACC provides us with weekly compensation rates and dates for the assessment.
- We start the assessment and may contact you to let you know your case has been assigned for processing.
- We review your entitlement and determine whether any debt has been created.
Keeping you informed
Most assessments take around 6 to 8 weeks. More complex cases can take longer.
We’ll keep you informed throughout the process, including:
- when the assessment starts and is completed
- what the outcome is
- any repayment options that may apply.
How you’ll find out the result
Once the assessment is finished, we will contact you to explain the outcome. We also provide the final payment information to ACC.
Debts on your main benefit will be paid by ACC from your backdated ACC payment before you get it. ACC will pay any tax to Inland Revenue.
If a debt has been identified on your extra help payments, we will talk to you about your repayment options. If we can’t reach you, you will receive a letter explaining:
- the assessment outcome
- any debt that has been identified
- how you can choose to repay the extra help debt.
If you get a letter asking you to reply, you need to do this within 10 business days.
If we don’t hear from you, our Collections Team will contact you.