Apply if you’ve had a payment from us

To log in you'll need:

• your client number
  How to find your client number
• a RealMe login
  How to set up RealMe

When filling out the form you'll need to provide a lot of information about you and your family, including:

• all income details for last 52 weeks (eg wages, ACC, child support, dividends, rentals etc)
• anything that could earn you money in the next 52 weeks (eg rental income, dividends, ACC, child support, overseas payments)
• your expenses (eg housing, childcare, medical costs and hire purchase)
• IRD numbers
• bank account details
• a phone number we can contact you on.

If you or your partner were not born in New Zealand, you’ll need to tell us your or their:

• country of birth and the date left
• date arrived in NZ
• date citizenship or permanent residence was granted.

If you’re a student on a study break and can’t find work, contact StudyLink

Because you’ve been a client of ours before, we might be able to fill in some of the form for you. To do this we need to link your RealMe login to your client details - we give you a one-time password to do this.

If you’ve previously set up a My Account, you've already linked your information so you can skip getting a one-time password if you use the same RealMe login.

Get a one-time password

You need to get a one-time password from us. You may have already been given one (either over the phone or in an office).

If you haven’t got that password, call us on 0800 687 775 (Monday to Friday 7am-6pm or Saturday 8am-1pm).

You need to have:

• the ID that you’ve already shown us (eg, your passport, driver licence or birth certificate), or
• your Community Services Card.

Your one-time password is sent by text from 2422 and is made up of numbers, capital and lowercase letters, and symbols. Once it’s issued, it’s valid for 14 days.

Note: You don't need a one-time password to apply online, but you'll have to complete the entire form.

If you're entering a one-time password you need to select "Set this up" at the bottom of the page. You'll then have to enter your client number and one-time password.

Then select Applications on the left hand menu to start.

• Your answers are saved as you go.
• You can save a partly completed form and come back to it later.
• If you stay on the same page for more than 5 minutes you’ll be logged out.
• When you log in to return to your form you’ll start from your last completed page.
• Your form will be deleted after 60 days if you don't complete and submit it.

Once you’ve filled in all your details and selected the submit button you’ll get a page which shows:

• your application reference number - make a note of this
• the types of financial help you may be able to get
• any activities you'll need to do before you can get your benefit
• the supporting documents you need to provide
• what you need to do next, (eg book an appointment or print and post your form). We'll email this to you if you’ve given us an email address.
• If you’re 16-17 or under 19 with a dependent child, we’ll contact you to discuss your application. If we haven't called within 2 working days call us on 0800 559 009 (Monday Friday 7am-6pm, Saturday 8am-1pm). When asked why you’re calling say “apply”.

You can print or save a copy of your form.

Once you've submitted your form you can't view or change it.

If something changes after you submit your form, let us know at your appointment.

In most cases, you’ll get your first payment within 5 days of completing the application process (this includes giving us all the documents we need and completing any activities you need to do before you can get a benefit).

You may have to wait longer if you have:

• a 1 to 2 week stand-down
• recently been working, and:
  • got holiday pay or another payment at the end of your job
  • are getting sick pay from your employer
  • left your job without a good reason
  • lost your job because of misconduct.