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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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Job Connect on Facebook
Find out how we can help you get ready to work, find work, and support available while you're working.
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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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Changes to NZ Super, Veteran's Pension and Supported Living Payment from 1 July 2017
If you live in Australia, or move to New Zealand, on or after 1 July 2017, there may be changes to your New Zealand Superannuation, Veteran's Pension or Supported Living Payment.
These changes only apply if your circumstances change on or after 1 July 2017.
If you're getting New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension and move to Australia on or after 1 July 2017, you'll need to meet the new age criteria for the Australian Age Pension (see criteria under heading at bottom of this page) to keep getting your New Zealand payments.
If you do meet the new age criteria for Australian Age Pension (AAP), you'll:
- continue to get your New Zealand payments for up to 26 weeks
- need to apply for AAP before your New Zealand payments stop.
If your AAP is approved, you'll get this payment and your New Zealand payments will continue at a reviewed rate.
If you don't meet the new age criteria for AAP, your New Zealand payments will stop the day after you leave New Zealand. You'll have to wait until you meet the new age criteria for AAP so you can apply for this.
You can still go to Australia on holiday, or for another temporary visit, and keep getting your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension for up to 26 weeks, provided you return to New Zealand within 30 weeks.
If you go to Australia for a holiday on or after 1 July 2017 while you're getting New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension, and you then decide to live there, you need to:
- meet the new age criteria for the Australian Age Pension (see criteria under heading at bottom of this page)
- apply for Australian Age Pension (AAP) within 26 weeks after you leave New Zealand.
If your AAP is approved, you'll get this payment and your New Zealand payments will continue at a reviewed rate. Any New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension payments that you received before your AAP is approved may need to be repaid, unless you come back to New Zealand within 30 weeks.
If you don't meet the new age criteria for AAP, your New Zealand payments will be stopped from the day you tell us that you're going to live in Australia and a debt may be created for the time you've been away from New Zealand. You'll need to wait until you meet the new age criteria for AAP so you can apply for this payment.
To get New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension you have to meet the New Zealand residency requirements One of these requirements is that you must have been resident and present in New Zealand for at least 10 years since you were 20 years old, and 5 of those years must be since you were 50 years old.
Prior to 1 July 2017, any years you spent living in Australia from when you were 20 years to 65 years old, could be counted towards this residency requirement.
From 1 July 2017, if you need to use your Australian residence to qualify for New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension, you need to have reached the Australian Age Pension. This applies if you lived in New Zealand prior to 1 July 2017, or if you moved to New Zealand on or after 1 July 2017.
If you don't meet the new age criteria for the Australian Age Pension (see criteria under heading at bottom of this page), any years you spent living in Australia between when your were 20 to 65 years old won't be counted towards this residency requirement for New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension.
If you don't meet this New Zealand residency requirement, you won't be able to get these payments until you either meet:
- the new age criteria for Australian Age Pension (AAP), and we can count the years you've been living in Australia between when you were 20 years and 65 years old, towards this New Zealand residency requirement
- this New Zealand residency requirement without counting the years you've been living in Australia.
If you live in Australia and get New Zealand Superannuation, Veteran's Pension or Supported Living Payment, and you leave Australia on or after 1 July 2017 for more than 26 weeks, your payments will stop from the date you leave Australia and you may have a debt created.
You may need to re-apply for these payments.
If you're getting New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension and Australian Age Pension (AAP), and your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension payments stop after 1 July 2017, you need to re-apply for these payments under the new age criteria for AAP (see criteria under heading at bottom of this page).
Living in Australia
If you're single while living in Australia and get Supported Living Payment on or after 1 July 2017, you must apply for New Zealand Superannuation once you meet the new age criteria for the Australian Age Pension(see criteria under heading at bottom of this page).
If you have a partner, you and your partner must apply for New Zealand Superannuation once whoever is youngest meets the new age criteria for the Australian Age Pension (AAP).
To apply for New Zealand Superannuation, you need to contact us
Moving to Australia
If you're getting Supported Living Payment and you move to Australia on or after 1 July 2017, your payments will continue for up to 4 weeks after you leave New Zealand.
You need to apply for a Disability Support Pension in Australia before your New Zealand payments stop. If you don't apply for a Disability Support Pension, a debt may be created for the 4 weeks that you received Supported Living Payment after you left New Zealand.
If you were born between: |
You qualify for AAP at age: |
1 July 1952 to 31 December 1953 | 65 years and 6 months* |
1 January 1954 to 30 June 1955 | 66 years |
1 July 1955 to 31 December 1956 | 66 years and 6 months* |
From 1 January 1957 | 67 years |
*6 months means the end of a 6 month period, eg:
If your birthday is: |
6 month period ends: |
You qualify for AAP on: |
1 January | 30 June | 1 July |
30 April | 29 October | 30 October |
1 May | 31 October | 1 November |
14 May | 13 November | 14 November |
31 August | 28 February (29th for leap year) | 1 March |