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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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Residing in any other country
You may be able to continue to get your New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) or Veteran's Pension Payments when you go to live in another country. You need to tell us before you go.
If you're going overseas to live, you must contact us at least six weeks before you leave.
You can apply to take up to 100% of the basic rate of New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) or the Veteran's Pension anywhere in the world if:
- you're going to reside for more than 26 weeks in a country New Zealand does not have a Social Security Agreement with and,
- the country is not one of the 22 Pacific countries covered by the special portability arrangement.
See:
To do this you'll need to:
- qualify for the NZ Super or the Veteran's Pension in your own right before you leave and not be 'included' in your partner's payments
- be ordinarily resident and present in New Zealand when you apply
- intend to reside in another country or countries for more than 26 weeks
- complete an application for payment overseas which states the country or countries in which you intend to reside.
If you qualify under a social security agreement
If you have qualified for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension using your contributory periods or residence in a country New Zealand has a social security agreement with:
Please talk to us first before you make any travel bookings.
Most of the social security agreements contain provisions which prevent the payment of NZ Super or Veteran's Pension to persons who:
- travel to and around non Agreement countries for more than 26 weeks or
- who intend to reside in a non-Agreement country for more than 26 weeks.
Your payment will be based on the number of months you've resided in New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 65.
If you've resided in New Zealand... | You'll get... |
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for 540 months (45 years( between the ages of 20 and 65 | full basic rate |
for 120 - 540 months (10-45 years) between the ages of 20 and 65 | 1/540th of the basic rate for each month you have lived here between the ages of 20 and 65 |
for 120 months (10 years) between the ages of 20 and 65 | 120/540th of the basic rate |
If you have been overseas (between the ages of 20 and 65), but you remained ordinarily resident in New Zealand during your absence, we may be able to count those absences as if you were resident in New Zealand when calculating the amount you will be paid. This includes any period of New Zealand absence:
- for the purpose of obtaining any medical treatment or vocational training if there were good and sufficient reasons for leaving New Zealand to obtain this;
- while serving on board any ship registered or owned in New Zealand and engaged in trading to and from New Zealand;
- while serving as a member of any defence force of any Commonwealth country or serving in connection with any war in which New Zealand forces were involved as a member of any organisation attached to any of those forces;
- while serving as an accredited volunteer appointed by Volunteer Service Abroad Incorporated;
- while (or while the client's spouse is) undertaking missionary work as a member of, or on behalf of, any religious body; and
- where a person (or their spouse) was liable to pay New Zealand tax on the earnings from their overseas employment.
Note: You can't get the Living Alone rate of New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension overseas. Instead you'll be paid the single sharing rate.
- If you live overseas, we are unable to pay extra help such as the Disability Allowance, Family Tax Credit or the Accommodation Supplement.
- You may be able to get extra help from the country you move to. You need to ask the appropriate Social Security agency about this when you get there.
You need to complete an application form and arrange an appointment at your nearest Work and Income service centre at least six weeks before you leave New Zealand. Contact us to arrange a meeting
You, (and your spouse or partner, if any), will need to bring to your meeting:
- your passport
- another form of identification
- your travel itinerary or tickets.
- If you're going away for more than 26 weeks and are entitled to receive payments while you're living overseas, you have choices about how you're paid.
- Payments can be made direct to your New Zealand bank account every two weeks or to your overseas bank account every four weeks.
- Once you're living or travelling overseas, it can take around 6 weeks to change your payments to your overseas bank account.
- Don't close your old bank account until you receive your first payment into your overseas account.
Contact
Our International Services team specialise in paying New Zealand benefits and pensions overseas. They are the best people to contact for questions about getting your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension while travelling or residing overseas.