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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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Moving to New Zealand
If you're moving to New Zealand (NZ), you may be able to get help from us. It depends on your situation.
Payments from us
All our payments have different criteria you need to meet, including residence.
The residence criteria for most of our payments is that either:
- you're a New Zealand citizen
- you're a permanent resident, or
- you have a resident class visa under the Immigration Act 2009.
For some payments, you also need to have lived in NZ for 2 years. You don't need to have lived in NZ for 2 years if you're a refugee or migrant, and have permanent residence.
If you don't meet the residence criteria, you may still be able to get an Emergency Benefit. You need to call us so we can talk with you about your situation and how we can help.
You can use our 'Check What You Might Get' tool to find out what payments you may be able to get and how to apply for them.
Using other countries to meet residence criteria
For some of our payments, you need to meet the residence criteria that states you must have lived in New Zealand for a certain amount of time. The amount of time depends on the payment, but usually you need to have lived in NZ for at least 2 years.
You may be able to use other countries to meet this residence criteria if:
- they are a country that has a Social Security Agreement (SSA) with NZ, or
- they are a pacific country that has a special arrangement with NZ.
There are only certain payments you can do this for. It depends on the agreement or arrangement NZ has with that country. For example, if you're using a pacific country that NZ has an arrangement with, you can only do this for:
- NZ Superannuation payment and
- Veteran's Pension payment.
Settling in New Zealand
You may be able to get a Re-establishment grant to help settle you into a New Zealand community.
You may be able to get this if you are either:
- a refugee who can't get other forms of government assistance for refugees
- an Afghan interpreter, or
- an Afghan evacuee who holds or has applied for permanent residency.
You need to apply for this within the first year of your arrival in New Zealand. If you're applying for help with English language classes, you can apply within the first 2 years of your arrival in NZ.
Getting an overseas benefit or pension
You may be able to get a payment from an overseas country you have lived in. You'll need to talk to the agency of the country you lived in. They'll decide who can get one and how much you can get.
If you do get an overseas payment, it may affect how much you can get for a New Zealand payment.
Talk to us in your language
You can speak with us in another language. You can also read, listen to, or watch in NZ Sign Language about how we can help you.
International custody or access dispute
If you're involved in an international custody or access dispute and are struggling financially, we may also be able to help.
Contact
Our International Services team specialise in overseas pensions.