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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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Disability Allowance
Disability Allowance is a weekly payment for people who have regular, ongoing costs because of a disability. These could be visits to the doctor or hospital, medicines, extra clothing or travel.
You don't have to be on a benefit to qualify for a Disability Allowance.
Who can get it
You may get a Disability Allowance if you:
- have a disability that is likely to last at least 6 months
- have regular, ongoing costs because of your disability that are not fully covered by another agency
- are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- normally live in New Zealand and intend to stay here.
It also depends on how much you and your partner earn.
The income limits for Disability Allowance are:
Your situation | Weekly income limits before tax |
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Single 16-17 years | $588.98 |
Single 18+ years | $733.72 |
Couple (with or without children) | $1,092.55 |
Sole parent 1 child | $821.43 |
Sole parent 2+ children | $865.46 |
Your child has a disability
You can apply on behalf of a child if they're 18 or under and financially dependent on you.
You may be able to get both the Disability Allowance and the Child Disability Allowance for the same child.
You can't get a Disability Allowance if you get Board payments from Oranga Tamariki for the child.
Check if you can get Disability Allowance
Find out if you might get this benefit, and what other financial assistance may be available to you.
The information provided in this page is a guide only. Contact us to talk about your individual circumstances.
How much you can get
We pay up to a maximum of $70.04 a week for Disability Allowance. This payment is not taxed.
How much you get depends on the extra costs you have because of your disability.
How it's paid
The Disability Allowance is usually paid straight into your bank account with any other payments you get from us. This could be weekly or fortnightly, it depends when you get paid.
If you don't get any payments from us, it will be paid to you weekly.
What we pay for
The Disability Allowance can help pay for a number of things. Your health practitioner (eg, your doctor) will need to confirm you need them because of your disability.
Here are some of the costs we may be able to help with. You'll need to provide proof of your costs so keep all your receipts.
Examples of costs we may help with... | Proof you'll need to provide |
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Doctor's, specialist's and hospital fees that aren't already subsidised | Receipts or invoices showing the date, cost and reason for your visit |
Prescription fees | Receipts or print-outs from your chemist showing the date, cost, the item you received and whether it's subsidised |
Travel to your doctor, specialist, hospital or counsellor | Tickets or receipts showing the date, cost and how you travelled (if you travelled in your own car, we need to know the cc rating of your car and how far you travelled) |
Heating | Your summer and winter electricity bills |
Medical alarm rental and monitoring |
The Disability Allowance - Medical Assessment for Medical Alarm form completed by a health practitioner, and the contract or receipt for the installation/rental of the medical alarm. |
How to apply
We can grant you the financial assistance you’re entitled to from the date you first contact us if you complete your application within 20 working days of that date.
Before you start
Applying for someone else
You can apply for a Disability Allowance on someone else's behalf, but only if they've filled out a form to appoint you as their agent.
You can apply on behalf of a child if they're 18 or under and financially dependent on you.
Applying for counselling or medical alarm costs
If you're applying for counselling or medical alarm costs, there are extra forms to complete:
- Counselling - you, your doctor and counsellor also need to complete a Disability Certificate - Counselling form
- Medical alarms - your doctor also needs to complete a Disability Allowance - Medical Alarm Assessment form
Your doctor should have these forms at their office. If they don't, you can either:
- pick one up from your nearest service centre, or
- call us 0800 559 009 and we'll send one out to you.
What application form you fill out depends on what payments you’re already getting from us.
New client or only getting childcare payments
If you're not getting any payments from us, or only getting childcare payments, you can either:
- apply online through MyMSD, or
- fill out an Extra Help application form.
If you can't apply online or fill out the form, call us on 0800 559 009.
Apply online
- Apply online through MyMSD. We'll check if you can get any other payments at the same time.
- Provide proof of your costs. You can upload this to MyMSD as part of your online application.
- Get your doctor to complete the Disability Certificate. They should have this form at their office. If they don't, you can either:
- pick one up from your nearest service centre
- call us 0800 559 009 and we'll send one out to you.
- Get the Disability Certificate (and any other forms) to us by either:
- dropping it in to your nearest service centre
- posting it to your nearest service centre, or
- uploading it to MyMSD (you'll need to call us first).
After you've applied we may book an appointment with you if we need more information. This could be a phone appointment or a face-to-face appointment.
Fill out application form
You can fill out the Extra Help application form. Your health practitioner (eg, your doctor) will need to complete the Disability Certificate inside this form. You'll also need to provide proof of your costs.
You can get your application form/s and proof of costs to us by either:
- dropping them in to your nearest service centre
- posting them to your nearest service centre, or
- uploading them to MyMSD (you'll need to call us first).
After you've applied we may book an appointment with you if we need more information. This could be a phone appointment or a face-to-face appointment.
Existing client
If you're already getting payments from us, eg, a benefit or Accommodation Supplement, you can complete a Disability Allowance application form.
Your health practitioner (eg, your doctor) will need to complete the Disability Certificate inside this form. You'll also need to provide proof of your costs.
You can get your application form/s and proof of costs to us by either:
- dropping them in to your nearest service centre
- posting them to your nearest service centre, or
- uploading them to MyMSD (you'll need to call us first).
After you've applied we may book an appointment with you if we need more information. This could be a phone appointment or a face-to-face appointment.
If you can't fill out the form, call us on 0800 559 009.
Already getting Disability Allowance and costs change
If you're already getting Disability Allowance and your costs change, you need to let us know.
If you're not sure what costs are included in your Disability Allowance, you can check in MyMSD.
When your Disability Allowance is reviewed, we need to see proof of any costs that have increased or are new. Ask us for a Disability Allowance file to keep your receipts in.
Contact
Contact us for more information.