Sole Parent Support

You may get Sole Parent Support if you:

• are aged 20 or older (if you're 19 or younger, you may be able to get a Young Parent Payment)
• are a single parent or caregiver
• have one or more dependent children under 14
• are not in a relationship, and
• do not have adequate financial support.

You also need to:

• be either:
  • a New Zealand citizen
  • a permanent resident, or
  • have a residence visa under the Immigration Act 2009
• have lived continuously in NZ for at least 2 years since either:
  • becoming a NZ citizen
  • becoming a permanent resident, or
  • getting a residence class visa
• be ordinarily resident in NZ, and
• be ordinarily resident in New Zealand when you apply.

If you meet all the above criteria except for the one about how long you've lived in New Zealand, talk to us.

This information is a guide only. For more detail about who can get it, read:

Check if you can get Sole Parent Support

To find out if you could get Sole Parent Support and what else you might qualify for, use our 'Check what you might get' tool.

Sole Parent Support is paid weekly. How much you get depends on your situation and how much you earn.

If you get Sole Parent Support, you'll also automatically get a Winter Energy Payment. This is paid during the Winter months.

You can apply online through MyMSD. We'll also check to see if you can get any other help from us, based on the answers you give in your application.

If you want to get child support through Inland Revenue, you can apply through us when you complete your online application. Or you can apply through Inland Revenue. Any child support payments you get will be counted as income for your benefit.

Once you've submitted your online form, we'll call you if there's anything else you need to do.

If your application's approved

• We'll let you know when your payments will start.
• We'll send you a Community Services Card to help with the costs of healthcare and public transport.
• You may get a family tax credit. This can be paid with your benefit or from Inland Revenue (it depends what option you chose when you applied for your benefit).

There are things you need to do when you're getting a Sole Parent Support benefit. If you don't do them, your benefit could reduce or stop. This includes things like:

• telling us if something changes
• finding or preparing for work
• taking part in work ability assessments.

If you're getting Sole Parent Support and you still need it after a year, you have to re-apply.