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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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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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Moving to New Zealand
Payments you can get from us, settling into NZ, overseas pensions and more.
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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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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 and income deduction 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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Going overseas
Going on holiday or going to live overseas
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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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Supported Living Payment
Supported Living Payment is a weekly payment to help you if you have, or are caring for someone with, a significant health condition, injury or disability.
To get Supported Living Payment you generally must:
- either:
- be a New Zealand citizen
- be a permanent resident, or
- have a residence class visa under the Immigration Act 2009
- have lived continuously in NZ for at least 2 years since either:
- becoming a New Zealand 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.
It may also depend on your and your partner's income.
There are also other criteria you need to meet. They depend on the reason you're applying, which could be because you either:
- have a health condition, injury, or disability, or
- are caring full-time for someone.
Have a health condition, injury or disability
The other criteria you need to meet is that you must also be:
- 16 years or older, and
- either:
- permanently and severely restricted in your ability to work because of a health condition, injury or disability, or
- totally blind.
This means you have either a:
- condition affecting your capacity to work for more than 2 years, or
- life expectancy of less than 2 years.
It also means that you can't regularly work 15 hours or more a week in open employment.
Caring full-time for someone
The other criteria you need to meet is that you must also be:
- giving full-time care at home to someone other then your partner, and
- aged either:
- 18 years or older and do not have a dependent child, or
- 20 years or older and have a dependent child.
The person you're caring for must otherwise need to receive hospital or residential-level care. Examples of this level of care are:
- rest home care
- residential disability care
- extended care services for severely disabled children and young people
- inpatient or residential hospital care.
Check if you can get Supported Living Payment
To find out if you could get Supported Living Payment and what else you might qualify for, use our 'Check what you might get' tool.
Supported Living Payment is paid weekly. How much you get depends on the reason you're applying.
Have a health condition, injury or disability
If you're applying because you have a health condition, injury or disability, how much you get depends on:
- your situation, and
- how much you and your partner earn (in some cases we may not count all of your income).
We'll let you know when you apply if we won't count some of your income.
Caring full-time for someone
If you're applying because you're caring full-time for someone, how much you get depends on:
- your situation, and
- how much you and your partner (if you have one) earn.
Rates and income limits
If you get the Supported Living Payment, you'll also automatically get a Winter Energy Payment. This is paid during the Winter months.
How you apply depends on whether you're already getting a benefit or not.
As part of the application process we'll need to see proof of the reason you're applying. This includes either:
- information that confirms your condition and the impact it has on your ability to work, or
- medical information from the health practitioner of the person you're caring for.
We'll let you know what's needed and how to get this to us.
Not getting a benefit
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.
MyMSD will tell you what you’ll need to provide, including a medical certificate from your health practitioner.
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.
Already getting a benefit
If you are getting another benefit (eg Jobseeker Support), call us on 0800 559 009. We'll let you know what you need to do.
Once you've submitted your online form, we'll call 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 cost of healthcare and public transport.
- If you have dependent children under 18, 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).
The health and disability support system may also be able to help, eg, time off for caregivers or home support services. Visit the Ministry of Health website for more information.
Meet your obligations
There are things you need to do when you're getting a Supported Living Payment benefit. If you don't do them, your benefit could reduce or stop. This includes things like:
- telling us if something changes
- preparing for work
- taking part in work ability assessments.
If you have a partner, there are things they'll need to do as well.
Supported Living Payment obligations
Review your circumstances
Each year we'll ask you to review your circumstances. This means you'll need to confirm if anything has changed (eg, your expenses).
Then we can make sure you're getting everything you’re entitled to and that we’re paying you the right amount.
Review of circumstances - How a review of your circumstances works
Update us with information about your health condition
Every 2 years we may ask you for updated medical information. This is to check how your health condition or disability currently impacts on your capacity to work.
This will help us understand what support you need from us, and whether you’re able to work right now or in the future. We may ask for this even if your health condition or disability is permanent or hasn’t changed.
We’ll write to you if you need to complete a Supported Living Payment review. We’ll ask you to show us a recently completed Work Capacity Medical Certificate completed by a health practitioner. If we need further information, we’ll let you know.
If you can’t provide this information, or you want to see one of our designated doctors, call us to let us know.
We won't ask you to complete a Supported Living Payment review if you:
- are totally blind
- are terminally ill
- have a severe intellectual or cognitive impairment
- have a disorder that severely impacts on your ability to function and care for yourself and is unlikely to improve.
You can still work while you’re getting a Supported Living Payment, even if it’s just a few hours a week. We can help you prepare for work, find a job or study.
Related
Contact
Contact us for more information.