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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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Apprenticeship Support Programme
Get help to retain and bring on new apprentices.
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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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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 meaning that suitable work is unlikely within the next 2 years.
Who can get it
To get Supported Living Payment you generally must:
- be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and
- normally live here, and
- have lived here for at least two years at one time since becoming a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
If this doesn’t apply to you, you may not be able to get Supported Living Payment, however we may be able to help you in other ways. Call us to talk about your situation.
There are other criteria. They depend on if you're applying because of a health condition, injury, or disability, or because you're caring full-time for someone.
Have a health condition, injury or disability
You may be able to get the Supported Living Payment if you are:
- 16 years or older
- totally blind
- permanently and severely restricted in your ability to work because of a health condition, injury or disability
This means you:
- have a condition affecting your capacity to work for more than 2 years, OR
- have a life expectancy of less than 2 years AND
- can't regularly work 15 hours or more a week in open employment
As part of your application for Supported Living Payment we'll need you to give us information that confirms your condition and the impact it has on your ability to work. We'll let you know what's needed and how to get this to us.
Full-time carer
You may be able to get the Supported Living Payment if you give full-time care at home to someone, and are either:
- 18 years or older and do not have a dependent child, or
- 20 years or older with a dependent child.
The person can be:
- your child
- a family member (other than your partner or spouse)
- a member of your community.
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.
As part of the application process we'll need to see 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.
There is an income limit for this assistance.
Other assistance
Health condition, injury or disability
If your partner or spouse is caring for you full-time, your partner can't be included in your Supported Living Payment. Talk to us if they need financial assistance.
Full-time partner carer
If you are caring full-time for your partner or spouse you are not eligible for the Supported Living Payment, but you may qualify for other financial assistance.
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.
What you can get
Supported Living Payment is paid weekly.
Caring for someone
If you're caring for someone, how much you get depends on:
- your situation, and
- how much you and your partner (if you have one) earn.
Not caring for someone
If you're not caring for someone, how much you get depends on:
- your situation and
- how much you earn (in some cases we may not count all of your income).
If you're totally blind, we won't take any of your income into account. If you have a partner, their income will be taken into account (unless they are totally blind as well).
More information
How to apply
How you apply depends on whether you're already getting a benefit or not.
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.
Already getting a benefit
If you are on another benefit (eg Jobseeker), call us. We'll let you know what you need to do.
What happens next
Once you've submitted your online form, we'll call if there's anything else you need to do.
Apply for child support if you're a sole parent
If you get Supported Living Payment and you're a sole parent, you need to fill in a Child Support application form.
This helps Inland Revenue collect child support payments from the other parent of your child.
There are some situations when you don't need to apply. Everyone's situation is different.
We'll contact you when we process your application and let you know what you need to do.
If your application's approved
- We'll let you know when your payments will start.
- We'll also send you a Community Services Card to help with the costs of prescriptions and going to the doctor.
- If you have dependent children under 18, you'll also get a Family Tax Credit from Inland Revenue.
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.
While you're getting Supported Living Payment
Something changes
If you're getting Supported Living Payment, you need to:
- Tell us if something changes
- Review your circumstances every year – to check if your expenses etc have changed
- You may also need to update us with information about your health condition every two years.
Tell us if something changes
You need to keep us up-to-date with any changes that might affect how much you get paid, eg, travelling or moving overseas, earning income, etc.
Review your circumstances
Each year we need to 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 two 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.
Working while you’re getting Supported Living Payment
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.