Working for Families
Working for Families is help from Work and Income and Inland Revenue (IR) to make it easier to work and raise a family.
What Work and Income help with
Work and Income help with:
- childcare costs for pre-school care
- childcare costs for before and after school care
- accommodation costs with the Accommodation Supplement
You can use our 'Check what you might get' tool to find out what Work and Income payments you might qualify for and how much you might be able to get.
What Inland Revenue help with
Inland Revenue (IR) can help you with Working for Families Tax Credits.
Family tax credit
This payment provides ongoing financial support for families. The amount you receive depends on your family situation.
If you're on a Work and Income benefit you can get us to pay your family tax credit with your other payments.
Inland Revenue pay the family tax credit to you if you're not getting a benefit payment from us.
Best Start tax credit
Best Start tax credit (BSTC) is a payment to help families with the costs in a child's first three years.
If you're getting a Work and Income benefit, we'll pay you the Best Start tax credit with your payments.
You'll need to apply through IR if you don't get a benefit from Work and Income.
In-work tax credit
In-work tax credit (IWTC) is an entitlement from Inland Revenue for people in paid work with families.
Minimum family tax credit
Minimum family tax credit (MFTC) is a payment made by Inland Revenue to families with dependent children, so there is a minimum income each week after tax.
Work out your tax credits
Working for Families payments are based on your family income and the number of children in your care. Use Inland Revenue's calculator to estimate how much your Working for Families payments could be.