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Work homepage
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Overview
We can help you get ready to apply and find the right job for you. We can even help you while you're working.
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Get ready to work
You can get training, help with CVs and cover letters, and advice for job interviews.
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Find jobs
Find out what jobs are available, which job is best for you and how you can plan your career.
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Working
Whether you've just started a job or need some help at work, we've got your back.
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Lost your job
We'll help you get ready to find a new job and support you while you're between jobs.
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Start your own business
Get help to plan and set up a successful business or be a self-employed contractor.
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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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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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Other languages
Read some of our housing information in other languages.
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Quick guide to MSD services
We offer a wide variety of support. Find an overview of the services we provide
We work hard to provide these main things:
- employment, income support and superannuation services
- emergency housing
- funding to community service providers
- student allowances and loans.
This page gives an overview of our services. We have additional supports and benefits. For the complete list, see our A-Z of benefits and payments page.
Community Services Card can help people and their families with health costs like paying less on some health services and prescriptions.
Disability Allowance is a weekly payment for people who have regular, ongoing costs because of a disability, like visits to the doctor or hospital, medicines, extra clothing or travel. People don’t have to be on a benefit to qualify for a Disability Allowance. There is also a Child Disability Allowance for the main carer of a child or young person with a serious disability, in recognition of the extra care and attention needed for that child.
Residential Care Subsidy – if someone needs full-time care in a hospital, rest home or residential treatment programme, they may be able to get help to pay for some costs.
Supported Living Payment is a weekly payment to help if someone has a health condition, injury or disability – or is caring for someone who does.
Connected.govt.nz is a website to find out about employment, education or training advice or support available near you.
Work – we can help people get the skills they need to get into work. We’ve got great templates and advice for writing CVs or cover letters and can provide assistance filling out job applications. Visit Connected.govt.nz to find out about employment, education or training advice or support available. We also have thousands of seasonal jobs in NZ right now – on farms, forests, orchards, packhouses, vineyards and in tourist hotspots. And if people need to move to take up a job offer, they may be able to get $5K to Work. If you’re self-employed or want to start your own business, we may be able to provide a subsidy to help with costs while you get started. We can also talk with you about how to create a business plan
Budgeting/money management – if people are finding it hard to meet their costs, there are a lot of ways Work and Income may be able to help. They’re encouraged to talk with us or see the Benefits and payments section of the Work and Income website.
Childcare Subsidy is a payment to help families with the cost of pre-school childcare. There’s also a special payment for raising someone else’s child, and a Clothing Allowance, Establishment grant, School and Year Start-up payments and Extraordinary Care Fund payments available.
Extra help – if people are finding it tough to meet everyday expenses and don’t already get payments from Work and Income, they may be able to get extra help – for Accommodation, Health and disability costs, and Temporary Additional Support.
Jobseeker Support is a weekly payment that helps people until they find work. People can also get Jobseeker Support if they’re in part-time work but seeking more work. If people have a health condition or disability which affects their ability to work, meaning they have to reduce their hours or stop work for a while, they’re also eligible.
MyMSD – is an online service for anyone receiving payments from Work and Income, Senior Services or Youth Service – to apply for our services and manage information. MyMSD is easy to set up on smartphones, tablets or computers, via my.msd.govt.nz and people don’t need data to use it.
Sole Parent Support is a weekly payment that helps single parents of a dependent child under 14 years old find part-time work or get ready for future work.
Student Loan helps to pay for course fees by education providers, study materials and living costs. Students have to pay the loan back. There’s also a Student Allowance for people in some circumstances.
Superannuation / NZ Super is a payment for people aged 65 or older. It’s paid fortnightly, on a Tuesday.
Training is available to get more skills to help people get a job. We may be able to pay course fees and other costs, like getting a driver licence. Limited Service Volunteer is a free 6-week live-in training course for young people to increase their confidence, earn NZQA credits, learn new skills, get fit and healthy and increase their motivation to find a job. It’s run with the Ministry of Defence.
Urgent costs - if someone is struggling to meet living costs, or gets an unexpected bill, Work and Income may be able to help, even if they’re working - for things like dental treatment, medical costs, whiteware and car repairs.
Winter Energy Payment is an extra payment to help with the cost of heating homes, and people don’t need to apply. Most MSD clients getting a benefit or NZ Super will get this payment automatically along with other regular payments from us. It’s paid from 1 May to 1 October every year.
Youth Payment helps young people aged 16 or 17 who can’t live with their parents or guardian and aren’t supported by them or anyone else. The Young Parent Payment is available to help young parents aged 16-19 years.
Accommodation Supplement is a weekly payment to help people with their rent, board or the cost of owning a home.
Emergency housing – if there’s nowhere to stay tonight or for the next 7 days, people may be able to apply for emergency housing, or we can help with housing when escaping family violence or when someone’s left prison. If people need help with housing costs or are struggling to pay accommodation costs, we may be able to help with things like moving costs, bond and rent in advance and rent arrears.
MSD funds many different services in the community.
The Family Services Directory lists over 6,000 service providers that can help people and their families.
Family Violence – it’s not ok - but it is ok to ask for help. Need to talk? Dial 1737. Or call Police on 111 if someone’s in immediate danger. Find family violence services on the Family Services Directory for all of New Zealand. There’s a list of Pacific family violence providers on the Pasefika Proud website.
'Cheap as' data means people can use our websites and online services at little or no cost from their mobile phone or digital device on the Spark, Vodafone, 2degrees or Skinny mobile networks. This includes the Work and Income website, MyMSD, Check what you might get, StudyLink and MyStudyLink.
We have a range of services for employers, and can help recruit great people. We offer no-fee recruitment services to help employers find the right candidate. We also offer lots of different funding and support if employers hire one of our candidates (depending on people’s situation), for example Mana in Mahi.
Flexi-wage is a subsidy paid to employers to help with the cost of training or mentoring for one of our candidates to help them gain the required skills for a job. It can also help someone on a benefit start up a business.
COVID-19 – We’re here to help if you’ve been affected by COVID-19.
A quick and easy way for people to check what you might get is available on our website. It’s a guide only – we’ll work out exact details once we receive an application form.