Accommodation Supplement

You may get an Accommodation Supplement if you:

• have accommodation costs
• are aged 16 years or more
• are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
• normally live in New Zealand and intend to stay here
• are not paying rent for a public (social) housing property. Public housing properties are provided by:
  • Kāinga Ora (used to be Housing New Zealand), and
  • approved community housing providers.

It also depends on:

• how much you and your partner earn
• any money or assets you and your partner have.

Asset limits

This cash asset limit may increase if:

• you get paid a lump sum under the Accident Compensation Act 2001, or
• you get a lump sum payment of an Independence Allowance under the Accident Insurance Act 1998.

Check if you can get Accommodation Supplement

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

How much you will get on the Accommodation Supplement will depend on:

• your income
• your assets
• your accommodation costs
• your family circumstances
• where you live.

This payment is not taxed.

Use our 'Check what you might get' tool to work out how much Accommodation Supplement you might be able to get.

We can grant you the financial assistance you're entitled to from the date you first contact us if you complete your application within 20 working days of that date.

New client or only getting childcare payments

If you're not getting any payments from us, or only getting childcare payments, you can either:

• apply online through MyMSD, or
• fill out an Extra Help application form.

If you can't apply online or fill out the form, call us.

Apply online

Apply online through MyMSD. We'll check if you can get any other payments at the same time and tell you what else you need to do.

Fill out paper application form

You can fill out the Extra Help application form. You'll also need to provide proof of your costs. 

You can get your application form and proof of costs to us by either:

• dropping them in to your nearest service centre
• posting them to your nearest service centre, or
• uploading them to MyMSD (you'll need to call us first).

After you've applied you may need to call us to book an appointment. This could be a phone appointment or a face-to-face appointment.

If this is your first time applying for a benefit or ongoing payment, you need to bring your ID into a service centre so we can check it.

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Existing client

If you're already getting payments from us, eg, a benefit or Disability Allowance, you can complete an Accommodation Supplement application form. You'll also need to provide proof of your costs. 

You can get your application form and proof of costs to us by either:

• dropping them in to your nearest service centre
• posting them to your nearest service centre, or
• uploading them to MyMSD (you'll need to call us first).

After you've applied we may book an appointment with you if we need more information. This could be a phone appointment or a face-to-face appointment.

If you can't fill out the form, call us on 0800 559 009. 

If you're a student, you can apply through the StudyLink website

If you're already getting Accommodation Supplement and your accommodation costs change, you need to let us know.

If you're not sure what costs are included in your Accommodation Supplement, you can check in MyMSD.