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Overview
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Benefits and payments homepage
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Overview
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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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Overview
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What to provide when you apply for a benefit
When you apply for a benefit or other help from us, you need to prove who you are and that what you've told us is true.
You must provide original government-issued identity documents. We cannot accept copies, including certified copies.
When you apply, you'll need to provide the documents detailed below. If you are unable to provide these documents online, you can bring them into a service centre. We'll make a copy and add it to your file or application.
Any delay in providing these documents could result in a delay in paying you, or your application being cancelled.
What you need to provide:
You can watch this video to find out what to provide. There's also more information about exactly what documents you need below the video.
View transcript of 'What to provide when you apply for a benefit' video
[Slide with a woman sitting at a desk and smiling, and the words 'What to provide when you apply for a benefit' on screen]
"If you're applying for a benefit, we'll need some documents from you." [Slide with a photo of a passport, birth certificate and driver licence, and the words 'What to provide when you apply for a benefit', moves to a second slide with the same documents and a hand holding a paper application forms]
"It might feel a bit overwhelming, but the sooner we can get these, the quicker we can get your payments sorted." [Slide of people sitting at desks and chatting in a Work and Income office, moves to two women sitting at a desk and talking, moves to a women sitting at a desk turning towards the camera and smiling].
"First things first - you need to show us a completed application." [Slide with a blue background and an animation of a completed application, with a cursor ticking boxes down the side of it]
"You can apply online or using a paper form." [Slide with a photo of a laptop with an online application open on it, moves to a split screen with the laptop on the left and a hand holding various paper application forms on the right]
"If you do it online, please note down your application reference number, so we can look it up later on." [Slide with a blue background and a MyMSD application screen with the words 'Almost there' and a reference number]
"The next thing you need is proof of who you are." [Slide with the words 'Proof of identity' and a photo of a birth certificate, passport and driver licence]
"You might have verified your identity when you applied online, but if not, we need to see two identity documents that show your full legal name and date of birth." [Slide with the words 'x2 Proof of identity' and the words 'Legal name' and 'Date of birth' with tick boxes next to them with an animation of a cursor ticking the boxes, overlaid on a photo of a birth certificate, passport and driver licence]
"They also need to be government issued." [Slide of a blue background with the words 'Government-issued']
"If you were born in Aotearoa New Zealand, you can use things like your birth certificate, passport or driver license." [Slide with a split screen, with an animation of New Zealand on the left, and photos of a birth certification, passport and driver licence on the right]
"If you were born overseas you can use things like your passport, citizenship certificate or New Zealand Refugee travel document." [Slide with a split screen, with an animation of the world on the left, and icons and words for 'Passport', 'Citizenship certificate' and 'NZ refugee travel document' on the right]
"So we need your original documents." [Slide of a woman speaking to the camera, standing in an office next to a photocopier and holding a sheet of paper, with the words 'We need your original documents' onscreen]
"Unfortunately we can't take copies, even if they're certified." [Slide of a woman speaking to the camera, standing in an office next to a photocopier and holding a sheet of paper]
"If you don't have two government issued IDs, don't worry." [Slide with a blue background and a speech bubble with the words 'Don't have 2 government-issued IDs?' and a second speech bubble with the words 'Don't worry" and a smiley face]
"Instead, you can use one government issued ID and another that proves your identity, like a letter from Inland Revenue, your marriage certificate, or your kiwi access card." [Slide with a hand holding up a passport, moves to a split screen with the passport on the left, and icons and words for 'Letter for Inland Revenue', 'Your marriage certificate' and 'Your Kiwi Access card' on the right]
"Next, you'll need some documents to support your application." [Slide with a blue background and the words 'Documents to support your application']
"These documents help us figure out your payments, so they’re really important." [Slide with a blue background and the words 'Documents to support your application']
"Here's what you need." [Slide with a women speaking to camera, sitting at a desk and sliding some paper towards the camera]
"We'll need your latest bank statement or a screenshot of your online banking." [Slide with a split screen, on the left is an animation of a bank statement, and on the right is an animation of online banking on a cellphone]
"Your income for the last year." [Slide with a split screen, on the left is the words 'Your income', and on the right is an animation of payslips and business accounts]
"That may be your payslips or business accounts." [Slide with a split screen, on the left is the words 'Your income', and on the right is an animation of payslips and business accounts]
"Your cash assets for the last year, like savings in your bank account, trust documents, or share certificates." Slide with a split screen, on the left is the words 'Cash assets', and on the right is icons and words for 'Bank account', 'Trust documents' and 'Share certificates']
"Your regular costs, like bills, a tenancy agreement, or higher purchase agreements." [Slide with a blue background and the words 'Your regular costs', moves to a slide with a light orange back ground, a pie chart with 3 equal sections in different colours, and a list with the words 'Bills', 'Tenancy agreement' and 'Hire purchase']
"And if you have dependent children, you need their birth certificates and proof of any childcare you pay for." [Slide with a light orange background and an animation of a child's face inside a square, and a list with the words 'Birth certificate' and 'Proof of childcare costs']
"And finally, you need to show us some documents that are specifically for the type of benefit you're applying for." [Slide with a woman standing in a Work and Income service centre, smiling and holding up an application form]
"For example, if you're applying for Jobseeker Support, bring your CV." [Slide with a blue background, the words 'Jobseeker Support' and a photo of a CV on a laptop]
"If you're not able to work right, now ask your health practitioner if they can send a medical certificate to us." [Slide with a blue background and an animation of a red cross inside a white circle, moves to a blue background with the red cross in the white circle on the left, and an animated document with the words 'Medical Certificate' in a clue circle on the right]
"There's a full list of what documents you need when you apply on our website." [Slide with a blue background and an animation of a list, with the words 'Full list available online' and a cursor ticking boxes in the list]
[Slide with a white background and the logos for the Ministry of Social Development and Work and Income, and the words 'www.workandincome.govt.nz']