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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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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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Payment rates and processing times for COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Extension
This subsidy has ended, but there's other support you can apply for.
The Wage Subsidy Extension was available from 10 June 2020 to 1 September 2020. It was for employers and self-employed people who would otherwise have had to lay off staff or reduce their hours due to COVID-19.
This payment is no longer available. Find out what other support we offer for businesses.
The subsidy will be paid at a flat rate of:
- $585.80 for people working 20 hours or more per week (full-time rate)
- $350.00 for people working less than 20 hours per week (part-time rate).
The subsidy is paid as a lump sum and covers 8 weeks per employee from the date you submit your application.
Usual wages less than subsidy rate
If your employee's usual wages are less than the subsidy rate, any difference should be used for the wages of other affected staff. If there are no other employees to use the subsidy for, then the remaining Wage Subsidy Extension should be paid back.
If you're self-employed and the income you regularly draw from your business is less than the subsidy amount you receive, you must pay back the remaining amount.
Subsidy rate if hours fluctuate
If you work variable hours (or your employee does), you can use an average to work out what rate to apply for.
How to work it out
Use the average hours worked each week over the last 12 months.
If they (or you) have been working less than a year, use the average hours worked over an 8 week period, unless another period of time would be more appropriate.
For example, if the usual hours are better represented over the whole period of time they (or you) have been employed for, use this instead.
What rate to use
If the average hours are:
- 20 or more, apply for the full-time rate
- less than 20, apply for the part-time rate.
Processing times
We're working to pay the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Extension as quickly as we can.
We need to check the information you've given us is the same as what's held by Inland Revenue. If it isn't, there could be a delay.
We cannot give you information about the status of your application over the phone. We'll be in touch as soon as we can.