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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
Travelling or moving overseas may affect your payments.
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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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Moving 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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Debt deductions
If your employee has a debt with us, we may ask you to make deductions from their wages so they can repay it.
You have a legal obligation to make debt deductions from the employee's wages if we ask you to.
Any deductions you make to us are in addition to any that Inland Revenue may have requested, e.g. child support.
When deductions are made
If your employee has a debt with us, and we've been unable to contact them to arrange repayments, we may ask you to make deductions from their wages.
Or your employee may ask you to make deductions from their wages and send it to us.
Your employee could be either:
- permanent
- temporary
- contracted
- casual
- seasonal.
How it works
We'll:
- contact you to:
- confirm the employee works for you
- request that deductions are made from their wages
- send you and your employee the request by email or post.
We'll let you know:
- how much to deduct
- how long to make the deductions for
- the bank account details and reference number to pay the deductions into.
We can't tell you what the debt is for.
You don't need to get permission from your employee to make the deduction.
Frequency of deductions
You can make the deductions in line with your pay cycle.
If you make monthly deductions, we need to receive the first payment by the 20th of the following month from the date of the written request.
If your employee doesn't have a regular pay cycle, e.g. they're a seasonal worker, you can make the deductions based on when they're paid.
Change deduction amount
If your employee wants to change the deduction amount, they need to contact the Client Support Debt Management Unit by either:
- phone on 0800 558 008
- email at Client_Support_Debt_Management@msd.govt.nz
If we agree we'll contact you to discuss this and send you another written request with the new deduction amount.
Stop deductions
There may be a number of reasons why deductions are stopped. These can include:
- you close your business for a period of time, e.g. over Christmas
- the person no longer works for you
- the staff member goes on unpaid leave.
If you need to stop the deductions, you need to let us know straight away. Contact the Client Support Debt Management Unit by either:
- phone on 0800 558 008
- email at Client_Support_Debt_Management@msd.govt.nz
We ask you to stop deductions
If we want you to stop deductions, we'll either:
- call you
- send a request by email or post.
We'll let you know when to stop the deductions.
If you don't make deductions
If you don't make deductions after we've requested them, the amount of deductions you haven't paid becomes a debt owed by your business. It may be recovered by Court action.