Funeral Grant

You may be able to get a Funeral Grant if the person who's died is:

• your partner
• your parent or guardian
• your child (if they're under 18), or
• someone over 18 and single (with or without children) who you're arranging a funeral for.

In all cases, the person who died must have normally lived in New Zealand.

If the person who's died is your partner or child, it will also depend on your income.

We'll also make sure the essential funeral expenses cannot be met by:

• the assets of the deceased person, and
• your assets, if the person who died was your partner or child.

Income limits

If the person who's died is your partner or child, your income needs to be under a certain limit.

If the person who's died is your partner

If you are:	Your annual income (before tax) must be less than:
16 - 17 years (with no children)	$31,801.12
18+ years (with no children)	$36,548.20
A parent with one child	$44,350.28
A parent with 2 or more children	$46,725.12

If the person who's died is your child

If you are:	Your annual income (before tax) must be less than:
Single, 16 - 17 years (with no other children)	$31,801.12
Single, 18+ years (with no other children)	$36,548.20
In a relationship (with or without children)	$53,086.80
Single with 1 other child	$44,350.28
Single with 2 or more other children	$46,725.12

When you can't get a Funeral Grant

If there's other help with costs available to you, you may not be able to get a Funeral Grant.

Other help could be that funeral costs are covered by:

• another organisation, e.g. ACC or Veteran's Affairs
• prepaid funeral cover.

The most you can be paid is $2,559.20.

If the person who died is not your partner or child

If the person who died has assets, we'll count the total amount of their assets. We'll then deduct this from the total funeral expenses.

We'll then pay the lesser amount of either the:

• maximum Funeral Grant, or
• balance of the essential funeral expenses.

What's counted as assets

If we've kept their payments going for 28 days, this is also counted as an asset.

If the person who died is your partner or child

We'll count:

• some of your assets (we won't count the first $2,230.96 of your assets), and
• the total amount of the deceased person's assets.

We'll deduct the total amount of assets from the total amount of essential funeral expenses.

We'll then pay the lesser amount of either the:

• maximum Funeral Grant, or
• balance of the essential funeral expenses.

What's counted as assets

If we've kept their payments going for 28 days, this is also counted as an asset.

The person applying for a Funeral Grant must be able to provide estate details or other information about the person who has died (including details about any children they are responsible for).

Step 1: Complete the form

You need to complete an application form to apply for a Funeral Grant.

Step 2: Gather your documents

You will need to provide:

• confirmation of death (if you don’t have this, please tell us as we may be able to get this information), for example:
  • a death certificate (you can order this online here)
  • funeral director confirmation, or
  • a newspaper death notice. 
• details of the funeral expenses:
  • the itemised funeral account, and
  • if it's already paid, the original receipt and proof of a bank account number for the person who paid it.
• proof of who you are, for example your:
  • driver's licence
  • passport, or
  • business card if you're applying on behalf of a funeral home.

You may also need to provide details about assets and income.

Step 3: Send in your documents

Drop the completed form and your documents off at one of our service centres, or you can post it in to us.