Job and Training Support Funds

We may be able to help if you're disabled or have a health condition and need training or have extra costs to do your job.

The information on this page is also available in alternative formats and languages at the bottom of this page.

What you can get

You can get either Job Support or Training Support, depending on what you need help with.

Job Support

Job Support is funding to help pay for certain things related to your health condition or disability that you need to get a job or stay in a job. You can also apply if you're self-employed.

Job Support funding can cover:

  • Equipment: Specialist disability office furniture or adaptive software.
  • Workplace modification: Money to help your employer make your workplace suitable for you.
  • New Zealand Sign Language and other interpreters: To interpret work meetings, documents about your job (e.g. your contract), and interpret some professional development.
  • Support person: Someone you hire to help you at work, such as a reader/writer or driver.
  • Parking: To cover costs of parking during your working hours.
  • Transport: To get to and from your work if you can't access public transport.
  • Productivity allowance: A wage subsidy paid to your employer while you learn skills and set up workplace supports.
  • Job coach: A short-term coach to help you if you start a new job, your job description changes, or you have a change in your disability which affects your job.

If you're not sure what you need funding for, or how much, you can have an assessment done. This will help you find out what you need for your job.

Training Support Funds

Training Support funding can help you pay for extra costs relating to training if you have a disability or health condition. This is to help you get or stay in a job, including self-employment.

Training Support funding can cover:

  • Equipment: Specialist disability furniture or adaptive software.
  • New Zealand Sign Language and other interpreters: To interpret classes, presentations and some documents.
  • Support person: Someone you hire to help you with your training, such as a reader/writer or driver.
  • Transport: To get to and from your training course if you can't access public transport.

If you're not sure what you need funding for, or how much, you can have an assessment done. This will help you find out what you need for your training.

What it doesn't pay for

Job Support and Training Support can't be used to pay for:

  • costs you've already paid for
  • anything your employer or training provider must provide to enable someone to do the job or training, for example a standard desk and chair.
  • training course fees.

Who can get it

To apply for either Job Support or Training Support you must:

  • have a disability or a health condition that is likely to last longer than 6 months
  • need to pay for extra support to do a job or training because of your health condition or disability, these should be costs a non-disabled person would not have if they do the same job or training
  • be aged 16 to 64 years old (we may be able to keep paying if you keep working after you turn 65)
  • be ordinarily resident in New Zealand (find out what 'ordinarily resident' means)
  • be either a:
    • New Zealand citizen
    • residence class visa holder with the right to work in New Zealand
    • recognised refugee or protected person
    • temporary class visa holder with the right to work in New Zealand, and you're either waiting for the outcome of your claim to be recognised as a refugee or protected person, or you're applying for a residence class visa and must stay in New Zealand because of unforeseen circumstances.

If you're applying for Job Support, the job must:

  • pay at least minimum wage - this also applies if you're paid by commission
  • pay a similar rate that a non-disabled person doing the same job would get
  • not be a job reserved for disabled people only.

If you're self-employed - you must work at least 15 hours a week and the business must be viable.

If you're applying for Training Support, the training must be related to work. This can be either training to help you get a job in future, or for a job you already have.

Who can't get it

You can't get Job Support or Training Support if ACC or the Ministry of Health are already covering your job or training costs.

How much you can get

If you qualify, you may get:

  • one-off costs, paid as a lump sum
  • ongoing costs, paid in instalments.

How much you can get depends on your needs. We try to cover as much of the cost as possible. When you apply, we check what you need and tell you what costs we'll cover and how it will be paid. We can't reimburse you for costs you've already paid for.

If you hire a support person or job coach, they must be paid at least the minimum wage.

How to apply

You can apply yourself, or have someone act on your behalf.

Step 1: Fill in the application form

Download and fill in the form for Job Support or Training Support (you can apply for both):

linksSupport Funds Job Support Application form (PDF 510.75KB)
linksSupport Funds Training Support Application form (PDF 561.16KB)

You can either print the form and fill it in by hand, or fill in your answers online and save them as a PDF.

If you're not able to fill in this form, you can either:

Step 2: Evidence of your health condition or disability

You need to show us evidence of your disability or health condition. This can be either a:

  • Medical certificate or letter from your health practitioner (e.g. a doctor)
  • Report from an occupational therapist
  • Report from a psychologist
  • Document from ACC (e.g. a letter)
  • Evidence of on-going literacy or learning disabilities (e.g. a SPELD assessment).

You may not need to do this again if you have already shown us evidence of your disability or health condition.

Step 3: Gather your documents

You need documents to show:

  • what you're applying for and how much it costs (e.g. quotes or contracts)
  • evidence of who you are (find out what documents we need for this). If you're already a client with us, you may not need to do this
  • details of your job or training, e.g. your employment contract, a letter from your employer, registration for your training, evidence of your self-employment.

Step 4: Send us your application

Send us your completed application form and documents. You can do this by either:

  • scanning and emailing them to Support_Funds@msd.govt.nz
  • handing your form into one of our service centres, and we'll scan the documents while you're there
  • posting them to Ministry of Social Development, PO Box 1556, Wellington 6140, Attention: Support Funds.

If you're sending us identity documents, you'll need to post certified copies to us. Please do not post your original identity documents.

After you've applied

Once we get your application, we will contact you within 5 working days.

We'll send you a letter to let you know if your application has been accepted. If it is we'll contact you about the costs you have and how we can help with these. We'll pay the costs directly to the business providing the service or item.

If you need a support person or job coach

If you applied for someone to help you with your work or training, you need to:

  • have an assessment done to identify how much support you need
  • chose a support person or job coach
  • make sure they're registered with us.

Find out more about what you need to do:

Getting a support person or job coach

While you're getting Job or Training Support Funds

If anything changes that might affect your funding, please contact us right away.

You can tell us about a change by filling in a Support Funds Review Form, which you can download here:

linksSupport Funds Review Form (PDF 327.35KB)

You can also tell us about a change by:

We also have other ways you can contact us if you're deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment.

Alternative formats and languages

We have information about Job and Training Support Funds available in alternative formats and in Te Reo Māori.

Watch the New Zealand Sign Language video on YouTube:

View transcript of 'New Zealand Sign Language video of the Job and Training Support Funds factsheet' video

00:00:02,380 --> 00:00:16,900
If you have a disability or health condition, the Ministry of Social Development may be able to provide Job and Training Support Funds to get or keep a job by funding your additional job or training costs.

00:00:17,020 --> 00:00:27,760
They must be costs a non-disabled person doing the same job or training would not have.

00:00:29,620 --> 00:00:42,360
Job Support is to help you get or stay in work.
You can also get Job Support if you are self-employed.

00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,820
Job Support funding can cover:

00:00:49,780 --> 00:00:55,760
Equipment - Specialist disability office furniture or adaptive software.

00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:06,700
Workplace modification - A payment to help your employer make permanent modifications to the workplace to make it accessible for you.

00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:18,300
NZSL interpreters – To interpret work meetings and documents about your job (eg, your contract), and interpret some professional development.

00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:30,080
Support person - Someone you pay for yourself to help you at work, such as a reader/writer or driver.

00:01:30,380 --> 00:01:35,120
Parking - To cover costs of parking during your working hours.

00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:42,960
Transport - To get to and from your work if you can’t access public transport.

00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:53,620
Productivity allowance - A wage subsidy paid to your employer while you learn skills and set up workplace supports.

00:01:54,020 --> 00:02:07,220
Job coach - A short-term coach to help you if you start a new job, your job description changes, or you have a change in your disability which affects your job.

00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:16,120
If you are not sure what you need funding for, or how much, please talk to us about having an assessment done.

00:02:16,220 --> 00:02:20,700
This will help you find out what you need for your job.

00:02:23,540 --> 00:02:30,980
Training Support funding can help you pay for extra costs relating to training if you have a disability or health condition.

00:02:31,180 --> 00:02:37,080
This is to help you get or stay in a job, including self-employment.
Training Support can cover:

00:02:39,180 --> 00:02:45,360
Equipment - Specialist disability furniture or adaptive software.

00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:51,340
NZSL interpreters – support for you to employ an NZSL interpreter to interpret classes, presentations and course documents.

00:02:51,560 --> 00:03:02,040
Support person - Someone you pay for yourself to help you at work, such as a reader/writer or driver.

00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:10,820
Transport - To get to and from your training course if you can’t access public transport.

00:03:14,580 --> 00:03:23,740
If you are not sure what you need funding for, or how much, please talk to us about having an assessment done.

00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:28,160
This will help you find out what you need for your training.

00:03:30,740 --> 00:03:34,280
Job Support and Training Support can’t be used to pay for:

00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:41,980
Costs you’ve already paid for.

00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:50,760
Anything your employer or training provider must provide to enable someone to do the job or training, for example, a standard desk and chair.

00:03:50,860 --> 00:03:55,440
Training course fees.

00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,340
Who can get it?

00:04:01,740 --> 00:04:05,560
To apply for either Job Support or Training Support you must:

00:04:07,460 --> 00:04:11,620
Have a disability or a health condition that is likely to last longer than 6 months.

00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:18,460
Have costs for extra support to do a job or training because of your health condition or disability.

00:04:18,660 --> 00:04:32,640
These should be costs a non-disabled person would not have if they do the same job or training.

00:04:32,820 --> 00:04:41,340
Be aged 16 to 64 years old. We may be able to keep paying if you keep working after you turn 65.

00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:45,220
Be ordinarily resident in New Zealand.

00:04:45,420 --> 00:04:56,780
Be either a: New Zealand citizen, or Residence class visa holder with the right to work in New Zealand, or Recognised refugee or protected person, or

00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:08,240
Temporary class visa holder with the right to work in New Zealand, and you’re either waiting for the outcome of your claim to be recognised as a refugee or protected person,

00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:15,000
or you’re applying for a residence class visa and must stay in New Zealand because of unforeseen circumstances.

00:05:17,700 --> 00:05:22,840
If you’re applying for Job Support, the job must:

00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:34,280
Pay at least minimum wage - this also applies if you’re paid by commission.

00:05:34,580 --> 00:05:41,300
Pay a similar rate that a non-disabled person doing the same job would get.

00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:48,080
Not be a job reserved for disabled people only.

00:05:52,640 --> 00:06:04,100
If you’re self-employed - you must work at least 15 hours a week and the business must be viable.

00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:14,080
If you’re applying for Training Support, the training must be related to work.

00:06:14,260 --> 00:06:23,420
This can be either training to help you get a job in future, or for a job you already have.

00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,540
Who can’t get it.

00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:39,740
You can’t get Job Support or Training Support if ACC or the Ministry of Health are already covering your job or training costs.

00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:47,520
How to apply for Job Support or Training Support funding.
You can apply yourself, or have someone act on your behalf.

00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:53,020
Step 1: Fill in the application form.

00:06:54,680 --> 00:07:05,140
Download and fill in the form for Job Support or Training Support (you can apply for both).

00:07:08,020 --> 00:07:14,600
Once you’ve downloaded the form you can either print it and fill it in or fill in your answers online.

00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:26,620
You will still need to print and sign the form by hand at the end, as we can’t accept digital signatures on applications.

00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:38,660
If you’re not able to print this form, you can call us on 0800 551 001 or email us at Support_Funds@msd.govt.nz, and we’ll post a form to you.

00:07:38,860 --> 00:07:47,680
You can also call us and we can complete the application with you over the phone.

00:07:50,700 --> 00:07:55,100
Step 2: Evidence of your health condition or disability.

00:07:59,340 --> 00:08:04,020
You need to show us evidence of your disability or health condition. This can be either a:

00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:11,460
Medical certificate or letter from your health practitioner (eg a doctor).

00:08:11,660 --> 00:08:16,020
Report from an occupational therapist.

00:08:16,220 --> 00:08:19,260
Report from a psychologist.

00:08:19,660 --> 00:08:24,740
Document from ACC (eg a letter).

00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:33,180
Evidence of on-going literacy or learning disabilities (eg a SPELD assessment).

00:08:35,500 --> 00:08:43,960
You may not need to do this again if you have already shown us evidence of your disability or health condition.

00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,800
Step 3: Gather your documents.

00:08:52,020 --> 00:08:54,520
You need documents to show:

00:08:57,260 --> 00:09:04,400
What you’re applying for and how much it costs (eg quotes or contracts).

00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:14,660
Evidence of who you are (find out what documents we need for this).
If you're already a client with us, you may not need to do this.

00:09:15,460 --> 00:09:28,140
Details of your employment or training, eg your employment contract, a letter from your employer,

00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:35,780
registration for your training or study, evidence of your self-employment.

00:09:38,220 --> 00:09:42,660
Step 4: Send us your application.

00:09:44,580 --> 00:09:52,220
Send us your completed application form and documents. You can do this by either:

00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:59,020
Scanning and emailing them to Support_Funds@msd.govt.nz.

00:09:59,220 --> 00:10:05,800
Or, handing your form into one of our service centres, and we’ll scan the documents while you’re there.

00:10:06,100 --> 00:10:09,060
Or, posting them to Ministry of Social Development, PO Box 1556, Wellington 6140, Attention: Support Funds.

00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:18,580
If you’re sending us identity documents, you’ll need to have certified copies to post to us. Please do not post your original identity documents.

00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:26,820
Once we get your application, we will contact you within 5 working days.

00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:31,600
We’ll send you a letter to let you know if your application has been accepted.

00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:39,100
If it is we’ll contact you about the costs you have and how we can help with these.

00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:49,300
We’ll pay the costs directly to the business providing the service or item.

00:10:51,340 --> 00:10:55,060
While you’re getting Support Funds.

00:10:55,160 --> 00:11:00,020
If anything changes that might affect your funding, please let us know straight away.

00:11:02,020 --> 00:11:04,420
You can let us know by either:

00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:06,640
Calling us on 0800 551 001, emailing us at Support_Funds@msd.govt.nz,

00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:12,840
or download and fill in the Change of Circumstances form workandincome.govt.nz/supportfunds.

linksDownload a Braille file of the Support Funds information (brf File 7.93KB)
linksListen to an audio file of the Support Funds information (Mpeg 13.42MB)
linksDownload the Support Funds Factsheet Word document (Word 87.73KB)
linksDownload the Support Funds Factsheet PDF document (PDF 191.81KB)
linksDownload the Support Funds Easy Read Word document (Word 9.06MB)
linksDownload the Support Funds Easy Read PDF document (PDF 3.65MB)
linksDownload the Support Funds Factsheet large print Word document (Word 84.15KB)
linksDownload the Support Funds Factsheet large print PDF document (PDF 172.48KB)
linksDownload the Support Funds Factsheet Te Reo Māori Word document (Word 89.63KB)
linksDownload the Support Funds Factsheet Te Reo Māori PDF document (PDF 188.22KB)