Check What You Might Get - MSD's Payments and Entitlements Checker
Our guide to check.msd.govt.nz - the free, anonymous five-minute tool showing which Work and Income payments you could get, plus what it misses.
Updated 18 August 2026
Summary
To help you navigate what you need to know, our guide covers:
Know This First: Why These Payments Exist
Summary
- Every year, the Government budgets tens of billions of dollars for payments New Zealanders are legally entitled to - our government spending summary LINK shows where the money goes.
- However, every year, a meaningful share of this allocated money goes unclaimed simply because no one's job is to tell you what's yours.
- The Ministry of Social Development runs a free tool that fixes part of that: check.msd.govt.nz, an anonymous five-minute questionnaire that tells you which Work and Income payments you might qualify for.
- This guide covers how to get the most accurate result - and, just as importantly, what the checker can't see.
To help you navigate what you need to know, our guide covers:
Know This First: Why These Payments Exist
- None of what the government offers is charity. Every payment sits in legislation, was designed deliberately, debated by Parliament, and is funded in the Budget each year - the taxes you've paid across your working life. Checking what you're entitled to isn't asking for a handout; it's collecting what's already yours.
- These aren't marginal programmes. NZ Super alone costs around $25 billion a year - one of the largest single items in the Government's roughly $150+ billion annual Budget, alongside health, education and welfare. Parliament votes on this spending every year precisely so that eligible people use it.
What the MSD Checker Is - and Isn't
The tool asks questions about your situation - income, housing costs, family, health - and ends with a list of Work and Income payments you might be able to get. It takes about five minutes, and the more detail you give, the more accurate the result. Before you start, please be aware that:
Important: Five Ways to Get an Accurate Result
What To Do If The Checker Says You Might Not Get Anything
- It's anonymous: your answers aren't kept and aren't used to identify you, and
- Running it puts nothing on any record, and
- It's a guide, not an application - to actually apply, go to MyMSD or call 0800 559 009 (0800 552 002 if you're 65 or over).
- It's available in te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan and Cook Islands Māori - use the language toggle at the top of the checker.
Important: Five Ways to Get an Accurate Result
- Have your numbers handy - your pre-tax income, rent, board or mortgage payments, and your partner's income. Guessing produces a guessed result.
- Partners: run it twice - one each. Entitlements are assessed per person, and your results can differ.
- Answer the health questions honestly - an ongoing condition of six months or more can unlock support like the Disability Allowance that many people never think to claim.
- Screenshot your results - answers aren't saved, so keep your own record before you start the application.
- Re-run it after any life change - a job loss, a rent rise, a new baby, a health diagnosis, a separation, or turning 65. Yesterday's "nothing" can be today's "yes".
What To Do If The Checker Says You Might Not Get Anything
- Keep in mind that the tool provides a snapshot, not a verdict. The checker reflects your situation today, so we suggest you run it whenever life changes. Work and Income also offers hardship discretion LINK the tool can't model - help with urgent costs exists even for people who don't qualify for standard payments on paper.
- And if you apply and are declined, ask for a Review of Decision - it's free, it's a standard form, decisions get overturned regularly, and you can't be penalised for asking.
What the MSD Checker Misses
The checker only knows about Work and Income payments. A surprising amount of support lives elsewhere:
Suggested Reading: If you're 65 or over, we've built the complete picture: Our Over-65 Entitlements guide covers nearly 50 items, most of which the checker will never mention.
- Your council - the rates rebate and rates postponement schemes
- The health system - free prescriptions from 65, funded vaccinations and screening, hearing aid subsidies and the High Use Health Card
- ACC - injury cover at any age, including home help while you recover
- Transport - SuperGold off-peak travel and the Total Mobility scheme
- EECA - Warmer Kiwi Homes insulation and heater grants
- IRD - tax refunds, donation tax credits and, for most working families, Working for Families
- Needs-assessed care - home support, equipment and respite via a free needs assessment
- Community organisations - free financial mentors (MoneyTalks, 0800 345 950), food support and curtain banks
Suggested Reading: If you're 65 or over, we've built the complete picture: Our Over-65 Entitlements guide covers nearly 50 items, most of which the checker will never mention.
Frequently Asked Questions
For anything specific to your situation, please contact Work and Income.
Is the tool really anonymous?
Yes - MSD states your answers aren't kept or used to identify you - they're only used to work out what someone in your situation might get. Nothing goes on your record.
Does the result guarantee a payment?
No - it's a guide only. Actual decisions are made under the Social Security Act 2018 once you apply through MyMSD or by phone.
Should my partner and I do one check or two?
Two - one each. Payments are assessed individually, and your results may differ.
I'm over 65 - is this still useful?
Yes - and pair it with our Over-65 Entitlements guide because most of what over-65s can claim sits outside this checker.
