Working for Families in a Nutshell

Our guide explains Working for Families in a nutshell, focusing on entitlements such as the Best Start Payment, Family Tax Credit, In-work Tax Credit, Minimum Family Tax Credit, Accommodation Supplement and Childcare Subsidy. We also overview the application process and must-know tips for applicants

Updated 24 August 2020

What is Working for Families?

Working for Families was introduced in 2005 as a way of supporting people with children into work. It comprises several types of assistance - Inland Revenue pays some of the benefits, while the others are paid by Work and Income.

As a background, while successive governments have adjusted the various qualifications, payment thresholds and types of assistance, the overall philosophy has remained the same. In a nutshell, Working for Families exists to ensure that people can receive more money from work than from receiving a benefit.

Know this first: In general, the term "Families" refers to one or two adults and one or more children under the age of 18. This can include sole parents, married couples, de facto couples and same-sex couples. There are some differences for single-parent families, explained below.

Generally, Working for Families is made up of the following payments:
From the Inland Revenue:

Best Start Payment
Family Tax Credit
In-work Tax Credit
Minimum Family Tax Credit

From Work and Income:

Accommodation Supplement
Childcare Subsidy

In this guide, we outline each type of payment, and explain what it is and how to apply. Our guide covers:

The payments and assistance that make up Working for Families

Accommodation Supplement (provided by Work and Income)

An Accommodation Supplement is a payment from Work and Income to assist with the costs associated with housing. This can include board payments, rent, or mortgage costs. There are many expenses you can receive assistance for, including council rates and water rates, essential repairs and maintenance and house insurance, depending on what expenses you have.

What is the value of the benefit?
The Accommodation Supplement is subject to an income and asset limit that is set by the Government each year. It is generally high enough so that low-income earners can still receive support if they are working and not receiving any other sort of benefit from Work and Income. Our dedicated Accommodation Supplement guide explains the benefit in detail, including entitlements.

Payments are made weekly and need to be reassessed when your income changes. If you have variable income each week, this means you need to contact Work and Income and update your income details for that week. Unfortunately, Work and Income and Inland Revenue can't automatically share your income details.

Each year Work and Income will review your entitlement. This is a good time to provide updates on any new costs or if costs have changed (e.g. mortgage payments or rates increases).

Childcare Subsidy (provided by Work and Income)

The Childcare Subsidy is a payment from Work and Income to help with the costs of preschool education. Work and Income pays an approved Early Childhood Education (ECE) provider on your behalf. Some examples include:

Kindergartens and preschools
Childcare centres and creches
Playcentres and playgroups
Kohanga Reo, Punanga Reo, Aoga and other programmes with a language and culture focus
Approved home-based care.

What is the value of the benefit?
Work and Income maintain a list of approved providers on their website. A Childcare Subsidy is normally paid for up to 9 hours of childcare a week if you're not working, studying or training, but you may be able to get up to 50 hours a week if you're in one of these situations:

Working, studying or on an approved training course
Involved in an activity that Work and Income has asked you to do
A shift worker who works nights
Seriously ill or disabled
Caring for a child in hospital (or for a child you get the Disability Allowance for)

In most cases, you can't get the Childcare Subsidy for more than 9 hours a week if the child's other parent or caregiver can care for them so, in a two-parent household, both parents would need to be working to qualify for more than 9 hours of care.

Know this: The amount you can receive depends on the size of your family and your combined gross earnings. It's calculated as an hourly rate that is then paid to the ECE provider and deducted from your total bill. Most ECE providers are able to help you through the application process.

Best Start Payment (provided by the IRD)

What is the value of the benefit?
Best Start is a payment of $60 per week for families supporting a newborn baby. Families who qualify for Best Start can receive the payment until their baby turns 1, no matter how much they earn.

After the first year, you can continue to receive Best Start payments until your child turns 3, if you and/or your partner earn under $93,858. The amount you receive depends on your family income.

Important: The Best Start payments begin when paid parental leave finishes, you cannot receive both at the same time. If you're receiving a benefit, you need to let Work and Income know about your child's birth. They'll set up your payments and let you know about any changes to your benefit.

Family Tax Credit (provided by the IRD)

The Family Tax Credit payment is a payment made to families with dependent children (i.e. children aged under 18).

What is the value of the benefit?
The amount you receive depends on how much you earn, the number of dependent children you have and any shared care arrangements. Inland Revenue provides a useful table to estimate what your entitlement will be here, but the rates do change each year.

In-work Tax Credit (provided by the IRD)

The In-work Tax Credit is a payment available for families who have some income from paid work each week. The payment is designed to make work a more attractive option than receiving a benefit, so if you are receiving an income-tested benefit or a student allowance, you will not be eligible for this payment.

What is the value of the benefit?
It depends on your income levels.

Know this: Before 1 July 2020, working families needed to work for the required number of hours to get the in-work tax credit. Couples needed to normally work at least 30 hours combined a week. Single parents needed to normally work at least 20 hours a week. This requirement has now been removed. As long as you are in paid work and not receiving an income-tested benefit, you can receive the In-Work Tax Credit.

Minimum family Tax Credit (provided by the IRD)

What is the value of the benefit?
The Minimum family Tax Credit tops up your family's income to at least $534 a week after tax and is made if your annual family income is $27,768 or less after tax.

To get this payment, you must work for salary or wages. A single parent must work at least 20 hours a week. In a two-parent family, one or both parents between them must work at least 30 hours a week.

How to apply (and what you can get) from Work and Income and the IRD

1. Applying for Assistance from Work and Income

For most types of assistance from Work and Income, you can now apply online using the MyMSD feature on the Work and Income website.
Their useful calculator will check through your circumstances and estimate what you might be entitled to. It's well worth going through the process if you think you may be eligible.

To be eligible for Accommodation Supplement, you will need to:

Have accommodation costs
Be aged 16 years or over
Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
Normally live in New Zealand and intend to stay here
Not be paying rent for a social housing property (*)

Your eligibility also depends on:

How much you and your spouse or partner earn
Any money or assets you and your spouse or partner have.

(*) Social housing properties are provided by Kāinga Ora (previously known as Housing New Zealand) and approved community housing providers.

To be eligible for the Childcare Subsidy you will need to be:

the main carer of a dependent child
a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
normally living in New Zealand and intend to stay here.

It also depends on how much you and your partner earn.
The child or children you are applying for must be:

attending an approved early childhood programme for 3 or more hours a week
under 5, or
over 5 if they're going to a cohort entry school (where new entrants start together on a set date after they turn 5), or
under 6 if you get a Child Disability Allowance for them

Again, the "Check what you can get" tool on the Work and Income website is a great way to check your entitlement. If you are only applying for the Childcare Subsidy, the process is relatively simple:

You and your partner complete the Childcare Assistance application form
Your childcare provider completes the supervisor's section inside this form
Email the application form, and any other documents that are required, to Work and Income's Centralised Childcare Unit who will process your application.

If you are applying for other assistance (such as an Accommodation Supplement) you'll need to complete a more comprehensive application online.
You can find more information about the application process on the Work and Income website.

2. Applying for Assistance from the Inland Revenue

The Inland Revenue also process most applications for assistance online now. To apply for Working for Families assistance, you can:

Apply via MyIR
Complete an online application form
Call Inland Revenue and apply online.

Before applying, you'll need to gather together:

IRD numbers for you, your partner and your child
Your estimated family income for the tax year. If you register in myIR then Inland Revenue will fill in the income information they have recorded
Any child support amounts paid or received by private agreement
Your bank account number.

Know this: Inland Revenue has a useful calculator to help you estimate your entitlement to assistance.

Once you've completed the application, Inland Revenue will process your information and provide you with an assessment. From here, you just need to keep Inland Revenue updated with changes in your situation such as children coming into or leaving your care.

5 Tips to Make the Most of the Assistance Available

Weekly, Fortnightly or Lump Sum payments

Tax Credits from Inland Revenue can be paid weekly or fortnightly, or in a lump sum after the end of the tax year (31 March).
Regular payments may help with your day-to-day costs. If you choose weekly or fortnightly payments, they'll begin as soon as your registration is processed.
After the end of the tax year (31 March), when they know your actual family income, they will work out if you've been paid the right amount. If you haven't been paid enough, they'll refund you the extra. If you have been paid to much, you'll need to pay back the extra amount.
Lump-sum payments are based on your actual income. Inland Revenue will pay into your bank account sometime from mid-July to mid-August. If you receive income from sources other than salary or wages you'll need to let Inland Revenue know before they make an assessment.
You can change how you receive payment during the tax year, but if you anticipate your income will fluctuate or change significantly a lump sum payment might be best.
Work and Income only make weekly payments.

Take care with tax agents (their percentage fee can mean you lose a portion of Working for Families payments)

With the recent explosion of companies willing to submit your tax return for you in return for a percentage of your refund amount, some people have been caught out when Working for Families payments were being included in this calculation and lost a significant amount of their Working for Families entitlement.

Important: If you are thinking of using a service to submit your return, do check what they consider a refund before signing up.

Reporting your income to Work and Income

Unfortunately, Work and Income aren't connected to Inland Revenue's system in a way that lets them share income information. This means when your income changes you need to let Work and Income know.
The easiest way to do this is online using the MyMSD service, but you can also call the 0800 number or drop into a Work and Income office to advise of changes.
If you earn a regular salary or wage payment, this is fairly straightforward but it can become time-consuming if your income varies from week to week.
If you are self-employed, you can usually negotiate with Work and Income to declare an annual amount rather, after you've deduction expenses. Work and Income generally look at profits from a business and any drawings to determine your income for entitlement purposes.

Be aware of the Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Subsidy

Work and Income also provide a subsidy for children who are over the age for five, called OSCAR. The OSCAR Subsidy is a payment which helps families with the costs of before and after school care for up to 20 hours a week, and school holiday programmes for up to 50 hours a week.

To qualify, the child must:

normally live in New Zealand
be at school
be under 14 (or under 18 if you get a Child Disability Allowance for them)
be attending an approved OSCAR programme for at least 3 hours a week, which includes before school, after school, holiday programmes and camps.

The application process is almost identical to Childcare Subsidy, and is included in any online application with Work and Income that you make. You can find out more about OSCAR here.

Know how to handle complex situations (and that help is always available)

If you have an especially complex situation, then help is available from both Work and Income and Inland Revenue. Some things that make applications a bit more complex can include:

Income from trusts, business or overseas
Share custody arrangements for children
Blended families with a variety of custody arrangements
Private child support arrangements

If you need help, the best place to start is a call to either Inland Revenue or Work and Income's contacts centre. If they can't help, they may be able to book you an appointment to see an advisor. This is generally easier for Work and Income, but various community organisations like the CAB, Work and Income or libraries often host Inland Revenue Engagement staff who you can meet with.
Remember, the agencies want you to receive your correct entitlement, so if you aren't sure what to do - just ask.

Related Guides

Navigating Work and Income - an essential must-read guide that explains everything you need to know about dealing with Work and Income before visiting your local office
Understanding Jobseeker Support - we explain how this benefit works and reveal tips to make sure you're supported for as long as you need to be.
Understanding the Accommodation Supplement - despite its complexities, our guide reveals everything you need to know about how it works
Disability Allowance - we walk through the basics of those who need extra support
myMSD - we explain why myMSD is, how it works, why it's essential and must-know tips and facts
Community Services Card - we cover who qualifies, what it offers and why they're important
Understanding urgent costs and living expense assistance - we explain what's available to anyone in urgent need
Loans for Unemployed - If you're unemployed, this guide outlines the types of loan available. We look at Work and Income support, as well as the potential risks of taking a loan and the cost-effective alternatives you may apply for
Understanding Superannuation (NZ Super) - our guide walks you through how it works, what you're entitled to and must-know tips to help your payments go further.