Accommodation Supplement: how much you can get for rent, board or a mortgage

Who can get it

• Aged 16 or over, a NZ citizen or permanent resident, normally living here and intending to stay.
• Paying rent, board, or the costs of owning your home above the entry threshold.
• Cash assets under $8,100 (single) or $16,200 (couple, with or without children, or sole parent). The limit can be higher if you received an ACC lump sum.
• Income is tested, including your partner's, and payments you receive from boarders.
• Not available if you pay rent for public (social) housing from Kāinga Ora or a community housing provider. Those tenants pay income-related rent instead.

How the amount is worked out

Work and Income takes your weekly qualifying accommodation cost, subtracts the entry threshold for your situation, pays 70% of the difference, and caps it at the maximum for your area and household. Entry thresholds depend on the main benefit you get. For Jobseeker Support they are:

• Single person on Jobseeker, rent $300 a week, Area 1: (300 - 93) x 0.7 = $144.90, under the $165 cap, so about $144.90 a week.
• Same person, Area 4: calculation is still $144.90 but the cap is $70, so $70.
• Couple, no children, rent $400, Area 2: (400 - 158) x 0.7 = $169.40, capped at $155, so $155.

Boarders, flatmates and room rentals

If you pay board (meals included), Work and Income only counts the portion that is accommodation: 62% of your board. So $200 a week board is treated as $124 of accommodation cost. Flatting? Your share of the rent counts, not the whole rent. If you rent out a room yourself, the money you receive from that boarder counts as income and affects your payment.

Homeowners and mortgage holders

The Accommodation Supplement covers the 'cost of owning a home' above the (higher) mortgage entry threshold. Which costs count is set by Work and Income: check the list in MyMSD or ask. If you're facing mortgage stress after redundancy, also talk to your bank's hardship team before you miss a payment.

How to apply and keep it

1. New to Work and Income: apply in MyMSD, or use the paper Extra Help application and include proof of costs (tenancy agreement, rent receipts, mortgage statement).
2. Already on a benefit: use the Accommodation Supplement application for existing clients, or ask by phone.
3. Complete your application within 20 working days of first contacting them so it can be backdated to that first contact date.
4. Tell them when your rent, board, address or household changes.
5. Your circumstances are reviewed at least every 52 weeks. If you're sent a Confirming your Circumstances form, return it by the due date or payments stop.