Community Services Card, Winter Energy Payment and cheaper healthcare

Community Services Card: who qualifies

You must be 16 or over, a NZ citizen, permanent resident (or hold or have applied for refugee/protection status), and normally live here. Eligibility depends on your and your partner's combined yearly income before tax. Many benefit recipients, public housing tenants and Working for Families recipients get one automatically.

What the card gets you

• Lower fees at your enrolled GP or health practitioner, including for dependent children aged 14 to 17.
• Cheaper after-hours visits.
• Free subsidised prescriptions (see below).
• Discounted public transport (trains, buses, some ferries).
• Glasses for children under 16, emergency dental care at hospitals and approved contractors, and help with travel and accommodation for specialist treatment at least 80 km away (25 km for children).
• Home help for some people.

The card does not cover pharmacy part-charges or extra practitioner charges. To apply: download the form, call 0800 999 999, ask at a service centre or your health practitioner, include two proof-of-identity documents, and post it. The card is valid until the expiry date shown even if your circumstances change; a replacement takes about 3 weeks, so renew early.

Prescriptions and GP fees

• GP fees are set by each practice, not by government. Practices that take part in the low-cost access scheme charge less to CSC holders. Check the fee when you enrol or ring around.
• Prescriptions: Work and Income says a Community Services Card gives you free subsidised prescriptions. Health NZ's co-payment page lists children under 14, Community Services Card holders and their dependents, and people aged 65 and over as paying nothing for subsidised prescriptions from approved prescribers; others usually pay a $5 charge per item. Once you and your family have collected 20 items in a year you can get a Prescription Subsidy Card, which means no further charges until 1 February the next year. Co-payment rules have changed several times since 2023, so confirm at your pharmacy.
• Ask your doctor whether a longer prescription (up to 12 months where clinically appropriate, from 1 February 2026) can save repeat charges.
• If prescriptions are a regular cost, tell Work and Income: they can be included in Temporary Additional Support or the Disability Allowance.
• Healthline 0800 611 116 is free, 24 hours, for advice on whether you need to see someone.

Winter Energy Payment

Paid automatically with NZ Super, Veteran's Pension and certain main benefits, including Jobseeker Support and Sole Parent Support. You don't apply.

It's paid from 1 May to 1 October each year, so the 2026 payment has finished (the next starts 1 May 2027). It can continue for up to 28 days overseas; tell Work and Income if you will be away longer. If you come back before 1 October after travelling, contact Work and Income (0800 559 009, or 0800 552 002 for NZ Super) to restart it.

SuperGold Card and the combo card

Once your NZ Super is approved, your CSC stops working and you'll need to reapply; you then receive a combo card (CSC plus SuperGold) with 'CSC' on the back. The combo card is replaced automatically when it expires, unless your income is near the limit and a renewal form is sent.