NZ Advance Benefit Payment 2025: Who is Eligible? Payment Dates and Amount. The New Zealand government has launched a grant for its citizens to provide them with financial assistance. The Advance Benefit Payment is a one-off payment to help individuals pay an essential or emergency cost if they are not able to pay it another way. This grant includes the payment for costs, such as emergency dental or medical treatment, food or bedding. To learn more about the advance benefit payment, read the article below.
NZ Advance Benefit Payment 2025
An advance payment of benefit is a one-off payment to financially support individuals to pay an essential or emergency cost if they are unable to pay it another way. To be eligible for this payment, you need to be receiving a main benefit, a pension, or an orphan’s unsupported child’s benefit. Under this scheme, the individual has to pay the payment money back. The Ministry of Social Development provided the advance payment to beneficiaries with immediate requirements for necessities such as food, power, rent, healthcare, etc.
The benefit payment amount will depend on your condition and what you need assistance with. Some examples are given below.
- Ambulance subscription fees
- Attendance at funerals and tangihanga
- Appliances and furniture
- Bedding
- Beds, chairs and tables
- Car repairs
- Child car seat
- Clothing
- Costs to end your tenancy early, or sublet or assign your tenancy
- Dental treatment
- Dentures and hearing aids
- Electricity, gas and water
- Essential home repairs
- Fire loss or burglary
- Fridges, freezers and washing machines
- Glasses
- Laser therapy to remove birthmarks
- Safety footwear
- School costs
- School stationery
- School uniforms
- Tenancy tribunal fees
- Travel if you’re stranded
There are more costs that Work and Income can assist you with depending on your condition. You can directly contact them and tell them about your situation, and they will assist you if you are eligible for this payment or not and if you are, then how much will you get?
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for receiving this payment, you must fulfil the eligibility criteria as follows:
- You may qualify for this payment if you are already receiving a benefit, for example, Jobseeker Support Student Hardship (JSSH) or any other benefit from Work and Income.
- You must have an essential or emergency cost that you are unable to pay for.
- It may also depend on:
- how much you and your spouse earn
- any money or assets you and your partner have
- Income Threshold:
| Status | Weekly Income (before tax) |
| Single and 16 to 17 years old | Less than $825.30 |
| Single and 18 years old or over | Less than $984.50 |
| Couples (with or without children) | Less than $1,377.69 |
| Sole parent with 1 child | Less than $1,150.97 |
| Sole parent with 2 or more children | Less than $1,212.61 |
- Assets Threshold:
The asset threshold does not include the assets that are required in your day-to-day living, e.g., your home, car, and some payments after a severe weather event. These include things like money in the bank or a second property.
| Status | Assets Value |
| Single | $1,338.90 |
| Couples (with or without children) | $2,230.96 |
| Sole Parent | $2,230.96 |
Payment Date and Amount
The advance payment is frequently paid fortnightly on a Tuesday. The exact date will depend on the month. To find out the exact dates, you can visit the official website of Work and Income. If you haven’t received the payment, immediately contact Work and Income to enquire about your payment.
The amount will be dependent on how much and why you need the payment. There is no specific amount for advance payment. The Work and Income will inform you about the amount you will receive according to your situation and eligibility.
How to Apply?
It is not possible to apply for this grant online by simply completing an application. You have to contact Work and Income. You need to call them on 0800 599 009. They will talk to you, understand your situation and try to assist you. You may need to provide some information to them to prove your eligibility, such as a quote for the cost, a bank statement or a payslip. They will explain everything to you in detail, what documents are required in your situation and how you can provide them with the required documents. You will be provided seven days to spend it or it will expire.
If your application is approved, then you will get a payment card, and they will load the money onto it. The payment card can be used at any supermarket or retailer that takes them. To find out how much is left, you can log in to MyMSD. By this, you can also check when your card is going to expire.