Employment Transition Assistance

What Is This Payment?

Employment Transition Assistance is administered by Work and Income, the service delivery arm of the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). It is aimed at people who were on the Supported Living Payment — the main benefit for people with a significant illness, injury, or disability that limits their capacity to work — and who have taken the step of trying paid employment through a Supported Living Payment employment trial.

The employment trial lets a Supported Living Payment recipient try work while keeping the security of being able to return to the payment if the job does not last. Employment Transition Assistance picks up at the point where that trial is completed and the person is now genuinely in work. It provides a bridge of continued support so that the move into employment does not feel like stepping off a cliff: if your circumstances are right, the support follows you into the job rather than stopping abruptly.

Because the payment is built around the Supported Living Payment, its weekly rate bands are identical to that benefit. What differs is the purpose and the gates: instead of supporting someone who cannot work, it supports someone who has moved into work of at least 15 hours per week after completing the trial. The actual amount payable to any individual reflects their earnings and personal circumstances through the normal income test, so the rate bands are the starting point rather than a guaranteed flat figure.

How Much Can You Get?

The weekly rate bands match the Supported Living Payment for 2026: single aged 16-17: $355.87/wk; single aged 18 or over: $424.60/wk; couple, no children (combined): $721.44/wk; couple with children (combined): $756.94/wk; sole parent: $581.96/wk. The rule engine annualises the relevant band by multiplying the weekly base by 52.

So a single adult aged 18 or over has an annualised base of $424.60 × 52 = $22,079.20 per year. A sole parent has $581.96 × 52 = $30,261.92 per year. A couple with no children has $721.44 × 52 = $37,514.88 per year combined. These are the maximum base figures; the amount you actually receive is reduced by an income test based on your earnings and your partner's earnings, just as under the Supported Living Payment.

Worked example: Yvonne is 35, a New Zealand citizen, single with no children. She completed her Supported Living Payment employment trial (completed_slp_employment_trial = true), has now started a job, so employment_status = employed, and works 20 hours per week (work_hours_per_week = 20, which is at least 15). All four gates pass. Her band is single aged 18 or over, so the annualised base is $424.60 × 52 = $22,079.20 per year. Her final payment is then adjusted for her actual wages through the income test, but the band is the starting point the rule engine returns.

Eligibility Conditions

The Benefit Check rule engine evaluates these four conditions. All must pass for a non-zero payment to be returned.

1. residency in {citizen, pr, qualifying_visa} — you must hold New Zealand citizenship, a permanent resident visa, or a qualifying temporary visa recognised by MSD.
2. completed_slp_employment_trial = true — you must have completed a Supported Living Payment employment trial. This is the gate that ties the payment to the Supported Living Payment pathway.
3. employment_status = employed — your employment status must be employed. Statuses of not working, self-employed, or health condition do not satisfy this gate.
4. work_hours_per_week >= 15 — you must work at least 15 hours per week. Fewer than 15 hours returns no payment, because the support is for people who have genuinely taken up ongoing work.

Once all four gates pass, the rule engine selects the rate band that matches your family type — single 16-17, single 18 or over, couple with or without children, or sole parent — and annualises it. The final payment then reflects the standard income test on your household earnings.

How To Apply

Employment Transition Assistance is handled through Work and Income, normally via the case manager who supported you through your Supported Living Payment employment trial. Talk to your case manager, or call Work and Income on 0800 559 009 once you have started work.

Have the following ready:

• Confirmation that your Supported Living Payment employment trial is complete (your case manager will have this on file).
• Your employment offer or contract showing your hours, ideally confirming at least 15 hours per week.
• Recent payslips so MSD can apply the income test to your new earnings.
• Your IRD number and a New Zealand bank account for payment.
• Proof of residency status if you are not a New Zealand citizen.
• Partner's income details if you are partnered, since the income test pools household earnings.

Because this support follows on directly from the Supported Living Payment, MSD usually already holds most of your information, which can make the transition quick. Keep your case manager updated if your hours drop below 15 per week or your job ends, as that affects both this support and your ability to return to the Supported Living Payment.

Rule-Based Scenarios

These three scenarios use the exact decision logic from the Benefit Check rule engine. Each mirrors a real eligibility path.

Scenario 1 — Single adult settling into work

Tearii is 41, a New Zealand citizen, single with no children. He completed his Supported Living Payment employment trial, is now employed, and works 18 hours per week. All four gates pass. His band is single aged 18 or over, so the rule engine returns an annualised base of $424.60 × 52 = $22,079.20 per year, before the income test on his wages. The support helps Tearii feel secure as he builds up his hours.

Scenario 2 — Sole parent at the higher band

Della is 38, a permanent resident, and a sole parent with two children. She completed her employment trial, is now employed, and works 25 hours per week. All four gates pass and her family type is sole parent, so the rule engine selects the sole-parent band: $581.96 × 52 = $30,261.92 per year base. After the income test on her earnings, her actual payment is lower, but the higher band reflects the cost of supporting a household with children.

Scenario 3 — Blocked by hours below 15

Quinn is 29, a New Zealand citizen, and completed the employment trial, with employment_status = employed. However, Quinn only secured 10 hours per week, so work_hours_per_week = 10, below the 15-hour gate. The rule engine returns no payment. Quinn would need to increase to at least 15 hours per week to qualify, or speak to a case manager about returning to the Supported Living Payment if ongoing work is not yet possible.

Common Mistakes

• Working fewer than 15 hours and still expecting payment: The rule sets a firm floor at work_hours_per_week >= 15. At 10 or 12 hours the rule returns nothing. Confirm your contracted hours reach 15 per week before assuming you qualify.
• Applying without completing the employment trial: The gate completed_slp_employment_trial = true is mandatory. People who never went through a Supported Living Payment employment trial cannot use this support; it is specific to that pathway.
• Confusing the rate band with the final payment: The $424.60/wk single rate and $581.96/wk sole-parent rate are base bands. Your actual payment is reduced by the income test on your household earnings, so do not budget on the full band figure once you are earning.
• Wrong employment status: The rule requires employment_status = employed. Self-employment, casual not-working status, or a health-condition status do not satisfy the gate, even if you are doing some paid work. Make sure your status is recorded correctly.
• Assuming it replaces the Supported Living Payment indefinitely: This is transition support tied to being in work after the trial. If your hours fall away or the job ends, the support is affected, and you may instead need to look at returning to the Supported Living Payment through your case manager.
• Not declaring partner income: For partnered claimants the income test pools household earnings. Leaving out a partner's wages can lead to an overpayment that MSD later recovers, so declare both incomes from the start.

Related Benefits

• Jobseeker Support — the main benefit for people out of work or temporarily unable to work; a different starting point from the Supported Living Payment pathway this support follows.
• Training Incentive Allowance — helps with course costs for people building skills to enter or stay in work, complementing the move into employment.
• Transition to Work Grant — covers one-off costs of starting a job, such as work clothing or tools, in the first weeks of employment.
• Flexi-wage for Jobseekers — a wage subsidy paid to employers who hire a jobseeker, an alternative route into supported work.
• Work Bonus — transition support for work-related set-up costs when a benefit recipient starts paid employment.
• New Employment Transition Grant — short-term help for people who recently moved off a benefit into work and hit a temporary gap in earnings.