Extraordinary Care Fund

What Is This Fund?

The Extraordinary Care Fund is a discretionary grant administered by Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development). It exists for a specific group of carers: people who receive the Orphan's Benefit or the Unsupported Child's Benefit for a child in their care. These are caregivers who are raising a child who cannot be cared for by their own parents — for example, grandparents, other relatives, or family friends who have taken on the care of a child.

The fund is targeted at extraordinary costs, not everyday living. It is designed to help when a child in care is either showing exceptional promise — in sport, the arts, academic study, or another field — or is going through a particularly difficult period. In the first case the fund can help meet the costs of nurturing that promise; in the second, it can help meet the additional costs that a difficult time brings. Either way, the costs are over and above the ordinary cost of raising a child, which the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit already helps with.

The amount is up to $2,000 per child per year. This is an annual cap applied per child, so a carer looking after more than one qualifying child can apply in respect of each child separately, each subject to its own cap. The amount granted in any case is set according to the child's circumstances and the nature of the extraordinary cost — it is not a flat payment that everyone receives.

Because the fund tops up the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit, it is only available to carers already receiving one of those two payments. It is a grant, not a loan, so it does not have to be repaid. It is a way of giving carers of children in care access to extra help in moments that matter — backing a child's talent or helping a child through a hard time — that ordinary weekly benefit rates are not designed to cover.

How Much Is It Worth?

The headline figure is up to $2,000 per child per year. The two key words are "up to" and "per child". The $2,000 is a ceiling, not a guaranteed amount: how much is granted in a given case depends on the child's circumstances, the nature of the extraordinary cost, and the assessment of the application. Some grants will be well below $2,000; the cap simply sets the maximum payable for one child in one year.

The per-child basis matters for carers of more than one qualifying child. The cap applies to each child separately. A carer of two qualifying children faces a cap of up to $2,000 for each — the children do not share a single family limit. Each child's circumstances are assessed in their own right.

Because the actual grant is determined case by case within the cap, this page treats the Extraordinary Care Fund as an eligibility entitlement rather than quoting a fixed weekly or annual figure you will definitely receive. The dependable fact is the eligibility test — caregiver, receiving the Orphan's or Unsupported Child's Benefit, and a dependent child — and the per-child annual cap of $2,000. The fund is a grant and is not repaid.

Eligibility Conditions

The Benefit Check rule engine evaluates three conditions, all of which must pass.

1. is_caregiver = true — you must be a caregiver looking after a child who is not your own dependent child in the ordinary sense, but a child in your care. This is the same caregiver status that underpins the Orphan's Benefit and Unsupported Child's Benefit.
2. receiving_ucb_or_ob = true — you must currently be receiving either the Orphan's Benefit or the Unsupported Child's Benefit. The Extraordinary Care Fund tops up these two payments, so receipt of one of them is a precondition.
3. You must have a dependent child in your care — the child for whom the extraordinary cost arises. The fund is applied for in respect of a specific child.

All three conditions are cumulative. A grandparent receiving the Unsupported Child's Benefit for a grandchild in their care meets all three and can apply. A parent receiving standard family payments — rather than the Orphan's or Unsupported Child's Benefit — does not meet the second condition and cannot use this fund, even if their child is showing promise or going through a hard time. The fund is specifically for carers of children supported by the Orphan's or Unsupported Child's Benefit.

How To Apply

Because the Extraordinary Care Fund is for carers already receiving the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit, your starting point is your existing relationship with Work and Income. You can apply through Work and Income, which administers the fund.

Gather the following before you apply:

• Confirmation that you are receiving the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit for the child concerned.
• Details of the child: name, date of birth, and the nature of their care arrangement with you.
• A clear explanation of the extraordinary cost — what it is for, how much it is, and how it relates either to the child showing exceptional promise or to a difficult period the child is going through.
• Supporting documentation: for promise-related applications, evidence of the child's talent or the opportunity (for example, a selection letter, course details, or coach's letter); for difficulty-related applications, evidence of the situation and the costs involved.
• Quotes or invoices for the cost where available, so the assessment can consider the actual amount needed.

Work and Income assesses each application on its merits against the per-child annual cap of up to $2,000. Because the fund is discretionary, a clear and well-evidenced explanation of the extraordinary cost helps. If you care for more than one qualifying child, you can apply separately for each, since the cap is per child. The grant does not have to be repaid.

Official Work and Income page for the Extraordinary Care Fund →

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 — Grandparent on the Unsupported Child's Benefit (qualifies)

Sina is raising her 12-year-old grandson, who cannot be cared for by his parents. She is a caregiver (is_caregiver = true), she receives the Unsupported Child's Benefit (receiving_ucb_or_ob = true), and her grandson is a dependent child in her care. All three gates pass. Her grandson has been selected for a regional sports squad, with travel and equipment costs of around $1,500. Sina applies to the Extraordinary Care Fund in respect of his exceptional promise. Because the cost is below the $2,000 per-child annual cap, the full amount can be considered, set case by case on assessment.

Scenario 2 — Carer of two children, applying per child (qualifies, per-child cap)

Mosese cares for two children, both supported by the Orphan's Benefit after the loss of their parents. He is a caregiver and is receiving the Orphan's Benefit for both. One child is going through a very difficult period and needs counselling-related support costing about $1,800; the other has been offered a place at a specialist music programme costing about $1,200. Because the $2,000 cap is per child, Mosese can apply separately for each — up to $2,000 for the first child and up to $2,000 for the second — rather than being limited to a single shared family amount.

Scenario 3 — Parent on standard family payments (does not qualify)

Maile is a parent raising her own two children and receives standard Working for Families payments. Her elder child is showing real promise in athletics, and she hopes the Extraordinary Care Fund can help with costs. However, she is not receiving the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit (receiving_ucb_or_ob = false), so the second gate fails. The Extraordinary Care Fund does not apply to her, because it is specifically for carers of children supported by those two benefits. She would need to look at other forms of support for her family's situation.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming any parent can apply. The Extraordinary Care Fund is only for carers receiving the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit (receiving_ucb_or_ob = true). Parents on standard family payments, even for a child showing exceptional promise or facing difficulty, do not meet this condition. The fund is tied to those two specific benefits, not to parenthood generally.
• Treating the $2,000 as a guaranteed payment. The figure is up to $2,000 per child per year — a ceiling, not a flat amount. The actual grant is set case by case according to the child's circumstances and the cost involved. Budgeting on the assumption that $2,000 will always be paid in full is a mistake; many grants will be smaller.
• Sharing one cap across multiple children. The cap is per child, not per family. A carer of two qualifying children has a separate up-to-$2,000 cap for each and should apply for each child individually. Treating the cap as a single family limit understates what may be available across multiple children in care.
• Using it for everyday costs. The fund is for extraordinary costs linked to a child showing promise or going through a difficult period — not for the ordinary cost of raising a child, which the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit already helps with. Applications for routine living costs do not fit the fund's purpose.
• Applying without evidence of the extraordinary need. Because the fund is discretionary, applications need a clear, well-evidenced explanation of the extraordinary cost — a selection letter, programme details, quotes, or evidence of the difficult situation. A vague application without supporting documentation is harder to assess and less likely to succeed.
• Thinking the grant must be repaid. The Extraordinary Care Fund is a grant, not a loan. It does not have to be repaid. Some carers hold back from applying because they assume any government money against a child's care will need to be paid back later — it does not, which makes it well worth applying for when an extraordinary cost arises.

Related Benefits

• Holiday and Birthday Allowance — another top-up for carers receiving the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit, helping with holiday and birthday costs for a child in care; shares the same caregiver and benefit-receipt conditions.
• Away From Home Allowance — helps caregivers with the costs of a young person living away from home for study or training; relevant to carers of children in their care alongside the Extraordinary Care Fund.
• Working for Families Family Tax Credit — the main ongoing payment for the cost of raising children for parents; carers on the Orphan's or Unsupported Child's Benefit are on a different track but the comparison clarifies which payments apply to whom.
• Childcare Subsidy — helps with the cost of pre-school childcare for low-to-middle income families and carers; can support carers managing a child's day-to-day care while the Extraordinary Care Fund covers extraordinary costs.
• School and Year Start-Up Payment — a payment to help carers receiving the Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit with the start-of-year school costs for a child in their care.
• Funeral Grant — a one-off grant that can help with funeral costs; relevant to caregivers who have taken on a child after the loss of the child's parents.