International Custody Dispute Assistance

What Is This Payment?

International Custody Dispute Assistance is not a stand-alone weekly benefit. It is a hardship category recognised by the Benefit Check rule engine for the uncommon situation in which a New Zealand caregiver is raising a child while a custody dispute crosses an international border. Such disputes can be expensive and disruptive: a caregiver may face legal costs, travel, document fees, or a sudden loss of the other parent's financial support while the matter is resolved, sometimes under an international convention or in a foreign court.

Because the costs are unpredictable and case-specific, the help is not a fixed rate. Instead, Work and Income assesses the caregiver's circumstances and delivers support through its general hardship products, chiefly the Special Needs Grant (a non-recoverable one-off grant for an essential, immediate need) and Recoverable Assistance (an interest-free advance that is repaid over time). The eligibility-only category exists so that a caregiver in this position knows that help may be available and that the standard hardship tests are the gateway to it.

This makes the page informational rather than a calculator. There is no weekly figure to publish, and quoting one would be misleading. The value of the page is in setting out who the category is for, what the hardship limits are, and how to ask. It sits alongside other hardship-tested supports such as the Funeral Grant and the various accommodation grants, all of which apply the same cash-asset and income tests described below.

How Much Can You Get?

There is no fixed weekly amount for this category. It is eligibility-only, so the rule engine returns whether you qualify for hardship help rather than a calculated payment. The actual amount depends on the underlying hardship product and the costs Work and Income assesses as essential.

In practice, help comes through two main products. A Special Needs Grant is a one-off, non-recoverable payment for an immediate essential need, capped at the limits set for that grant. Recoverable Assistance is an interest-free advance for a similar need, which you repay over time, usually by small deductions from any benefit or by an agreed schedule. Which one applies, and how much, is decided case by case.

To reach either product, you must pass the hardship tests. The rule engine applies the standard cash-asset limits of $1,411.22 for a single person and $2,351.46 for a couple or sole parent, and the standard weekly income ceilings of $1,010.41 single (18 plus), $1,467.61 for a couple, $1,226.09 for a sole parent with one child, and $1,291.75 for a sole parent with two or more children. If you are within both your asset and income limits, the category opens; the dollar value is then set by the assessed need.

Eligibility Conditions

The Benefit Check rule engine evaluates these conditions in order. All gates must pass for the category to be flagged as available.

1. is_caregiver = true — you must be the caregiver responsible for the child affected by the custody dispute.
2. At least one dependent child — the engine checks for a dependent child in your care across the age buckets. If there is none, the category does not apply.
3. cash_assets ≤ limit — your cash assets must be at or below $1,411.22 if you are single, or $2,351.46 if you are a couple or sole parent.
4. weekly family income ≤ limit — your weekly family income (your income plus a partner's income) must be at or below the Special Needs Grant ceiling for your family type, as listed above.

Meeting these tests opens the door to hardship help; it does not guarantee a specific amount. Work and Income will also want to understand the nature of the cross-border custody dispute and the costs you face, and may ask for documents such as court papers, legal correspondence, or evidence of the expenses involved. Because these matters often involve the courts and, in some cases, the Hague Convention on child abduction, you should also seek legal advice in parallel with applying for financial help.

How To Apply

Contact Work and Income directly and explain that you are a caregiver facing a cross-border custody dispute and the financial difficulty it has caused. There is no dedicated online form for this category; it is handled through a caseworker who identifies which hardship products apply. Call 0800 559 009 or visit a service centre. You can find general contact details on the Work and Income website.

Gather the following before you make contact:

• Your NZ identity document and IRD number, and a New Zealand bank account number for any payment.
• Proof of your residency status if you are not a New Zealand citizen.
• Evidence that you are the caregiver of the child, such as a court order or a letter from a school or doctor.
• Documents showing the custody dispute, for example court filings, legal letters, or correspondence with an overseas authority.
• A clear list of the specific costs you cannot meet, with quotes or invoices where possible, since hardship help is tied to an assessed essential need.
• Recent statements showing your cash assets and your weekly family income, so the caseworker can apply the hardship tests.

A caseworker will check the asset and income limits, confirm your caregiving role, and decide whether a Special Needs Grant or Recoverable Assistance fits. Recoverable Assistance must be repaid, so ask the caseworker to explain the repayment terms before you accept it. Given the legal complexity of cross-border custody, treat the financial help as one part of a wider plan that also includes legal advice.

Rule-Based Scenarios

These three scenarios use the exact decision logic from the Benefit Check rule engine. Each mirrors a real eligibility path. Because the category is eligibility-only, the outcome is whether hardship help opens, not a calculated weekly figure.

Scenario 1 — Qualifies for hardship help

Tania is a sole parent and the caregiver of her 7-year-old, who is the subject of a custody dispute with the child's father, who has moved overseas. She has $900 in cash assets and a weekly family income of $640. Her is_caregiver = true, one dependent child is recorded, $900 is below the $2,351.46 sole-parent asset limit, and $640 is below the $1,226.09 income ceiling for a sole parent with one child. All gates pass, so the category opens. A caseworker assesses her legal and travel costs and provides help through a Special Needs Grant. No fixed weekly rate applies.

Scenario 2 — Blocked on assets

Nikau is a single caregiver of one child caught in a cross-border custody matter. His weekly income of $500 is well within the $1,010.41 single ceiling, but he holds $4,000 in a savings account, which is above the $1,411.22 single cash-asset limit. The asset test fails, so the rule engine does not open the hardship category. He may need to use part of those savings toward the costs first, or look at other supports; he can return if his cash assets fall within the limit.

Scenario 3 — Blocked on income

Maia is partnered and a caregiver of one child during an international custody dispute. Her cash assets of $1,200 are within the $2,351.46 couple limit, but the couple's combined weekly income is $1,600, above the $1,467.61 couple ceiling. The income test fails, so the category does not open. The rule engine treats the household as able to meet the cost from current income; if the couple's income drops below the ceiling, the category would become available.

Common Mistakes

• Expecting a fixed weekly payment: This is an eligibility-only category with no published rate. People sometimes search for a weekly figure and assume there is none of any help. In fact qualifying caregivers can receive one-off or short-term hardship help — it is just sized to the assessed cost, not paid as a set amount.
• Forgetting the cash-asset test: Savings above $1,411.22 single, or $2,351.46 for a couple or sole parent, close the category. Caregivers with money set aside for legal fees may find their own savings count against them and need to be partly used first.
• Overlooking the income ceiling: Weekly family income above the limit for your family type blocks the category. The ceilings range from $1,010.41 single to $1,467.61 for a couple, and a partner's income counts toward the household total even if only one of you is the caregiver.
• Treating financial help as a substitute for legal advice: Cross-border custody disputes usually involve the courts and sometimes international conventions. The hardship help addresses immediate costs, not the legal outcome. Caregivers who rely on the grant alone and skip legal advice risk losing ground in the dispute itself.
• Accepting Recoverable Assistance without checking repayment: Recoverable Assistance is an interest-free advance, not a gift. It must be repaid, often by deductions from a benefit. Caregivers sometimes accept it as if it were a Special Needs Grant and are surprised by the repayments. Ask the caseworker which product is being offered.
• Assuming you must be in New Zealand throughout: Cross-border disputes can involve travel. Some caregivers assume any time spent overseas pursuing the case disqualifies them. Discuss the travel with Work and Income rather than ruling yourself out — the caseworker can advise how absences affect your situation.

Related Benefits

• Community Services Card — another eligibility-only support; provides cheaper doctor visits and prescriptions for low-income caregivers and their children.
• Funeral Grant — a hardship grant using the same cash-asset and income tests, for the cost of a funeral.
• Sole Parent Support — ongoing weekly income support for a sole parent raising a dependent child, which a custody-dispute caregiver may also qualify for.
• Unsupported Child's Benefit — for a non-parent caregiver raising a child after a family breakdown, with a flat per-child weekly rate.
• Accommodation Supplement — weekly help with rent, board, or mortgage costs that a caregiver under financial pressure may also receive.
• Working for Families Family Tax Credit — tax credit for the cost of raising dependent children, claimable alongside hardship help.