Supported Living Payment

What Is This Payment?

The Supported Living Payment is a main benefit administered by Work and Income, the service-delivery arm of the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). It provides core weekly income to two groups: people who are significantly restricted in their capacity to work because of a health condition, injury, or disability expected to last at least two years (or be terminal), and people who are caring full-time for someone at home who would otherwise need hospital, rest-home, or residential care. It is the long-term equivalent of Jobseeker Support for those whose work capacity is durably reduced.

As a main benefit, the SLP is income-tested. The first $160 of combined family weekly income has no effect on the payment. Income between $160 and $250 per week reduces the payment by 30 cents per dollar, and income above $250 per week reduces it by 70 cents per dollar. This two-step taper is more generous in its first band than the flat 70-cent abatement used for some other payments, which is intended to make part-time work worthwhile for people whose health allows some hours. The rates quoted are net figures, paid after tax at the M tax code.

The SLP differs from Jobseeker Support, which covers temporary health conditions and unemployment, and from NZ Super, which begins at 65. People on the SLP can also receive supplementary payments such as the Disability Allowance for their own ongoing disability costs, the Accommodation Supplement for housing, and the Winter Energy Payment. Applications are made through MyMSD or a Work and Income service centre and are supported by a medical certificate establishing the restriction on work capacity, or evidence of the full-time caring role.

How Much Can You Get?

The 2026 net weekly rates, before the income taper, are: single aged 16-17, $355.87/wk; single aged 18 or over, $424.60/wk; couple with no children (combined), $721.44/wk; couple with children (combined), $756.94/wk; sole parent, $581.96/wk. A couple with a non-qualified or NZ Super partner and children is paid at a separate $392.94/wk rate. All figures are paid fortnightly and are net of tax at the M code.

The income taper has two steps. The first $160 of combined family weekly income is fully exempt. From $160 to $250 per week, the payment reduces by 30 cents per dollar — a maximum of $27 deducted across that $90 band. Above $250 per week, the payment reduces by 70 cents per dollar, added to the $27 already deducted in the first band. For couples, both incomes are combined before the taper is applied.

Worked example 1 (single adult, no income): A single 18+ recipient with no earnings has family income of $0, below the $160 free zone. No reduction applies. The payment is the full $424.60 per week.

Worked example 2 (single adult, part-time work): A single 18+ recipient earns $300 per week. The first $160 is free. The $160-$250 band ($90) is reduced by 30c/$ = $27. The amount above $250 is $50, reduced by 70c/$ = $35. Total reduction: $27 + $35 = $62. Net payment: $424.60 − $62 = $362.60 per week.

Eligibility Conditions

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

1. residency in {citizen, pr, qualifying_visa} — you must hold New Zealand citizenship, permanent residence, or a qualifying visa.
2. age >= 16 AND age < 65 — the payment covers the 16-to-64 age band. NZ Super applies from 65.
3. employment_status = health_condition — you must be significantly restricted in your capacity to work by a health condition, injury, or disability (or be a full-time carer). A medical certificate establishes this.
4. If partner_status = partnered: partner_income must be declared. Without it, the rule cannot compute the combined-income taper and returns nil.
5. family weekly income after the two-step taper must leave a positive amount. If combined income is high enough to taper the rate to zero, the payment is nil.

Note: the family-type rate selection follows a defined order — sole parent with children, then couple with children, then couple without children, then single 18+, then single 16-17. A couple must supply the partner's income before any amount can be calculated, which is the most common reason a partnered applicant initially sees a nil estimate.

How To Apply

The simplest channel is the MyMSD online portal. You can also apply in person at a Work and Income service centre or by phoning 0800 559 009. The application is supported by a medical certificate from a registered health practitioner establishing the restriction on your capacity to work, or by evidence of your full-time caring role.

Gather the following before you start:

• A medical certificate confirming a health condition, injury, or disability that significantly restricts your capacity to work, expected to last at least two years or be terminal.
• Or evidence of caring full-time for someone who would otherwise need hospital or residential care.
• NZ identity document, IRD number, and a New Zealand bank account number for payment.
• Proof of residency status if you are not a New Zealand citizen.
• Your income details, and your partner's income if you are partnered, so the two-step taper can be applied to combined family income.

MSD reviews the medical evidence and the income information and pays the net rate for your family type less any taper. Recipients report fortnightly income through MyMSD and must tell Work and Income about changes in partner status, work capacity, or address. MSD can request periodic medical reviews. Returning to substantial work capacity, turning 65, or income rising above the cut-out point can all end the 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, full rate

Rawiri is 45, a New Zealand citizen, single, with a long-term health condition that significantly restricts his capacity to work, confirmed by his GP. He has no earnings. age = 45, employment_status = health_condition, residency passes, income $0 is within the free zone. All gates pass. He receives the full single-18+ rate of $424.60 per week. He can also apply for the Disability Allowance and Accommodation Supplement on top.

Scenario 2 — Sole parent with part-time work

Awhina is 37, a permanent resident, a sole parent with two children, with a qualifying health condition. Her base rate is the sole-parent rate of $581.96/wk. She earns $300 per week part-time. The first $160 is free; the $160-$250 band reduces by 30c/$ = $27; the $50 above $250 reduces by 70c/$ = $35; total reduction $62. Net payment: $581.96 − $62 = $519.96 per week. Part-time work leaves her clearly better off than not working.

Scenario 3 — Partnered, income not yet supplied

Moana is 52, a New Zealand citizen, partnered, with a qualifying health condition. She applies but has not yet declared her partner's income. Because partner_status = partnered and partner_income is missing, the rule returns $0 — it cannot compute the combined-income taper without it. Once she supplies the partner's earnings, the engine selects the couple-with-or-without-children rate and applies the two-step taper to the combined figure to produce her actual payment.

Common Mistakes

• Not declaring partner income: A partnered applicant who omits partner_income gets a nil result, not a single-rate result. The SLP taper works on combined family income, so the partner's earnings are required before any amount can be calculated. Supplying them is the first step to a real estimate.
• Assuming all earnings reduce the payment equally: The SLP uses a two-step taper, not a flat rate. The first $160/wk is free, then 30c/$ applies up to $250, and only above $250 does the 70c/$ rate kick in. Treating it as a flat 70c/$ overstates how much work reduces the payment.
• Confusing it with Jobseeker Support: Jobseeker covers temporary health conditions and unemployment; the SLP is for durable, significant restriction in work capacity expected to last at least two years, or full-time caring. Applying for the wrong one delays the correct payment while MSD reassesses.
• Thinking part-time work is not worthwhile: Because of the free zone and the gentle 30c/$ first band, part-time work always leaves an SLP recipient better off in total income. The fear that any work cancels the payment is unfounded; the payment only fully cuts out at a relatively high combined-income point.
• Applying at 65 or over: The SLP has a hard age cap at 64. From 65, NZ Super applies and is not subject to the same work-capacity test. Applying for the SLP at 65 will be declined.
• Treating the rate as gross: The quoted SLP rates are net figures, paid after tax at the M code. Comparing them to gross wages without adjusting for tax leads to a misleading comparison of in-work versus on-benefit income.

Related Benefits

• Jobseeker Support — the temporary-health-condition equivalent; people not durably restricted in work capacity claim Jobseeker rather than the SLP.
• Disability Allowance — supplementary payment for an SLP recipient's own ongoing disability costs, up to $82.85/wk, claimed on top of the SLP.
• Special Disability Allowance — a flat $51.67/wk available to an SLP recipient whose partner is in long-stay residential care.
• Accommodation Supplement — housing assistance that stacks on top of the SLP for renters and boarders above the area entry threshold.
• Winter Energy Payment — automatically added to the SLP during the winter period to help with heating costs, with no separate application.
• Community Services Card — held alongside the SLP for subsidised GP visits and cheaper prescriptions.