Financial help for autism caregivers in New Zealand
New Zealand support for autism families comes through two different systems — payments and allowances from Work and Income, and support allocated through a NASC needs assessment. They work separately, and many families use both.
What support exists in New Zealand
There are very few autism-only payments in these systems. Autism families usually claim through the same general disability and caregiver programs everyone else uses.
Child Disability Allowance
A fortnightly payment for the main carer of a child who needs constant care and attention because of a disability. $62.43 a week from 1 April 2026.
It is not income tested. It is paid in recognition of the extra care a child needs, so the assessment focuses on day-to-day support needs.
Disability Allowance
A weekly payment toward the ongoing extra costs of a disability or health condition, up to $82.85 a week from 1 April 2026.
It is income tested, and paid against actual regular additional costs — keep records of what you spend.
Supported Living Payment (carers)
A weekly payment from Work and Income for people caring full-time at home for someone with a significant health condition or disability, where that person is not your partner.
There are income and residency conditions, and the person you care for must not be your partner.
Carer Support (Carer Support Subsidy)
For full-time carers — meaning around four or more hours a day of unpaid care — accessed through your local NASC needs assessment or an Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach. It is allocated in days as an annual budget rather than paid as a wage, and helps fund a break from caregiving.
The days are mainly used for respite. Ask your NASC or EGL connector exactly how many days you have, what they cover, and how to claim them.
Early Intervention Service (EIS)
From Term 1 2026, the Ministry of Education's Early Intervention Service supports children from birth through to the end of Year 1 of school — previously it ended when a child started school. It covers additional developmental, communication or behavioural needs.
A separate Early Intervention Specialist Service (EISS) expansion announced in 2026 supports children with high and complex needs through a mixed-market model, adding up to 1,000 additional placements nationwide.
School-based learning support
Learning Support Coordinators, Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), speech-language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and teacher aides, accessed through your child's school, kura or early learning service.
An individual learning plan is usually developed around the child's specific needs.
If you're a parent of an autistic child
For parents of autistic children, the Child Disability Allowance is usually the first thing to check — it is not income tested, and it can be received alongside the Disability Allowance for the same child. The Early Intervention Service is worth contacting separately and early, since from Term 1 2026 it covers a much wider age range (birth through to the end of Year 1 of school) than it did before.
Figures and rules change. Confirm current amounts and eligibility with the official source before you rely on them.
Early intervention and learning support
Alongside Work and Income payments, support for autistic children runs through the education system — and it changed in 2026.
Early Intervention Service (EIS)
From Term 1 2026, the Early Intervention Service was expanded to support children from birth through to the end of Year 1 of school. Previously it ended when a child started school. It covers additional developmental, communication or behavioural needs.
Early Intervention Specialist Service (EISS)
A separate expansion announced in 2026 for children with high and complex needs, delivered through a mixed-market model (Ministry of Education plus alternate providers), adding up to 1,000 additional placements nationwide. It is a different, more specialised service from the general EIS.
School-based learning support
Support at school can include Learning Support Coordinators, Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), speech-language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and teacher aides. It is accessed through your child's school, kura or early learning service, with an individual learning plan developed around the child's needs.
Two systems that don't talk to each other
EIS/EISS referrals and school learning-support plans run through health and education, while allowances run through Work and Income — and those systems don't share information. FeatherKeep keeps the referral, the learning plan and the Work and Income correspondence together in one place, so you're not hunting through emails when someone asks for evidence.
See how FeatherKeep organizes itHow to apply
- 1
If you care for a child, apply to Work and Income for the Child Disability Allowance first — it is not income tested and is often the most direct route.
- 2
Contact your child's early learning service, school or kura about an Early Intervention Service referral or school learning support.
- 3
Contact your local NASC (Needs Assessment and Service Coordination) service to request a needs assessment for the person you care for.
- 4
Use the assessment to discuss both the level of care being provided and what respite or equipment support could help.
- 5
If Carer Support days are allocated, ask exactly how many days you have, how to claim them, and what they can be used for.
- 6
Separately, contact Work and Income about the Disability Allowance for regular extra costs, and the Supported Living Payment if you're caring full-time and are not the person's partner.
- 7
Keep your own record of hours, appointments, and costs — it makes reassessments and claims far easier.
Who in the family can claim
The Supported Living Payment for carers is not available for caring for your partner. The Carer Support Subsidy runs through the needs assessment process instead, so ask your NASC directly what applies in your situation.
Go deeper on New Zealand carer support
This page is an overview. The detailed eligibility rules and application walkthroughs live in our full guides.
Get organized before you apply
Autism care generates paperwork constantly — assessment reports, therapy waitlist referrals, school and clinic letters, receipts, hours of unpaid support. Applications go smoother when that history is already in one place instead of reconstructed from memory.
Hours of support, therapy sessions, and day-to-day help logged as they happen.
Assessments, referrals, and forms stored together and easy to find again.
Out-of-pocket costs and trips to appointments captured as you go.
Official sources
- Work and Income — Child Disability Allowance →
- Work and Income — Disability Allowance →
- Work and Income — Supported Living Payment →
- Health New Zealand — Carer Support →
- Ministry of Education — Early Intervention Service →
- Ministry of Education — Early Intervention Specialist Service expansion →
This page is general information, not legal, tax, medical, or financial advice. Payment amounts, eligibility rules, and application processes change — confirm details with the official body or a qualified adviser before making decisions.