Getting paid to care for a family member in New Zealand
New Zealand has no single universal caregiver wage. Instead, support is spread across several separate schemes — the Supported Living Payment, Disability Allowance, Child Disability Allowance and the Carer Support Subsidy — each with its own purpose, its own rules, and its own way of being applied for.
Some of these replace income. Some help with disability-related costs. Some fund respite rather than paying you directly. This guide walks through what exists, who each one is for, and the practical steps to apply.
Quick eligibility check
| Can a family member be paid to provide care? | Sometimes — through income support or a subsidy rather than a caregiver wage |
|---|---|
| Is there one national caregiver payment? | No. Support is split across several separate schemes |
| Can I be paid to care for my partner? | Not through the caregiver version of the Supported Living Payment — your partner may qualify in their own right instead |
| Do I need to live with the person? | Not always — it depends on the scheme |
| Is full-time care required? | For the caregiver Supported Living Payment and Carer Support, yes — care has to be substantial and ongoing |
| Are payments income-tested? | Some are, some are not — it varies by scheme |
| Does the Carer Support Subsidy pay me a wage? | No — it funds relief care so you can take a break |
| Is a needs assessment usually involved? | Yes — most disability and older-person support runs through NASC |
| Who administers most payments? | Work and Income, with health services through Health New Zealand |
| Where do rates come from? | Rates are set by Work and Income and adjusted annually — always confirm the current figure |
What financial support is available?
Supported Living Payment for family caregivers
Weekly income support for someone providing full-time care at home to a person who would otherwise need hospital-level or residential-level care.
Child Disability Allowance
A weekly payment for the principal carer of a dependent child or young person with a serious disability.
Disability Allowance
A weekly payment towards the ongoing extra costs that come with a disability or health condition — not a caregiver wage.
Carer Support Subsidy
An annual allocation of days that funds relief care so a full-time carer can take a break.
Home and community support services
Funded personal care and household help delivered in the home, arranged after a needs assessment.
Respite for older people
Short-term care arrangements — in the home or in a facility — so the usual carer can rest.
NASC needs assessment
The Needs Assessment and Service Coordination process that determines what disability and older-person support is allocated.
Residential Care Subsidy
Financial help with the cost of long-term residential care when care at home is no longer workable.
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1. Supported Living Payment for family caregivers
This is the closest thing New Zealand has to an income payment for a family caregiver. It is weekly income support for someone providing full-time care at home to a person who would otherwise need hospital-level or residential-level care.
- • The care has to be full-time and provided at home, not alongside full-time paid work.
- • It is not available for caring for your partner. In that situation your partner may qualify for the Supported Living Payment in their own right.
- • The person you care for needs to require care at a hospital or residential-care level — this threshold is assessed, not self-declared.
- • Age and residency requirements apply to you as the applicant.
- • Income rules apply, and your circumstances affect what you can receive.
- • Rates are adjusted from 1 April 2026. What you actually receive depends on your circumstances, so ask Work and Income for the figure that applies to you.
2. Child Disability Allowance
$62.43 a week per qualifying child from 1 April 2026.
- • It is not income-tested or asset-tested.
- • It is paid to the principal carer of a dependent child or young person under 18 with a serious disability.
- • The child needs to be assessed as requiring constant care and attention for at least 12 months.
- • It is paid per qualifying child, so more than one child can be covered.
3. Disability Allowance
Up to $82.85 a week from 1 April 2026 — this is a maximum, not a flat rate.
- • What you receive depends on the eligible ongoing disability-related costs you can evidence.
- • It is not a caregiver wage. It reimburses costs, it does not replace income.
- • Typical eligible costs include doctor visits, prescriptions, travel to appointments and counselling.
- • Receipts and cost records matter — the amount is built from evidenced costs.
4. Carer Support Subsidy
Carer Support is allocated in days as an annual budget rather than as an hourly wage. It is accessed through your local NASC after a needs assessment, and it is aimed at full-time carers — generally understood as providing four or more hours a day of unpaid care.
- • The days fund relief care so you can take a break.
- • You claim against your allocation rather than being paid a wage for your own care.
- • How days can be used varies, so confirm the rules with your NASC.
While you wait for a decision
Carer Support goes further when your records are together
Relief days, appointments, medication changes and the daily help you give are far easier to explain at a NASC review when they are written down rather than remembered. FeatherKeep organises this automatically as you go.
Start free5. Home and community support services
Funded support delivered in the home — personal care such as showering and dressing, and household management such as cleaning and meal preparation.
It is arranged after a needs assessment and delivered by contracted providers. In some arrangements families can have more say in who provides the care, so ask your NASC what options exist locally.
6. Respite for older people
Short-term care so the usual carer can rest — either someone coming into the home, or a short stay in a care facility.
Access usually runs through the needs assessment process, and availability varies by region.
7. NASC needs assessment
Needs Assessment and Service Coordination is the gateway to most disability and older-person support. An assessor looks at what help is needed day to day and coordinates what is allocated.
Because so much flows from this one conversation, going in with clear records of the care already being provided makes a real difference.
8. Residential Care Subsidy
Financial help towards long-term residential care when care at home is no longer workable. It is income- and asset-tested, and a financial means assessment is part of the process.
Work and Income administers the subsidy and can explain how the means assessment works for your situation.
What other financial assistance could a family caregiver receive?
These are general assistance types rather than caregiver payments — they may apply depending on your household circumstances. Work and Income can confirm what you may qualify for.
Accommodation Supplement
A weekly payment to help with rent, board or the cost of owning a home, depending on your circumstances.
Temporary Additional Support
A last-resort weekly payment for essential costs you cannot meet from your income and other assistance.
Community Services Card
Reduces the cost of some health services and prescriptions for people on lower incomes.
Special Disability Allowance
A payment that may apply in some situations where a partner or dependent child is in long-term residential care or hospital care.
Get your documents ready
Tick these off as you gather them. Nothing here is saved — it is a reference list you can work through at your own pace.
For the person receiving care
For the caregiver
Care needs documentation
Keeping this organised
Documents pile up faster than you expect
Assessment letters, medical certificates, receipts for disability-related costs and review dates all need one home instead of five. FeatherKeep organises this automatically as you go.
Start freeHow to apply
Work out which support fits
Income support, cost assistance and respite are separate things — start by naming which problem you are solving.
Request a NASC needs assessment
Most disability and older-person support flows from this assessment, so get it underway early.
Gather your documents
Identity, residency, income, medical information and a clear record of the care being provided.
Contact Work and Income
Talk through the Supported Living Payment, Disability Allowance and Child Disability Allowance, and what applies to your household.
Complete the application forms
Each payment has its own form, and some need a medical certificate or supporting evidence from a health professional.
Attend the assessment
Describe a realistic day — including the hard days — rather than your best day.
Keep records after a decision
Note what was approved, the review date, and keep receipts for ongoing disability-related costs.
Common mistakes New Zealand family caregivers make
Assuming there is one caregiver wage
There is not. Missing this means people apply for the wrong thing and conclude nothing exists.
Expecting the Supported Living Payment to cover partner care
The caregiver version does not apply to caring for a partner — the partner may qualify in their own right instead.
Treating Disability Allowance as income
It reimburses evidenced disability-related costs up to a weekly maximum; it is not a wage.
Skipping the needs assessment
Most home support and respite is allocated through NASC, so not being assessed closes doors.
Describing a good day at assessment
Under-describing the care given leads to under-allocated support. Records of real days help.
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Check what may apply in New ZealandNew Zealand caregiver payment questions
Your 6-step action plan
Name the problem
Income, costs, or a break — each points at a different scheme.
Check the partner rule
If you care for your partner, look at whether they qualify for the Supported Living Payment in their own right.
Ask for a NASC needs assessment
This unlocks home support, respite and Carer Support days.
Start recording care now
Daily help given, overnight care, appointments and costs — before the assessment, not after.
Talk to Work and Income
Go through the Supported Living Payment, Disability Allowance and Child Disability Allowance together in one conversation.
Diary the review dates
Note review and reassessment dates so support does not lapse quietly.
Before you apply
Get organised before you apply
Every one of these schemes runs on evidence — what care is provided, how often, what it costs, and what has changed. For most families that evidence lives in envelopes, texts and memory.
- Care hours and what help was actually given each day
- Appointments, assessments and review dates
- Medication changes and health updates
- Disability-related costs and receipts
- Decision letters and correspondence
- A summary you can take into a NASC assessment
Families who can answer "what care is actually being provided, and how often?" with records rather than memory have a far easier time at assessment and review. FeatherKeep organises your care records and costs automatically as you go.
Start freeOfficial resources
- Work and Income — payments including the Supported Living Payment, Disability Allowance, Child Disability Allowance and the Residential Care Subsidy.
- Health New Zealand — Te Whatu Ora — home and community support, respite and Carer Support.
- Carers NZ — information and peer support for family carers.
- Your local NASC (Needs Assessment and Service Coordination) service — assessments and service allocation. Health New Zealand can point you to the NASC covering your area.
Related guides
Caring somewhere else? See all country guides.