The New Zealand government provides support to people with disability for their regular or ongoing medical costs due to their condition through Disability Allowance. The government has increased the benefit rates from 01 April 2025, the disability allowance recipients can expect an increased rate from now on.
The government has also increased the income limit for the disability allowance. New Zealand citizens can receive standard disability or child disability allowance under this benefit. The maximum weekly payout under the disability benefit is up to $80.35.
The recipients can either receive the allowance weekly or biweekly based on their payout. The NZ Disability allowance covers the cost related to disability that meets certain criteria. Hence, the recipients need to keep a record of the cost related to the disability to receive the allowance.
| Benefit | Disability Allowance |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Maxi. Weekly Payout | Up to $80.35 |
| Income limit | Up to $1256.07 depending on your circumstances |
| Cost cover | Medical cost, transport, doctor fees, medicines, extra clothing, etc. |
| Payment Mode | Bank account |
| Payment Schedule | Weekly or Fortnightly |
| Official Website | https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/disability-allowance.html |
Who is eligible?
The New Zealand Work and Income Department has set the following eligibility criteria for the disability allowance:
- You must be a New Zealand permanent resident or a Citizen, or you must live in the country with the intention to settle here.
- You have a disability that may last for a minimum of half a year;
- You regularly pay or have ongoing costs related to the disability that are increasing your financial stress, and the costs that are not managed by any other third party.
- If the child is suffering from a disability, the parents or guardians on whom the child is dependent financially can apply for the allowance, and they may also receive the child’s disability allowance.
- The allowance applies to the residents who meet the following weekly income threshold (before tax) based on their circumstances:
| Your situation | Weekly Income limit |
| Individual (Aged 16 to 17 years) | $675.60 |
| Individual (aged 18 and 18+ years) | $843.78 |
| Couple (with or without kids) | $1256.07 |
| Single parent of 01 Kid | $942.23 |
| Single parent of 2 kids | $992.74 |
Cost Cover under Allowance
According to the New Zealand Work and Income, the Disability allowance can cover particular costs related to the disability, and your doctor also needs to validate that you need certain things that cover your costs due to your disability. Hence, every recipient must be aware of the included cost under the allowance, such as:
- Ambulance charges and subscription
- Alternative treatment
- Authorized food items or consumables
- Counseling related to disability
- Extra Clothing
- Gym or swimming fees
- Daycare cost for the elderly
- Medical alarms
- Medical charges
- Window cleaning, lawns, and gardening costs
- Prescription costs
- Nicotine alternative products cost
- Rental cost
- Energy or power cost
- Special foods are required for well-being
- Rest homes
- Travel cost
- Telephone
- Vitamins, herbal remedies, supplements, and minerals are required for better health.
Benefit amount
According to the NZ disability allowance, the recipients receive the standard weekly allowance of up to $80.35 per week. The payment is non-taxable, making it efficient for disabled people to take advantage of this benefit.
It is the maximum disability allowance, however, the payout depends on the additional cost you bear due to your disability. The parents who applied for the allowance for the dependent child can receive the Child Disability allowance up to $60.55 for the child.
The authority will pay the allowance directly to the bank account of the recipients with any payment they receive from the Work and Income department. The recipients can receive the payment weekly or biweekly, depending on the payment they get from the department. However, if you don’t receive any payment from Work and Income, you will receive the allowance every week.
Documents required
The NZ residents who wish to apply for the disability allowance need to prepare the following documents, depending on the cost you are covering before applying:
- Invoices or Receipts of your doctor’s visit/ hospital fees/
- Medicine bill
- Ticket for travel costs (if you travel via your own vehicle, you need to share your CC rating and the distance you traveled)
- Electricity bills (Summer/ Winter)
- Medical alarm forms or receipt of installation
- Disability Certificate completed by your doctor
- And other documents related to your cost related to disability
How to claim?
The NZ residents can get the disability allowance in 20 working days from the date they applied for the allowance, so if you need support, you can complete the application online by yourself in the following steps:
- You should apply online through MyMSD and register yourself for the allowance.
- You would need to provide the documents supporting your claim and get the disability certificate from your doctor. If you don’t have the disability certificate, you can call 0800 559 009 to get the certificate from the authority, or you can pick one up from the nearest service center.
- Once you have uploaded all the evidence supporting your claim, apply for the disability allowance.
After the application, the Work and Income department will contact you to book an appointment either virtually or face-to-face.
Important Note: If you are applying for medical alarm or counselling costs, you must add extra forms with Disability application, that is, the medical alarm assessment form and the Counselling form.