Work and Income benefit rates in New Zealand for 2026: the full table
Jobseeker Support pays $372.55 a week after tax for a single adult aged 25 or over with no children, and $324.50 for someone aged 18 to 24, from 1 April 2026 (Work and Income, Benefit rates at 1 April 2026, retrieved 9 September 2026). Every main benefit, pension and supplementary payment rate changes on 1 April each year under the Annual General Adjustment, and the tables below set out the current rate for each one.
Jobseeker Support rates
Jobseeker Support is the main working-age payment, and the rate depends on your age, whether you have children, and whether you are single or in a couple (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
How much is the Jobseeker Support rate in NZ?
A single person aged 25 or over gets $372.55 a week after tax with no children, and $521.52 a week after tax as a sole parent, from 1 April 2026 (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). The table below covers every Jobseeker Support category.
| Situation | Weekly rate, after tax ("M") | Weekly rate, before tax |
|---|---|---|
| Single, 18 to 19, at home | $276.46 | $309.65 |
| Single, 18 to 19, away from home | $324.50 | $367.88 |
| Single, 20 to 24 | $324.50 | $367.88 |
| Single, 25 or over | $372.55 | $426.12 |
| Couple (combined) | $633.94 | $717.50 |
| Sole parent | $521.52 | $606.69 |
| Couple with children (combined) | $669.40 | $760.48 |
(Work and Income, Benefit rates at 1 April 2026, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
Sole Parent Support and Supported Living Payment
What is Sole Parent Support paid at?
Sole Parent Support pays $521.52 a week after tax from 1 April 2026, the same rate as Jobseeker Support for a sole parent, because both payments share one rate table under the Annual General Adjustment (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
How much is Supported Living Payment?
A single adult on Supported Living Payment, for people who cannot regularly work full time because of a health condition, injury or disability, gets $424.60 a week after tax with no children, or $581.96 as a sole parent, from 1 April 2026 (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
| Situation | Weekly rate, after tax ("M") | Weekly rate, before tax |
|---|---|---|
| Single, 16 to 17 | $355.87 | $405.90 |
| Single, 18+ | $424.60 | $489.21 |
| Couple (combined) | $721.44 | $823.56 |
| Sole parent | $581.96 | $679.95 |
| Couple with children (combined) | $756.94 | $866.60 |
(Work and Income, Benefit rates at 1 April 2026, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
How much is the benefit rate for someone with children?
A sole parent on Jobseeker Support or Sole Parent Support gets $521.52 a week after tax, and a sole parent on Supported Living Payment gets $581.96, both higher than the equivalent single rate with no children, because the "if you have children" rate table applies once you have a dependent child in your care (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). On top of the base rate, a parent may also get the Family Tax Credit and Accommodation Supplement, which are separate, income-tested payments on top of the main benefit.
NZ Superannuation and the Veteran's Pension
How much is NZ Superannuation per fortnight?
A single person living alone on NZ Superannuation gets $1,110.30 a fortnight after tax (M tax code) from 1 April 2026, and a couple who both qualify get $1,708.16 a fortnight combined (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). NZ Super and the Veteran's Pension are adjusted to average wage growth rather than the Consumers Price Index, which is why their annual increase can differ from a main benefit's.
| Situation | Fortnightly rate, after tax ("M") | Fortnightly rate, before tax |
|---|---|---|
| Single, living alone | $1,110.30 | $1,294.74 |
| Single, sharing accommodation | $1,024.90 | $1,191.14 |
| Couple, only one qualifies | $854.08 | $984.28 |
| Couple, both qualify (combined) | $1,708.16 | $1,968.56 |
(Work and Income, Benefit rates at 1 April 2026, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
Accommodation Supplement and Family Tax Credit
How much is the Accommodation Supplement?
The maximum Accommodation Supplement ranges from $70 to $305 a week depending on your family situation and which of the four rent-cost areas of New Zealand you live in, on top of your main benefit or wage (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). It is paid to beneficiaries and low and middle income earners alike, not only people on a main benefit.
| Category | Area 1 (e.g. central Auckland) | Area 2 | Area 3 | Area 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single, no children | $165 | $105 | $80 | $70 |
| Sole parent, 1 child | $235 | $155 | $105 | $80 |
| Sole parent, 2+ children | $305 | $220 | $160 | $120 |
| Couple with children | $305 | $220 | $160 | $120 |
(Work and Income, Benefit rates at 1 April 2026, retrieved 9 September 2026. Definitions of the four areas.)
How much is the Family Tax Credit?
The Family Tax Credit pays $151.91 a week, non-taxable, for the first or only child and $123.78 a week for each further child, from 1 April 2026, and can be paid through Work and Income alongside a benefit or through Inland Revenue (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026; Inland Revenue, Types of Working for Families payments, retrieved 9 September 2026). Our Working for Families explainer sets out how the full set of Working for Families payments fits together and links Inland Revenue's own calculator to check what you can get, and the separate Best Start payment covers the first three years of a new baby's life specifically.
What is the Disability Allowance?
The standard Disability Allowance pays up to $82.85 a week, non-taxable, to help with the regular extra costs of a disability, subject to a weekly income limit that ranges from $696.60 for a single 16 to 17 year old up to $1,295.11 for a couple (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Our Disability Allowance guide covers who qualifies and how to apply.
What is the Winter Energy Payment?
The Winter Energy Payment is paid automatically to anyone getting a main benefit, NZ Super or the Veteran's Pension during the winter months, on top of the rates in this table, and is not means tested on top of the benefit itself (Work and Income, Winter Energy Payment, retrieved 9 September 2026).
Are benefit rates different for couples and single people?
Yes. Every main benefit pays a lower "each" rate to a person in a couple than to a single person, because the combined couple rate assumes shared living costs, and a couple where only one partner qualifies for a benefit is generally paid at half the couple rate (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Couples getting two different types of benefit at "half-married" rates, for example one partner on NZ Super and the other on Jobseeker Support, have their own combined rate table, and the total is never less than what a single person on the higher-paying benefit alone would get.
When do WINZ benefit rates increase each year?
Benefit, pension and payment rates increase every 1 April under the Annual General Adjustment, applied automatically with no need to reapply (Work and Income, Changes to benefit and payment rates from 1 April 2026, retrieved 9 September 2026). If 1 April falls mid pay-period, the increase is applied in part for that period and in full from the following payment.
Are benefit rates adjusted for inflation?
Main benefits are adjusted to the Consumers Price Index, which rose 3.11% in the year to the 2026 adjustment, while NZ Super, the Veteran's Pension and some income thresholds are adjusted to average wage growth, which rose 2.91% over the same period (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Because the two measures move at different speeds, NZ Super and a main benefit do not always increase by the same percentage in the same year.
Does a benefit increase reduce my other payments?
It can. When your main benefit goes up on 1 April, income-tested payments like the Accommodation Supplement or Temporary Additional Support are recalculated against your new, higher income, and can reduce as a result, though Work and Income states the total amount you receive after the change will not be less than before it (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
Why do the tables show a before-tax and an after-tax rate?
Work and Income publishes both figures because tax is deducted before the payment reaches your account: the "after tax" column, calculated at the standard "M" tax code, is what most people on a single income actually receive, while the "before tax" column is the gross rate used for calculations like child support or a loan application (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Your own rate can differ from the "M" column if you use a different tax code or have a student loan deduction.
Is NZ Superannuation taxed?
Yes. NZ Superannuation and the Veteran's Pension are taxable income, deducted at your own tax code before payment, which is why the table above shows separate "M" and "S" (secondary income) after-tax columns as well as the before-tax rate (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). A person who also has other taxable income, such as a part-time wage or investment income, is usually taxed on NZ Super at the "S" rate for that portion.
How do I check my own new rate?
From 1 April each year you can log in to MyMSD to see your updated payment, or call Work and Income's Service Express self-service line on 0800 33 30 30 (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). The Check What You Might Get tool also shows whether the new income thresholds mean you now qualify for something you did not before.
What these rates do not cover
A benefit rate is a fixed weekly payment, not insurance against a specific event, so it does not scale up if your costs suddenly rise, for example after an accident or a serious diagnosis. If you need help with an unexpected cost that these weekly rates were never designed to cover, our guide to the WINZ hardship grant sets out the one-off assistance available, and the off work sick cluster and financial help when you are off work sick compare a benefit against ACC and an income protection claim for someone who can no longer work. If the reason you are checking these rates is a recent job loss, our losing your job cluster and Jobseeker Support after redundancy walk through the first steps in order, and the full set of benefit guides sits under the main benefits hub.
QuoteHub built this table because these rates change every 1 April and are the baseline most other Work and Income calculations are built from, including the Accommodation Supplement, Temporary Additional Support, the Supported Living Payment, the Sickness Benefit and the Student Allowance. None of these payments replace the income a household loses when the main earner cannot work at all, which is the specific gap income protection insurance is designed to close, and how a claim compares with a benefit is covered in income protection cost in NZ and income protection waiting and benefit periods. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name. A licensed financial adviser can work through whether that gap applies to your situation.
Related benefit guides
| If you need to | See |
|---|---|
| Apply for a benefit for the first time | How to apply for a benefit in NZ |
| Get help with an urgent, one-off cost | WINZ hardship grant |
| Understand your payment dates and back pay | WINZ payment dates and back pay |
| Check if public holidays change your payment | Public holidays on a benefit |
| Compare a benefit against ACC after an injury | ACC vs sickness benefit |
| Check what you get after losing a job | Jobseeker Support after redundancy |
(Internal QuoteHub guides, current as at 9 September 2026.)
Adviser's view
QuoteHub built this table because the rates that change every 1 April are scattered across dozens of Work and Income pages, and a reader on a benefit rarely has time to click through all of them. The gap we keep seeing is between what a benefit pays and what it is meant to cover: none of these weekly rates are underwritten against a specific loss the way an insurance payment is, so a change in circumstances, like losing the ability to work through injury or illness, still needs its own separate plan.
Compare your cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). WINZ Benefit Rates NZ 2026: The Full Table. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/benefits/benefit-rates-nz. Updated 2026-09-09.
References
- Work and Income: Benefit rates at 1 April 2026
- Work and Income: Changes to benefit and payment rates from 1 April 2026
- Work and Income: Main benefit increases and other payments
- Work and Income: Winter Energy Payment
- Work and Income: Definitions of Accommodation Supplement areas
- Inland Revenue: Types of Working for Families payments
- Work and Income: MyMSD
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