The Student Allowance in New Zealand: current rates, who qualifies and how to apply
The Student Allowance pays up to $380.43 a week after tax for a single student 24 or over, or under 24 and not living with a parent, once the relevant income tests are passed, and unlike a Student Loan, it is not repaid (StudyLink, Student Allowance rates, retrieved 9 September 2026). For most applicants under 24 with no children of their own, the amount is also tested against their parents' combined income, not just their own.
How much it pays
Your maximum weekly rate depends on your age, whether you live with a parent, whether you have children, and whether you have a partner. These are gross maximums before any income testing reduces them; if you are also renting, our Accommodation Supplement NZ guide covers the separate, related Accommodation Benefit that StudyLink pays students, and payment timing generally follows the same weekly pattern covered in WINZ payment dates and back pay in NZ.
The table below sets out the current rates for a single student with no dependent children.
| Your situation | Net weekly rate (after tax) | Gross weekly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24, living with a parent who owns or pays for the home | $286.35 | $321.64 |
| Under 24, not living with a parent | $333.38 | $378.64 |
| Under 24, Independent Circumstances Allowance | $333.38 | $378.64 |
| 24 or over, living with a parent who owns or pays for the home | $323.98 | $367.25 |
| 24 or over, not living with a parent | $380.43 | $435.67 |
| Single with dependent children | $535.97 | $624.21 |
Source: StudyLink, Student Allowance rates, retrieved 9 September 2026.
How much is the Student Allowance in NZ?
The maximum net weekly rate ranges from $286.35 for a student under 24 living with a parent, up to $535.97 for a single student with dependent children, and the exact amount you get also depends on your own income and, for most students under 24, your parents' combined income (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). Use StudyLink's own rate calculator for an estimate specific to your situation.
At what age do parental income limits stop applying to the Student Allowance?
Parental income testing applies until you turn 24, are considered independent under StudyLink's specific independence criteria, or have dependent children of your own, whichever comes first (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). From 24 onward, your Student Allowance is assessed only on your own income (and your partner's, if you have one), not your parents'.
The parental income test
If you are under 24 and have no dependent children, your parents' combined income is used to help work out how much Student Allowance you can get, on top of your own income being tested.
Does my parents' income affect my Student Allowance?
Yes, if you are under 24 and have no dependent children. If your parents' joint earnings are more than $72,108.92 a year before tax, your Allowance rate reduces, and you cannot get a Student Allowance at all if their joint earnings are more than $131,670.35 (living with them) or $141,451.55 (not living with them) while you study (StudyLink, Parents' income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Your parents' assessed income is reduced by $7,000 a year for each other student they are financially supporting, and by a further $3,400 a year if your parents live in separate houses. If you have dependent children of your own, this test does not apply at all; see Working for Families and Childcare Subsidy NZ for the separate support available to student parents.
The table below sets out the parental income thresholds in full.
| Parents' combined income (before tax) | Effect on your Student Allowance |
|---|---|
| Up to $72,108.92 a year | No reduction |
| Above $72,108.92 a year | Your rate reduces |
| $131,670.35 a year or more, if you live with them | You cannot get a Student Allowance |
| $141,451.55 a year or more, if you do not live with them | You cannot get a Student Allowance |
Source: StudyLink, Parents' income, retrieved 9 September 2026.
What's the difference between the Student Allowance and student loan living costs?
The Student Allowance is a weekly payment you do not have to repay, while Student Loan living costs are borrowed money that accrues as a debt and must eventually be repaid, generally once your income rises above the repayment threshold after study (StudyLink, Student Allowance, retrieved 9 September 2026). Your Student Loan living costs payment is also directly reduced by the amount of Student Allowance you receive, since the two are designed to work together rather than be claimed in full separately.
Eligibility beyond income
Do you have to pay back a Student Allowance?
No. Unlike a Student Loan, the Student Allowance does not have to be repaid; it is a non-recoverable weekly payment for eligible students, provided you continue to meet the ongoing study, passing and residency requirements (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you are overpaid due to an error or an unreported change in circumstances, that overpayment can still be recovered, which is different from the Allowance itself being repayable by design, in the same way an overpaid main Work and Income benefit can be recovered; see our WINZ benefits NZ hub and applying for a benefit in NZ for how that general principle works across the wider system.
Can I get the Student Allowance if I study part-time?
Generally you need to be studying full-time to qualify, though StudyLink allows limited exceptions for some 16 to 17-year-olds and other specific part-time circumstances set out in its eligibility criteria (StudyLink, Student Allowance, retrieved 9 September 2026). Check StudyLink's own eligibility tool if you are studying part-time and unsure whether your situation qualifies.
What are the residency requirements for a Student Allowance?
For most applicants, you need to be a New Zealand citizen, or ordinarily resident in New Zealand having lived here for at least 3 years and held a residence class visa for at least 3 years, with some further exceptions for other categories (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). Studying at an approved education provider on an approved course, generally at level 7 or below, or as an undergraduate honours degree, is also required.
Who can't get a Student Allowance?
You cannot get a Student Allowance while on a benefit you can stay on during study, while getting NZ Superannuation or the Veteran's Pension (or your partner is), while in prison, or once you are over 65 (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). A study break of more than 3 weeks also stops your Student Allowance, though a Jobseeker Support Student Hardship payment may be available during a genuine break; if a health condition rather than a planned break is why you cannot continue studying, our sickness benefit NZ guide covers the equivalent Work and Income route for a temporary health condition.
Income while receiving the Student Allowance
How much can I earn before my Student Allowance is affected?
You can earn up to $284.70 a week before tax before it starts reducing your Student Allowance cent for cent above that amount; if you have a partner, a combined income test applies instead, based on your joint weekly income (StudyLink, How income affects Student Allowance, retrieved 9 September 2026). Earning above roughly $1,185.75 combined weekly with a partner generally means you cannot get a Student Allowance at all.
If I have a partner, how does that change my Student Allowance?
If your and your partner's combined weekly income before tax is $569.40 or less, your maximum rate can be as high as $698 a week combined (before your own personal income exemption is applied); between $569.40 and $1,185.75, the rate drops sharply to roughly $197 to $265 a week; and above $1,185.75, you cannot get a Student Allowance (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). See StudyLink's own Parental income and partner income calculators for a figure specific to your situation.
Applying
How do I apply for the Student Allowance?
You apply online through StudyLink, and if you are under 24 with no dependent children, your parents will also need to complete a Parents' form and provide evidence of their income, which StudyLink sends out after your own application is submitted (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). Processing generally begins once both your application and, where required, your parents' information have been received.
What happens if my parents refuse to provide their income information?
Without your parents' income information, StudyLink generally cannot assess a parentally tested application, which means your Student Allowance cannot be granted on that basis until the information is provided, or until you separately meet one of StudyLink's independence criteria (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). In that situation, a Student Loan for living costs, which does not require parental income information, may be the more immediately available option, or a hardship grant for a genuinely urgent shortfall.
Can I get a Student Allowance and work part-time at the same time?
Yes, working part-time while receiving the Student Allowance is common and expected for many students; it only affects your payment once your personal income goes above the $284.70 weekly exemption, at which point the excess reduces your Allowance cent for cent (StudyLink, retrieved 9 September 2026). Reporting your income accurately and promptly avoids being overpaid and having to repay the difference later.
Where the Student Allowance fits your wider plan
The Student Allowance is one part of the wider student support system, alongside the Student Loan for fees and living costs, and separate family assistance such as Working for Families and the Family Tax Credit if you have children of your own while studying. Our wider WINZ benefits NZ hub covers the other Work and Income payments a student with a health condition, such as Jobseeker Support, the Supported Living Payment, or the Accommodation Supplement, might separately be eligible for once study ends or if it is interrupted, and benefit rates in NZ for how every rate in this cluster is published and updated.
Once you are earning income after study, reviewing whether you need income protection, trauma cover or life insurance, particularly if a Student Loan or other debt would otherwise fall to family, is worth doing early. A licensed financial adviser, or your nearest insurance adviser, including in Dunedin and Wellington, can talk through what cover makes sense once you are working, and QuoteHub's free will service is a straightforward starting point for anyone setting up their finances for the first time. 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.
Adviser's view
QuoteHub's read is that the Student Allowance and Student Loan living costs get treated as interchangeable when they are not: one is a gift, the other a debt, and for most students under 24 the deciding factor for the Allowance is not their own bank balance but their parents' joint income, which catches a lot of students by surprise when they apply expecting a straightforward means test on themselves.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Student Allowance NZ 2026: Rates and Who Qualifies. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/benefits/student-allowance-nz. Updated 2026-09-09.
References
- StudyLink: Student Allowance rates
- StudyLink: Student Allowance
- StudyLink: Parents' income
- StudyLink: How income affects Student Allowance
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Free Will.