The Supported Living Payment in New Zealand: how much it pays, who qualifies and how to apply
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.
The Supported Living Payment pays up to $424.60 a week after tax for a single adult 18 or over, rising for couples and sole parents, to people permanently and severely restricted in their ability to work by a health condition, injury or disability, or who are totally blind, or who care full-time for someone who would otherwise need hospital-level care (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). It replaced the old Invalid's Benefit in July 2013.
How much it pays
The Supported Living Payment's weekly rate depends on your age, whether you have a partner, and whether you have dependent children. These are the maximum net rates; if you or your partner earn income, the payment reduces on a sliding scale.
The table below sets out the current net weekly rates, after tax at the standard "M" tax code.
| Your situation | Net weekly rate | Gross income cut-out point (per week) |
|---|---|---|
| Single, 16 to 17 years | $355.87 | $720.00 |
| Single, 18 or over | $424.60 | $818.00 |
| Couple, no dependent children (combined) | $721.44 | $1,243.00 |
| Couple, with dependent children (combined) | $756.94 | $1,293.00 |
| Sole parent | $581.96 | $1,043.00 |
Source: Work and Income, Supported Living Payment cut-out points (current), rates at 1 April 2026, retrieved 9 September 2026.
How much do you get for a Supported Living Payment?
A single adult 18 or over gets up to $424.60 a week after tax, a couple with no children gets up to $721.44 combined, and a sole parent gets up to $581.96, with the exact amount reducing if you or your partner earn income above the exempt threshold (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). These are the maximum rates; how much you actually receive also depends on the reason you qualify and any income you have.
How much is the Supported Living Payment in NZ in 2026?
As at the 1 April 2026 rates, the maximum net weekly rate is $424.60 for a single adult, $355.87 for a 16 to 17-year-old, $721.44 combined for a couple with no children, $756.94 combined for a couple with children, and $581.96 for a sole parent (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Rates are reviewed again on 1 April 2027.
Who qualifies
You generally must be a New Zealand citizen, permanent resident or hold a residence class visa, have lived in New Zealand continuously for at least 2 years since gaining that status, and be ordinarily resident here when you apply. Beyond that, eligibility splits into two separate pathways.
What medical evidence do you need to qualify for the Supported Living Payment?
You need to provide evidence, generally from your own health practitioner, confirming your condition affects your capacity to work for more than 2 years, or that your life expectancy is less than 2 years, and confirming you cannot regularly work 15 hours or more a week in open employment (Work and Income, Supported Living Payment, retrieved 9 September 2026). Work and Income tells you exactly what to provide once you start an application.
Can I receive Supported Living Payment as a carer?
Yes, if you are giving full-time care at home to someone other than your partner, and you are 18 or over with no dependent child, or 20 or over with a dependent child, and the person you care for would otherwise need hospital, rest home, residential disability or equivalent residential-level care (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Examples Work and Income lists include rest home care, residential disability care and inpatient hospital care as the benchmark level of need.
Working while on the Supported Living Payment
Can I work while on Supported Living Payment?
Yes, up to a point. You can earn up to $160 a week (before tax) combined with your partner's income before it affects your payment, and your own personal earnings specifically can go up to $180 a week before tax before your payment starts reducing (Work and Income, Supported Living Payment deduction tables, retrieved 9 September 2026). Above that, deductions apply on a sliding scale until the payment reaches zero at the relevant cut-out point.
The table below sets out how income above the exempt amount reduces the payment.
| Income band (weekly, before tax) | How much reduces the payment |
|---|---|
| $0 to $160 | No reduction |
| $160 to $250 | 30 cents reduced for every $1 earned in this band |
| Above $250 | 70 cents reduced for every $1 earned above $250 |
Source: Work and Income, Supported Living Payment deduction tables, retrieved 9 September 2026.
What happens if I earn more than the cut-out point?
Once your, or your and your partner's combined, gross income reaches the cut-out point shown in the rates table above, the Supported Living Payment reduces to zero for that period (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). You can reapply if your income later drops back under the relevant threshold and you still meet the health or caring criteria.
Other support while on the Supported Living Payment
What else do you get automatically with Supported Living Payment?
You automatically get a Community Services Card, which helps with the cost of healthcare and public transport, and the Winter Energy Payment during the winter months (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you have dependent children under 18, you may also get the Family Tax Credit paid alongside your benefit or through Inland Revenue, depending on the option you choose when applying, on top of any Childcare Subsidy you separately qualify for.
Can I get the Disability Allowance as well as Supported Living Payment?
Yes. The Disability Allowance is a separate, non-taxable supplement worth up to $82.85 a week for ongoing extra costs from a health condition, injury or disability, and it can be paid alongside the Supported Living Payment provided you separately meet its own cost and income tests (Work and Income, Benefit rates at 1 April 2026, retrieved 9 September 2026). See our Disability Allowance NZ guide for the full detail.
Does the Supported Living Payment count as taxable income?
Yes, the Supported Living Payment itself is taxable income and is paid at the net rate after tax has already been deducted, using the standard "M" tax code by default (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). This is different from supplements such as the Accommodation Supplement and the Disability Allowance, which are non-taxable and paid on top.
Does the Supported Living Payment come with the Accommodation Supplement automatically?
No, the Accommodation Supplement is a separate payment with its own application and its own entry threshold and income and asset tests; being on the Supported Living Payment does not automatically add it (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). See Accommodation Supplement NZ for how to check and apply for it separately.
Applying and staying on the payment
How do I apply for the Supported Living Payment?
You apply online through MyMSD if you are not already getting another benefit, or by phoning Work and Income if you already receive one, and you will need to provide evidence of your condition or of the person you are caring for, generally including a medical certificate from a health practitioner (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Work and Income also checks, as part of the same application, whether you qualify for any other payment; see applying for a benefit in NZ for the general documents and process every application shares, and benefit rates in NZ for how the full published rate table is organised.
How often does Work and Income review a Supported Living Payment?
Work and Income must review your circumstances at least once every 52 weeks to confirm you are still getting the right assistance and amount, and will contact you if further information is needed to confirm this (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). This is different from Jobseeker Support, which generally requires you to actively reapply every 26 weeks rather than simply confirm an existing review. Payments themselves follow the same weekly cycle as every other main benefit; see WINZ payment dates and back pay in NZ for how that timing works.
What is the difference between the Supported Living Payment and Jobseeker Support for a health condition?
The core test is expected duration and severity. Jobseeker Support's health-condition category covers a health condition, injury or disability that reduces your ability to work for a period, while the Supported Living Payment specifically requires the condition to permanently and severely restrict your capacity to work for more than 2 years, or a life expectancy of less than 2 years (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). See sickness benefit NZ, now Jobseeker Support for the shorter-term category in full.
Where the Supported Living Payment fits alongside insurance
The Supported Living Payment is a flat, means-tested rate set by Parliament, not a percentage of your former income, and it is generally far below what most people earned while working. Income protection insurance, arranged in advance, pays an agreed share of your actual income instead, and can apply from the point you stop work rather than only once a lengthy Work and Income process and medical evidence requirement is complete. Trauma cover is a related but different product, paying a lump sum on diagnosis of a listed condition rather than an ongoing income. A licensed financial adviser, or your nearest insurance adviser, including in Auckland and Wellington, can help you work out whether either is worth arranging alongside this safety net, and the income protection calculator is a useful starting point. 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.
If you are off work because of a temporary rather than long-term health condition, our off work sick cluster, our guide to how long you can be off work sick in NZ, and the sickness benefit NZ guide cover that separate, shorter-term route. Jobseeker Support covers unemployment rather than a health condition, and our wider WINZ benefits NZ hub sets out every other Work and Income payment worth checking alongside this one, including the Accommodation Supplement, the Disability Allowance, and, for an urgent shortfall, a hardship grant.
Adviser's view
QuoteHub's read is that the Supported Living Payment gets confused with Jobseeker Support's health-condition category constantly, and the difference is duration, not severity alone: Jobseeker Support covers a health condition expected to improve, and the Supported Living Payment covers one expected to last more than 2 years or be terminal. Getting that distinction right at application matters, because moving from one to the other later means reapplying from scratch.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Supported Living Payment NZ 2026: Amount, Rules. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/benefits/supported-living-payment-nz. Updated 2026-09-09.
References
- Work and Income: Supported Living Payment
- Work and Income: Supported Living Payment cut-out points (current)
- Work and Income: Supported Living Payment deduction tables
- Work and Income: Benefit rates at 1 April 2026
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Referral.