ACC survivor grants after an accidental death in NZ

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

When someone dies from an injury ACC covers, ACC pays a one-off survivor's grant of $8,830.47 to a partner and $4,415.25 for each child under 18 or other dependant, plus a funeral grant of up to $8,236.40. It can also pay weekly childcare and loss-of-income payments. ACC pays nothing for deaths from illness or natural causes.

The ACC survivor's grant is a tax-free lump sum paid to a surviving partner and to each child or dependant after a fatal injury, to give the family general financial support. It is separate from the funeral grant, which is for funeral and memorial costs. Both are part of ACC's support after a fatal injury (ACC: Financial support after a death). The amounts are set by the date of death, ACC reviews them each year and the latest change took effect on 1 July 2026. This page covers the survivor payments, shows what a family might receive, and is clear about what ACC leaves uncovered. The funeral grant itself, the form and the process are in our ACC funeral grant guide.

What ACC pays after a fatal injury

Payment	Amount	What it is for
Funeral grant	Up to $8,236.40	Funeral and memorial costs; paid to the funeral director or reimbursed to you
Homicide top-up	Up to $10,000 in total, including the funeral grant	Where the death was a homicide
Survivor's grant, partner	$8,830.47, one-off	General support; not limited to funeral costs
Survivor's grant, each child under 18 or other dependant	$4,415.25 each, one-off	General support; not limited to funeral costs
Childcare payments	$187.78 a week for one child, $112.67 each for two, $262.88 a week in total for three or more	Up to five years or until the child turns 14
Loss of income	Up to 80% of the deceased's earnings	Where the person who died was earning

Source: ACC, retrieved 20 October 2026, with the page's last publication date given as 22 July 2026. The sources we read do not describe every eligibility test, so ask ACC about the payments that matter to you.

Who counts as a partner, child or dependant

The definitions below come from the ACC page as we read it on 21 October 2026; check ACC for the current wording.

Partner: a husband, wife, or someone the person was living with in the nature of marriage, including when they lived apart for work, health or imprisonment reasons.
Child: a natural or adopted child (including one born up to a year after the death) and a child the person lived with and cared for. The amount for a child under 16 goes to their parent or caregiver.
Other dependant: a disabled person who received financial support from the person who died.

The same page gave durations for loss-of-income payments: to a partner for five years or until the youngest child turns 18, and to a child until 18, or 21 if in full-time study. Other dependants are paid until they earn more than the minimum wage for full-time work. Treat all of these as a guide until you have checked with ACC.

A worked example

Take a family where the person who died leaves a partner and two children under 18. These are the ACC figures from the table, added up by us.

Item	Amount
Survivor's grant, partner	$8,830.47
Survivor's grant, two children ($4,415.25 each)	$8,830.50
Total survivor's grants	$17,660.97
Funeral grant, if funeral costs reach the maximum	up to $8,236.40
Childcare payments for two children, per week	$225.34 ($112.67 each), if eligible

The lump sums come to $17,660.97 plus the funeral grant, or $25,897.37 in total if the funeral grant is paid at its maximum (our arithmetic). The childcare line is a weekly payment on top and depends on eligibility. This is an illustration of ACC's published figures, not a promise of what ACC will pay in any case.

Where ACC leaves a gap

Cause of death. ACC covers death from an injury it accepts. It does not pay for deaths from illness or natural causes, and a family cannot assume a sudden death qualifies. ACC's cover is wider than the everyday idea of an accident in some areas, for example treatment injury, which has its own test (ACC treatment injury), and ACC decides each case on the facts. See what ACC does not cover.
The funeral. FDANZ's 2025 averages were $11,700 for a full funeral with cremation for 50 guests and $14,300 with burial (FDANZ 2026 Industry Trends Report). Against ACC's $8,236.40 maximum, that leaves $3,463.60 and $6,063.60 to find (our arithmetic). A simple unattended cremation averaged $4,700, which the grant would cover.
Ongoing costs. ACC's list has no payment aimed at a mortgage, debts or the cost of replacing a second income beyond the loss-of-income and childcare lines. Those are the areas people usually cover with life insurance.
Timing. Weekly payments depend on a claim being accepted and processed; the one-off grants are not a substitute for savings in the first weeks.

How to claim

The ACC21 Advice of Accidental Death form starts the claim. A spouse or partner, next of kin or the executor signs it, and anyone, including the funeral director, can help complete it. ACC says there is no time limit on applying. Our ACC funeral grant guide has the steps, the address and the email. One form starts both the funeral grant and the survivor payments, so lodge it even if you are unsure whether ACC will accept the death.

If ACC declines, or the death is not from an injury

If ACC does not accept the death as caused by a covered injury, the Work and Income Funeral Grant of up to $2,697.43 as at 1 April 2026 is the fallback, and Work and Income says there is no time limit to apply. It is tested on income and assets, and no Work and Income grant is paid while an ACC funeral grant is payable (Work and Income Manual). See the Funeral Grant guide. Work and Income benefit payments to a person who has died can also continue for up to 28 days where there is a partner or dependent children, but not if the partner receives an ACC survivor's grant (Work and Income: Payments when a client dies). Our guides to money help after a partner dies and the Orphan's Benefit cover other support.

ACC and insurance: how they fit together

ACC is not insurance you buy and it does not depend on your age or health, but it covers only injuries. Life and funeral insurance cover different things, and each has limits. We found no source saying ACC reduces its payments because a person held life or funeral insurance, and the Work and Income grant is different: it counts life insurance proceeds as cash assets.

Momentum Life Funeral Insurance, issued by Momentum Life Limited, accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions and pays a fixed benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs. If death happens within 90 days of an accident, the benefit is tripled, and that applies at any time, including the first 24 months. In the first 24 months only accidental death is paid; for any other death in that window the premiums are refunded. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. See Momentum funeral cover and accidental death in funeral insurance.
Momentum Life Quick Life is guaranteed acceptance life cover for ages 18 to 65, with cover of $50,000 to $300,000. For the first 2 years it excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide, so it behaves differently from ACC on illness. Details are on the Quick Life page.

Momentum's A.M. Best financial strength rating is B (Fair), explained on its financial strength page. Fully underwritten cover through a licensed adviser can offer more cover than either product, and a healthy person can often get more for less that way. Our guide to accidental death versus life insurance sets out the differences. The buttons on this page lead to Momentum's own quote; QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and you can read how we are paid.

Support beyond money

For emotional support after a death, see grief support in New Zealand and funeral costs.

If you are planning ahead for your own funeral costs

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Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

Adviser's view

ACC's survivor payments are real but limited. They apply only when the death comes from an injury ACC covers, they are mostly one-off sums, and the funeral grant of up to $8,236.40 can fall short of an average funeral. They do not replace life insurance, which can cover deaths ACC never touches. If the cause of death is unclear, lodge the ACC claim anyway.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). ACC Survivor Grants After an Accidental Death NZ. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/acc-survivors-grant-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.