The Work and Income funeral grant: 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.
Work and Income can pay a Funeral Grant of up to $2,697.43 towards a funeral, but only for a partner, parent, guardian, child, or an unmarried adult you are arranging the funeral for, and only once income and asset tests are met (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). It does not have to be repaid, and it will not cover a full funeral alone.
What the grant can be used for
A Funeral Grant only covers reasonable funeral expenses, and Work and Income names the categories it will pay towards rather than every possible cost. The list is broad enough to cover most of an itemised funeral account, but it is not a blank cheque, and anything outside these categories is met from other sources.
Work and Income's Funeral Grant pays a maximum of $2,697.43 towards a defined list of funeral costs, and the table below sets out what is included (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
| Covered by the grant | Not named as covered |
|---|---|
| Funeral director's professional fees | Ongoing memorial upkeep |
| Casket | Travel for out-of-town mourners (a separate Work and Income travel payment may apply) |
| Death certificate | Wake catering beyond what the funeral director itemises |
| Newspaper notice costs | |
| Hearse fees | |
| Burial costs, including plot and interment | |
| Cremation fees | |
| Venue hire | |
| Food and catering, including kai for a tangihanga | |
| Flowers | |
| Celebrant, minister or clergy fees | |
| A slideshow or photo tribute |
(Work and Income, Funeral Grant, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
How much does Winz pay for funerals?
The maximum Funeral Grant is $2,697.43, and Work and Income pays the lesser of that maximum or the balance of reasonable funeral expenses left after any assets are counted (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Most funerals in New Zealand cost several times this amount, so the grant is a contribution, not full funding: see our guide to what a funeral actually costs for the wider bill.
Who can get it
Eligibility turns on your relationship to the person who died, not on how the funeral is being paid for. Work and Income lists four qualifying relationships, and the deceased must have normally lived in New Zealand in every case (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
You may be able to get a Funeral Grant if the person who died was your partner, your parent or guardian, your child under 18, or someone over 18 and single (with or without children) that you are arranging the funeral for, provided they normally lived in New Zealand (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). If the death was your partner's or your child's, your own income is also tested.
Who is eligible for the Winz Funeral Grant?
You qualify if the deceased was your partner, your parent or guardian, your child under 18, or an unpartnered adult you are arranging the funeral for, and they normally lived in New Zealand. If the deceased was your partner or child, your income must also fall under the limits in the table below (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
Income limits, if the deceased was your partner or child
Income testing only applies in the two relationships where you would otherwise be the one funding the funeral from a shared household income: a partner or a dependent child. For every other qualifying relationship (parent, guardian, or an unpartnered adult you are arranging a funeral for) there is no income test on you, only the asset test below.
Your annual income before tax has to sit under the limits Work and Income publishes, and the table below shows both scenarios where income is tested.
| Your situation | Annual income (before tax) must be under |
|---|---|
| Partner died, you are 16 to 17 with no children | $33,518.68 |
| Partner died, you are 18+ with no children | $38,522.12 |
| Partner died, you are a parent with one child | $46,745.92 |
| Partner died, you are a parent with 2+ children | $49,248.68 |
| Child died, you are single, 16 to 17, no other children | $33,518.68 |
| Child died, you are single, 18+, no other children | $38,522.12 |
| Child died, you are in a relationship (with or without children) | $55,954.08 |
| Child died, you are single with 1 other child | $46,745.92 |
| Child died, you are single with 2+ other children | $49,248.68 |
(Work and Income, Funeral Grant, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
The asset test
Work and Income also counts assets before it will pay, and whose assets get counted depends on the relationship. This is the step that most often reduces a grant to nothing, because it looks at what the deceased (and sometimes you) already had, not just what the funeral costs.
If the person who died was not your partner or child, Work and Income counts the total value of their own assets and deducts this from the total funeral expenses before paying the lesser of the maximum grant or the remaining balance (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). If the person who died was your partner or child, Work and Income counts some of your assets as well, though it disregards the first $2,351.46 of your own assets, plus the deceased's assets, and deducts the combined total from the funeral expenses.
What happens if someone dies with no money to pay for a funeral?
If the deceased and, where relevant, the applicant have no significant assets, the full funeral expense (up to the $2,697.43 maximum) can be met by the grant, subject to the other eligibility rules (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Where costs still exceed the maximum, FDANZ notes that some councils waive or reduce cremation or burial fees for a death with no money and no next of kin, sometimes described as dying "indigent" (FDANZ, Funeral costs and financial support, retrieved 9 September 2026).
What happens if a person dies and has no money?
The estate's debts, including funeral costs, are generally paid from whatever assets exist before anything is distributed to beneficiaries, and if the estate has no assets, the person arranging the funeral may need to rely on the Funeral Grant, an ACC funeral grant if the death was accidental, council fee waivers, or family contribution. Our guide to what happens to debt when someone dies explains what an estate with no money means for unpaid bills.
When you cannot get a Funeral Grant
Work and Income will not pay a Funeral Grant on top of other help that already covers the same costs, so it is worth checking these first.
You cannot get a Funeral Grant, or the amount will be reduced, if the funeral costs are already covered by another source such as ACC, Veteran's Affairs, or a prepaid funeral plan (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). If the death was the result of an accident, the ACC funeral grant is larger and is the source to apply to first.
How to apply
Applying is a three-step paper process, and Work and Income says the applicant needs to be able to provide estate details or information about the deceased, including any dependent children.
The application uses the same form and document checklist regardless of which qualifying relationship applies, and the table below sets out each step (Work and Income, Funeral Grant, retrieved 9 September 2026).
| Step | What is needed |
|---|---|
| 1. Complete the form | The Funeral Grant application form (PDF) |
| 2. Gather documents | Confirmation of death (death certificate, funeral director confirmation, or a newspaper death notice), the itemised funeral account, proof of payment if already paid, and proof of identity |
| 3. Send it in | Drop off at a Work and Income service centre or post it in |
(Work and Income, Funeral Grant, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
You can order a death certificate online through certificates.services.govt.nz, the New Zealand Government's certificate ordering service (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Our guide to who to notify after a death covers the wider list of organisations that need the same confirmation of death.
More questions about the Funeral Grant
Do you have to pay back a Funeral Grant?
No, not if you met the eligibility criteria when you applied. Work and Income says you do not have to repay a Funeral Grant if all the criteria under "Who can get it" are met (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). The exception is if your income or assets could not be confirmed at the time and later turn out not to meet the limits.
What if Work and Income cannot confirm my income or assets straight away?
They may still pay the grant provisionally and check the figures afterwards. Work and Income states that if it cannot confirm income or asset amounts when you apply, it may still pay a Funeral Grant and confirm the amounts later, and you will have to pay the money back if the criteria are not actually met (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
Can a funeral director apply for the Funeral Grant?
A funeral director can act on behalf of an eligible applicant when submitting the paperwork. Work and Income's identity documents list includes a business card as acceptable proof "if you're applying on behalf of a funeral home" (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026), which covers a funeral home lodging the application for the family.
What documents do I need to apply for the Funeral Grant?
You need the completed application form, confirmation of death (a death certificate, funeral director confirmation, or a newspaper death notice), the itemised funeral account, proof of payment if you have already paid, and proof of your identity (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). You may also need to show details of assets and income depending on the relationship.
Does the Funeral Grant cover a tangihanga?
Yes. Work and Income's list of reasonable funeral expenses explicitly includes "food and catering including kai for a tangihanga" alongside the standard funeral costs (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Our guide to tangihanga costs, leave and support covers the wider costs and support available beyond this grant.
What if the funeral costs less than the maximum grant?
Work and Income pays the lesser of the maximum grant or the balance of reasonable funeral expenses left after any assets are deducted, so if the total bill is below $2,697.43 you receive the actual balance, not the full maximum (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
Where do I send the Funeral Grant application?
You can drop the completed form and documents off at a Work and Income service centre or post them in; there is no online submission option published for this form (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).
Is the Funeral Grant the same as the ACC Funeral Grant?
No. They are separate payments from separate agencies with different maximums and eligibility rules, and Work and Income says its own grant will not be paid, or will be reduced, if the costs are already covered by ACC (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). Our ACC funeral grant guide sets out the ACC amount and when it applies instead.
How it fits with the rest of your first fortnight
The Funeral Grant is one of several one-off supports available in the first weeks after a death, and it is worth checking all of them rather than assuming one covers everything. Work and Income also has a separate payment to help with travel to a funeral or tangi, on top of the Funeral Grant itself.
| Support | Who it is for | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral Grant (this page) | Partner, parent/guardian, child, or an unpartnered adult you arrange a funeral for | Up to $2,697.43 |
| ACC funeral grant | Any death accepted as an accident by ACC | Up to $8,236.40 |
| Bereavement leave | Employees, for time off, not cash | Paid leave, not a grant |
(Work and Income; ACC; see individual pages for sources and dates.)
If cost remains a problem after the grant, our guide to how to pay for a funeral in New Zealand sets out seven options, including instalment plans some funeral homes offer and what happens if you use a pre-paid funeral plan. Comparing funeral cost against cremation cost before you commit to a service can also bring the total bill under what the grant plus your own contribution can cover.
Where a death has left dependants without an income, a life insurance, trauma cover or income protection policy already in place is what actually replaces lost income, rather than a one-off grant: see how a life insurance payout works after death and how to claim life insurance in New Zealand. Sorting out the wider estate, including applying for probate and working out the executor's duties, usually runs in parallel with the grant application rather than after it. 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. QuoteHub's read is that families should apply for every grant they are entitled to before touching savings, because the Funeral Grant, once approved, does not have to be repaid. If you want to review cover so a future funeral is not left to a grant application, start a free comparison.
Adviser's view
QuoteHub compared how the grant is advertised with how it actually pays out, and the gap is the asset test: the maximum is not a guarantee, since Work and Income deducts the deceased's own assets, and sometimes the applicant's, from what it will pay before the balance is topped up. A family assuming the full amount is coming can be caught short by a step most people never read past the headline figure to find.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). WINZ Funeral Grant NZ: Amount, Who Qualifies, How to Apply. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/funeral-grant-nz. Updated 2026-09-09.
References
- Work and Income: Funeral Grant
- Work and Income: Funeral Grant application form (PDF)
- Work and Income: Travel to a funeral or tangi
- New Zealand Government: Order certificates
- FDANZ: Funeral costs and financial support
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, How It Works.