NZ Super payments and admin after someone dies
When someone getting NZ Superannuation dies, Work and Income should be told as soon as possible. For a single person with no dependent children, payments stop once Work and Income knows. If the person had a partner, payments can carry on for 28 days. Payments made after that can be recovered from the estate, if there is one.
NZ Super after a death is the process of ending the person's payments and, in some situations, letting them run for a short period. Work and Income's own page sets out three cases: a single client with no dependent children, a single client with dependent children, and a client with a partner. For a partner, it says: "If the client who died has a partner, we'll keep paying the client for 28 days." If Work and Income learns of the death after 28 days, it "may recover later payments from the estate, if there is one" (Work and Income: Payments when a client dies). If you are arranging a funeral right now, this is one task among many; the sooner Work and Income knows, the less is paid that may later need recovering. This page is general information, not advice about your file.
How to tell Work and Income
Work and Income says that if the person was getting NZ Super or a Veteran's Pension, you can tell it by filling out its online form, "Register a senior's death". govt.nz also lists Work and Income among the government organisations to contact if the person was paid a benefit, NZ Super or a Veteran's Pension (govt.nz: What to do when someone dies).
- Fill in the online form. The page we read does not list the documents it asks for. If you cannot use it, Work and Income lists 0800 552 002 for senior clients (0800 559 009 for others).
- Say who you are. Say whether you are the partner, the executor or administrator, or a family member, because the rules below differ.
- Ask which case applies. Ask whether the 28 days applies and the date it ends, and ask for the answer in writing.
- Mind the bank account. Payments already made into the person's account cannot be moved to a carer's account. Work and Income says to raise that with the client's bank.
- Tell the other agencies. Inland Revenue, the bank, KiwiSaver and others are on our who to notify list. You do not need a New Zealand death certificate to start with myTrove (myTrove); an official one costs $35 (govt.nz). See death certificates.
The 28-day rule, case by case
| The person was | What Work and Income says | Who can ask |
|---|---|---|
| Single, no dependent children | Payments stop "as soon as we know they died". They can continue up to 28 days if the family faces hardship from transition costs or the death causes exceptional costs | A family member or the executor |
| Single, with dependent children in their care | Payments continue for 28 days | The carer can ask for payments to go into their own account |
| With a partner | Payments continue for 28 days, unless the partner receives an ACC survivor's grant | The partner can ask for payments to go into their own account |
If an ACC survivor's grant is still pending, Work and Income says payments can continue, but the partner must repay them once ACC approves the grant. The law sets the outer limit: the Social Security Act 2018 ends payments such as NZ Super no later than 28 days after death, and an instalment payable after death can go to the surviving partner or the carer of a dependent child (Social Security Act 2018, ss 326 and 346; legislation.govt.nz).
A worked timeline
This is an illustration, not a quote for your case. A person dies on Wednesday 5 August 2026. Twenty-eight days after that is around Wednesday 2 September 2026. Work and Income confirms the exact end date.
- Partner, told on 7 August. Payments continue to about 2 September. The partner can ask for the remaining payments to be paid into their own account.
- Single person, no dependent children, told on 7 August. Payments stop once Work and Income knows. The family could ask for up to 28 days to continue on hardship grounds.
- Anyone, told on 15 September. Work and Income learned of the death after the 28 days. Payments after about 2 September may be recovered from the estate if there is one. Where there is none, the pages we read do not say what happens.
Overpayments and the estate
Work and Income says it "may have to recover" payments made after the 28 days from the estate, if there is one. The estate is the fund for paying its debts, and if it cannot pay them in full, costs of administration rank first and reasonable funeral expenses second; see debts when someone dies and probate. Work and Income's page does not set a repayment schedule, so ask the executor to raise it with them. We did not find a published rule on how an overpayment is calculated, so we give no formula.
Funeral costs and Work and Income help
The Funeral Grant is a separate payment, not part of NZ Super. It pays up to $2,697.43 as at 20 October 2026 towards a funeral, and the tests depend on who died: the deceased's assets are counted, and if the deceased was your partner or child your income is tested and your own assets are counted too, with the first $2,351.46 of them left out (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). Other help, including a prepaid funeral plan, can affect the result. See the funeral grant guide and ways to pay for a funeral.
What we could not find
The pages we read do not say what documents the online form needs, how Work and Income calculates an overpayment, or how a surviving partner's own entitlement changes after the death. Ask Work and Income, and ask in writing.
Planning for your own funeral costs
The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online quote. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance takes New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 and pays a fixed benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs. In the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident, and premiums for that person are refunded for any other death in that window. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. Quick Life takes ages 18 to 65, but excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years. Over 75, neither product accepts new applicants; see funeral insurance over 75 for what exists, and saving or a prepaid plan is the other route. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), in the "Vulnerable" range; see its financial strength page.
QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy; see how we are paid. General information, not advice. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Last reviewed 20 October 2026. Back to when someone dies or the funeral insurance hub.
Adviser's view
Tell Work and Income early: it takes one online form, and a late notice is what creates an overpayment for the estate to repay. The 28 days is not a bonus for every family. It depends on whether the person was single, had a partner, or had dependent children, so ask Work and Income to confirm the end date for your situation in writing.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). NZ Super After Death: Payments and Admin (2026). www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/nz-super-after-death-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.
References
- Work and Income: Payments when a client dies
- Work and Income: Funeral Grant
- Social Security Act 2018, New Zealand Legislation
- govt.nz: What to do when someone dies
- govt.nz: Get a death certificate
- myTrove
- Momentum Life: Financial strength
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