Financial steps when your partner dies without life insurance

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.

If your partner dies without life insurance in New Zealand, there is no single payment to wait for. Money comes in separate pieces: any joint account, a Work and Income Funeral Grant of up to $2,697.43 if you meet its tests, ACC payments if an injury caused the death, and later whatever the estate holds. None is automatic, and each needs an application. This is general information as at 20 October 2026, not legal advice. Not having cover is not a failing on your part.

The order matters more than the amounts. In the first days, the question is what you can reach to pay for the funeral and keep the household going. In the first weeks, it is what the state may pay. Over the first year, it is the estate and two deadlines: 6 months to choose how relationship property is dealt with, and 12 months for a claim against the estate. The sections below follow that order.

In the first days

A joint bank account is yours. Community Law says a joint account passes to the other owner immediately and in full, and is not part of the estate (Community Law). An account in your partner's name alone is treated differently, but govt.nz says a bank can release money from it to pay for the funeral without you being executor or waiting for probate (govt.nz).

Ask for a written funeral price. FDANZ's 2026 report gives averages of $11,700 for a full cremation funeral, $14,300 with a burial, and $4,700 for an unattended cremation (2025 survey; FDANZ). You can choose the simplest option; see funeral costs.

Tell the organisations. Registering a death is free and is usually done by the funeral director. myTrove says it can notify 200 or more participating organisations at no cost to families. Our who to notify guide lists the rest.

In the first weeks: what the state may pay

Payment	Amount	Who and the test
Work and Income Funeral Grant	Up to $2,697.43	A partner qualifies. Income test: under $38,522.12 for a partner aged 18 or over with no children; $46,745.92 with one child; $49,248.68 with two or more. The first $2,351.46 of your assets is ignored, and the person who died's assets count (Work and Income)
ACC funeral grant	Up to $8,236.40	Only if the death resulted from a covered injury (ACC)
ACC survivor's grant	$8,830.47 for a partner; $4,415.25 for each child under 18	Same condition. ACC also lists childcare and loss-of-income payments
Benefit or NZ Super payments of the person who died	Can continue for up to 28 days where a partner or dependent child survives (not if the partner gets an ACC survivor's grant)	Tell Work and Income (Work and Income)

The Funeral Grant is not paid if an ACC funeral grant is payable. The family home, car and possessions are not counted as assets when the person who died left a partner or children, but bank accounts and life insurance proceeds are (Work and Income Map). Our Funeral Grant guide covers the form and the evidence. For ACC, apply on form ACC21; there is no time limit (ACC). See ACC survivor's grant.

Work and Income's bereavement page lists the Funeral Grant, help with travel and ACC support; we found no bereavement lump sum (Work and Income: Bereavement). Ask Work and Income what else applies to your own benefit or income situation. For a wider list, see money help after a partner dies.

Take time off if you need it: employees who qualify get 3 days' bereavement leave for the death of a spouse or partner (Holidays Act 2003, s 70).

Through the first year: the estate

Small sums without probate. Under the Administration Act 1969 s 65, a bank, super fund, employer, ACC, the Ministry of Social Development and others may pay a sum up to the prescribed amount to a partner or child without a grant, if they apply or consent, but they are not obliged to. The amount is $40,000 per payer from 24 September 2025, not $15,000 (Administration Act 1969; SL 2025/158). It is per payer, not for the whole estate, and land is excluded.

Retirement savings. The scheme manager pays a KiwiSaver balance as part of the estate once a grant is produced, or under the s 65 route, not to a named beneficiary (scheme legislation, Schedule 1 clause 9). See deceased estate assets.

Probate or letters of administration. If there is a will with an executor, probate confirms their authority; if not, letters of administration are needed. The fee is $275, and a grant typically takes 15 working days to 6 to 8 weeks depending on the source (Ministry of Justice). See probate.

If there is no will. Under the Administration Act s 77, a partner with no children and no surviving parents receives everything. A partner with children receives the personal chattels, the first $155,000 plus interest, and one third of the rest, with two thirds held for the children; where there are no children but a parent survives, the partner receives the chattels, the $155,000 plus interest and two thirds of the rest (Community Law). A de facto partner in a relationship of short duration, under 3 years, may be excluded. Get legal advice early.

Joint property and debts. If you owned the home as joint tenants, you become sole owner, and a lawyer transfers the title; as tenants in common, the deceased's share goes to the estate (Community Law). Debts only in your partner's name are paid from the estate, not by you; joint debts are the exception (Citizens Advice Bureau, in our guide to debts after death). We have no source on what a lender will do about a mortgage, so phone yours early and ask.

The two dates that matter

6 months from the grant: as a surviving partner you choose either to apply for a division of relationship property or to take what the will or the law gives you. The choice is in writing with a lawyer's certificate, and if you make none, you get what the will or intestacy gives (Property (Relationships) Act 1976, ss 61 to 68).
12 months from the grant: the time to claim under the Family Protection Act if the will leaves you without proper maintenance and support (Family Protection Act 1955, s 9). See contesting a will.

Neither date is a reason to hurry the funeral. It is a reason to see a lawyer within the first few months. Our estate guides cover the rest.

Looking after yourself

Grief support in New Zealand lists services. If money is the worry, a Community Law centre can explain the legal pieces.

Momentum Life and this page

The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online quote. It is for cover on your own life if that becomes a decision you want to make later, not a way to fix this one, and there is no hurry. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, issued by Momentum Life Limited, takes New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions 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; for any other death the premiums for that person are refunded. 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 with no health questions, but excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years. Neither is open over 75. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), in the "Vulnerable" range; see its financial strength page. Saving is another route; see funeral insurance.

QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy a Momentum policy; see how we are paid. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). General information, not advice. Back to the when someone dies hub.

If you are planning ahead for your own funeral costs

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Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

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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

Without a life insurance payout, the money after a death comes in small, separate pieces: a joint account, a Funeral Grant of up to $2,697.43 if you meet the tests, ACC payments if an injury caused the death, and later whatever the estate holds. None is automatic. Get the order right, apply early, and note the 6-month and 12-month deadlines.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Partner Died Without Life Insurance NZ: Money Help. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/partner-died-without-life-insurance-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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