Dealing with Work and Income
Getting ongoing extra help
Social Security Act 2018, ss 70–74, 219, 220, 319
If you can’t meet your costs, you can apply for extra help, allowances and/or hardship assistance.
This support is available to anyone who meets the criteria. In other words, you can apply even if you’re already getting a main benefit, if you are working but on a low income, or if you used to get a main benefit but your situation has changed.
There are many types of allowances available. Some are based on how much you earn (“income-tested”), while others are based on both how much you earn and how much savings or other property you have (“income-tested” and “asset-tested”.)
The types of extra help and hardship allowances available include:
- Disability Allowance,
- Childcare assistance, including:
- Child Disability Allowance,
- the Childcare Subsidy,
- the Early Learning Payment, and/or
- the OSCAR subsidy,
- Accommodation Supplement,
- Assistance to Transition to Work Grant, New Employment Transition Grant,
- Payments under the Seasonal Work Assistance Programme, and
- Assistance with self-employment
Note: If you are getting a main benefit, you are also automatically eligible to get Winter Energy Payments to help with the costs of home heating during winter. You don’t need to apply. The payments start from 1 May and end on 1 October each year.
