your obligations
when you're getting a payment from us, there are some things you need to do
If you don’t do these things, we could pay you the wrong amount. It could also mean we have to reduce or stop your payments. We don’t want you to miss out on money you need so please read these carefully.
let us know when things change
You need to let us know about changes that might affect the amount you’re paid.
Changes to your income or availability for work, like:
- starting, stopping or changing jobs
- starting or finishing part-time or full-time study
- changes to your pay or other income
- starting to run a business (for yourself or someone else).
Changes to information about you or your family, like:
- name, address, contact details or bank account number
- starting or ending a relationship, marriage, or civil union
- a partner passes away
- the number of children in your care, including having another baby.
Changes to where you live or how much it costs, like a rise or drop in your rent or board.
We also need to know if you:
- go into or come out of hospital
- are being held in custody or on remand.
If we have the wrong information we could pay you the wrong amount. If we pay you too much you might have to pay us back.
tell us if you’re going overseas
If you’re travelling overseas, you need to let us know.
You need to let us know before you leave Aotearoa New Zealand. If there’s a good reason you can’t, then you need to let us know as soon as you can.
attend school, tertiary education, training or work-based learning
You’ll need to be enrolled and attending secondary school or tertiary education or an approved training or work-based learning course full-time.
The course needs to be leading to NCEA Level or an equivalent (or higher) qualification.
work with a youth coach
You’ll need to work with a youth coach who’ll support you while you’re getting a payment.
You’ll meet with them to talk about how things are going, and they’ll refer you to a parenting programme, a budgeting programme. They will also help you get in and stay in education, training or work-based learning.
Your youth coach will also set up your payments so your accommodation costs, bills and debts will be paid first. Any remaining money will be split between an in-hand allowance and your payment card.
keep up-to-date with children’s health and education (ypp)
Looking after children in your care includes making sure they are:
- enrolled with a health practitioner or medical centre
- up-to-date with Well Child/Tamariki Ora checks
- enrolled in and going to early childhood education from the age of 3 until they start school
- going to school from when they start at the age of 5 or 6.
If we ask, you’ll need to talk to us about what you’re doing to care for your children’s health and education.
make any changes you can so you don’t need temporary additional support
Temporary Additional Support is short-term help to meet your costs.
If you get Temporary Additional Support (TAS) you need to do what you can to:
- reduce costs
- earn extra money
- get other help with costs.
what can happen if you don’t meet your obligations
You need to do the things listed above to keep getting payments from us.
If you don’t do these things your payments may go down or stop. In some cases you could
even be prosecuted.
Your payments can go down or stop if you:
- don’t tell us something we need to know
- don’t make an effort to enrol in and attend education, a budgeting and a parenting programme
- don’t keep up-to-date with children’s health and education (ypp)
- are not on Money Management within 20 working days
- don’t work with your youth coach
your rights
You have the right to ask us to review any decision we make about your payments.
If you don’t think we have things right or there’s something you don’t understand:
- call us – we can usually fix it over the phone
- you have the right to ask us to review the decision.
Find out how at: