What you can get

Use Work and Income’s online tool to find out:

• what benefits or payments you may be eligible for
• how much you may be able to get.

The online tool will also give you the links to apply for benefits or other help.

Check what you might get — Work and Income

Situations you may get a benefit or payment

Not working

If you’re unable to find work or cannot work due to your situation, you may be able to get a benefit or some other financial help.

You’re not working — Work and Income

Caring for someone else

Depending on your situation, you may be able to get support if you’re caring for someone else.

Carers — Work and Income

Health condition or disability

Work and Income may be able to help if you have a health condition or disability.

Health and disability — Work and Income

Cannot meet day-to-day costs

If you cannot cover your regular expenses, like rent, food and power, you may be able to get some help, even if you’re working.

Help with living expenses — Work and Income

Urgent or unexpected costs

If there is a cost you cannot pay for, you may be able to get help from Work and Income, even if you’re working.

Urgent or unexpected costs — Work and Income

Emergency event

If you have been affected by an emergency event, such as flooding or an earthquake, you may be able to get financial help from Work and Income.

Emergency payments — Work and Income

Full list of benefits and payments

Use Work and Income’s A to Z to find benefits and payments. Each entry explains:

• what it is
• who can get it
• how much it is.

A to Z benefits and payments — Work and Income

How to apply

The Work and Income website provides steps for how to apply online for most benefits and payments.

Apply online — Work and Income

If you have no mobile data

Some Work and Income websites, including applying online for a benefit, use little or no data. Find out more about ‘Cheap as’ data on the Work and Income website.

‘Cheap as’ data — Work and Income

Other ways to apply

If you cannot apply online, contact Work and Income to find other options for how to apply:

Phone us — Work and Income

Information is available in other languages and interpreters are available.

We speak other languages — Work and Income

Find out how to contact Work and Income if you are deaf, hard of hearing or find it hard to communicate over the phone.

Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment — Work and Income

What happens after you apply

Work and Income will contact you and tell you what the next steps are.

You may need to go to an in-person appointment and you’ll need to provide documents.

• Appointments — Work and Income
• Documents to provide when you apply — Work and Income

When do payments start

If your application is accepted, your benefit can be backdated to the day you started your online application or when you became eligible.

Work and Income will let you know when your payments will start.

If you disagree with a decision

If Work and Income made a decision that you do not understand or disagree with, call them and talk to them about it.

Phone us — Work and Income

If you still disagree, you can apply for a formal review of the decision.

Review of decision — Work and Income