Apply for Best Start payments
Most New Zealanders can get a weekly payment to help support their newborn baby. Some people can get Best Start payments until their child turns 3 years of age — it depends on family income.
Main points to know about Best Start
- Payments start when your parental leave payments end.
- For the first year of Best Start, it does not matter how much your family earns.
- When the child turns 3, you stop getting Best Start payments.
- You need to confirm your details each year that you’re eligible — payments do not automatically keep going, see what happens next.
Who is eligible
You can get the payments if:
- you’re the primary caregiver
- your child was born on or after
- you’re an NZ citizen or resident, or you care for a child who is a resident and present in NZ.
More information about eligibility
Inland Revenue has more information about eligibility for Best Start, which is 1 of 4 types of Working for Families payments.
You can use the Working for Families calculator to check if you can get the other types of payments.
How much you can get
Inland Revenue (IR) lists the amounts for the:
- weekly Best Start payments that you receive
- family income level that determine if you can or cannot get Best Start after your child turns 1 and 2 years of age.
Types of Working for Families payments — IR
Newborn baby
It does not matter how much you earn — if you’re eligible and apply, you will get a weekly payment until your child’s first birthday.
You’ll get your Best Start payments after your paid parental leave (PPL) finishes (if you’re getting PPL).
After your child turns 1 and 2 years of age
You'll need to confirm your details with IR.
Getting payments after your child’s first and second birthdays depends on your family income.
Get your information ready
You’ll need to give your:
- IRD number — find my IRD number
- name and contact details
- bank account details (if you’re not already a Working for Families Tax Credit or Ministry of Social Development customer)
- citizenship or resident status
- MSD client number (if you’re a Ministry of Social Development customer).
If you have a partner (or had a partner in the last year), you need to give their:
- name
- contact information
- IRD number.
You’ll need to give your children’s:
- names
- birthdays
- IRD numbers.
Family income — you might need to provide this information
If you apply when your child is under 12 months old, you do not need to complete the family income section.
Do complete the family income section if you’re applying for:
- a child aged up to 3 years
- other Working for Families tax credits, including Best Start.
How to apply for Best Start
You can apply for Best Start payments when you register your child’s birth, or you can apply at any time with IR.
Easy option — apply when you register your baby
You can apply for Best Start online when you register your baby.
Register your baby — SmartStart
Other option — apply separately with IR
Best Start is 1 of 4 types of Working for Families payments. You might qualify for some or all of the other types of payments.
What happens next
Your payments start as soon as your application is processed. It usually takes about 3 weeks.
Confirm your details — Best Start does not automatically renew
You need to confirm your details for Best Start each year — it does not automatically keep going.
IR will send you a letter asking you to confirm your details before your child’s:
- first birthday
- second birthday — if you were getting Best Start payments that year.
Contact us — Inland Revenue
If you did not get a letter to confirm your details or you have questions, contact IR.