If you travel overseas

Check if you can keep getting paid New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) or the Veteran’s Pension when you travel overseas.

Travelling for 26 weeks or less

If you’re going overseas for 26 weeks (around 6 months) or less in a 12-month period, you’ll keep getting your NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension.

You do not need to tell Work and Income about your travel plans unless you’re getting other support from them. For example, the Winter Energy Payment or the Accommodation Supplement.

There’s no minimum time you need to stay in New Zealand before going overseas again, as long as you remain ordinarily resident in New Zealand. This means you:

  • normally and lawfully live in New Zealand
  • intend to stay here
  • consider New Zealand to be your home.

Travelling overseas for 26 weeks or less — Work and Income

Travelling overseas for more than 26 weeks

You need to apply to Work and Income to keep your NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension payments going if you plan to go overseas for more than 26 weeks (6 months) in a 12-month period.

Travelling overseas for more than 26 weeks — Work and Income

When travel delays cause you to return after 26 weeks

Your NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension payments will stop after the 26th week if your return to NZ is delayed for any reason. Your partner’s payments will also stop (if you have one).

What to do if this happens

You need to apply to Work and Income to:

  • keep your payments going, or
  • restart your payments, if they’ve stopped.

If you no longer qualify for NZ Super or the Veteran’s Pension, you may need to pay back the 26 weeks you’ve already received.

It’s best to apply before the end of your 26th week away.

How travel delays could affect your payments — Work and Income

If you get other Work and Income support

If you get benefits or payments from Work and Income on top of your NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension, you must:

  • tell Work and Income about your travel plans — regardless of how long you’ll be overseas
  • apply to Work and Income to keep getting your other payments while you’re away.

You may be able to get these payments for up to 28 days while you’re overseas.

Examples of your other payments:

  • Winter Energy Payment
  • Disability Allowance
  • Accommodation Supplement.

How to keep your payments

To keep all your payments, you need to continue meeting the criteria and your costs must continue while you’re overseas. If not, your payments will stop when you leave New Zealand.

You need to apply to Work and Income at least 2 weeks before you leave New Zealand.

If you’re getting other payments as well — Work and Income

Living overseas

If you get NZ Super or the Veteran’s Pension and you plan to live overseas, you must apply to keep getting this payment.

The requirements and how much you’ll get depends on which country you’re going to live in.

Living overseas if you get NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension — Work and Income

Any other Work and Income payments you get will stop from the day after you leave New Zealand.

Living in Australia

If you’re moving to Australia, there are different rules for getting your payments. These are set out in the Social Security Agreement (SSA) New Zealand has with Australia.

Living in Australia if you get NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension — Work and Income

Living in a Pacific country NZ has an arrangement with

New Zealand has a special portability arrangement with 22 Pacific countries.

If you already qualify for (or are entitled to) NZ Super or the Veteran’s Pension, you can continue to get it if you live, or intend to live, in any of these countries for more than 52 weeks.

Living in other countries NZ has a SSA with

Each Social Security Agreement describes the rules about:

  • how much you can get
  • any overseas pension you might be able to get.

SSAs NZ has with other countries — Work and Income

Doing humanitarian or missionary work overseas

You can get your NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension paid while you do humanitarian or missionary work overseas but there are rules you need to follow.

Humanitarian work

You need to be ordinarily resident in New Zealand while you’re doing humanitarian work overseas.

Your NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension can be paid for up to 156 weeks (3 years). Your payments must be made every 2 weeks into your NZ bank account, not an overseas bank account.

This work needs to be:

  • unpaid
  • voluntary
  • full-time
  • for a recognised aid agency (as determined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)), such as the Red Cross, Volunteer Services Abroad or World Vision. The aid agency’s main purpose must be the giving of aid and assistance to less advantaged communities.

It must also not take away another person’s paid employment.

Aid and development — MFAT

Missionary work

If you go overseas to do missionary work, you can get your NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension paid for 26 weeks, as long as you’re back in New Zealand within 30 weeks.

Payment into a NZ or overseas bank account

You have the option of your NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension payments being made directly to either:

  • a NZ bank account every 2 weeks, or
  • an overseas bank account every 4 weeks.

If you choose an overseas bank account:

  • it can take around 4-6 weeks to change your payments to this account.
  • don’t close your New Zealand account until you receive your first payment into your overseas account.

For people doing humanitarian work, their NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension payments must be paid into a NZ bank account.

More information from Work and Income

Who to contact for more help

If you need more help or have questions about the information or services on this page, contact one of the following agencies.

Utility links and page information

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