Phones

You can apply for a Disability Allowance for you, your partner or a child.

The person who needs help with phone costs must have:

• a health condition or disability that's likely to last at least 6 months from when they were diagnosed
• regular, ongoing costs because of the health condition or disability that are not fully covered by another agency
• had a phone connected, or need to get a phone connected, because of a disability or health condition.

To apply, you need to be:

• 16 and older
• a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.

It also depends on how much you and your partner earn.

The income limits for Disability Allowance are:

Your situation	Weekly income limits before tax
Single 16-17 years	$660.90
Single 18+ years	$823.31
Couple (with or without children)	$1,225.95
Sole parent 1 child	$921.73
Sole parent 2+ children	$971.14

We pay up to a maximum of $78.60 a week for Disability Allowance. How much you get for phone costs depends on your situation.

We may be able to pay for:

• the regular and ongoing costs of renting a basic phone
• phone line rental
• wiring maintenance charges
• the ongoing cost of a cell phone depending on your situation (for example you don't have a landline or there are no phone lines available).

We don't pay for:

• the cost of buying a phone
• phone installation
• extra costs, for example toll calls, call minder or call waiting (unless it's necessary and directly related to your disability).

Already getting payments from us (e.g. a benefit or Accommodation Supplement) but not Disability Allowance

• You need to complete this form and a health practitioner, eg, your doctor, needs to complete the Disability Certificate inside.
• Your health practitioner also needs to complete a Disability Certificate form.
• You need to get a copy of your phone account or a quote from the phone company showing the line rental costs.
• Call us on 0800 559 009 to talk to us about how to get these documents to us.

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Already getting Disability Allowance

• A health practitioner, for example your doctor, needs to complete a Disability Certificate form.
• You need to get a copy of your phone account or a quote from the phone company showing the line rental costs.
• Call us on 0800 559 009 to talk to us about how to get these documents to us.

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Not getting any payments from us

• A health practitioner, for example your doctor, needs to complete a Disability Certificate form.
• You need to get a copy of your phone account or a quote from the phone company showing the line rental costs.
• Call us on 0800 559 009 to talk about your situation. We'll let you know if we need any other information and how to get this to us.

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Applying on behalf of someone else

You can apply for Disability Allowance on someone else's behalf, but only if they've filled out a form to appoint you as their agent.