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loginApprenticeship Boost
Apprenticeship Boost is a payment made to employers to help them keep and take on new apprentices.
The payment is made directly to employers. It means apprentices can keep earning while training towards their qualifications.
The Government is making changes to Apprenticeship Boost. From 1 January 2025, it will only be available for employers of first-year apprentices in targeted sectors with skill shortages.
Find out more about this change and how this will affect you: Changes to Apprenticeship Boost in 2025
You must apply for Apprenticeship Boost within 20 days of when your apprentice starts training. You may miss out on payments if you apply later.
Who can get it
You can get Apprenticeship Boost if your apprentice is enrolled and engaged in a:
- New Zealand Apprenticeship
- Managed Apprenticeship.
These apprenticeship programmes must be:
- approved and funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and
- run by:
- a Transitional Industry Training Organisation (ITO)
- Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills Technology or one of its subsidiaries
- a Wānanga, or
- a registered Private Training Establishment.
Your apprentice must also:
- be less than 24 months into their apprenticeship (any time they’ve spent in a similar program in the past will count towards the 24 months)
- be employed by you, or contracted by you if they’re self-employed
- have an active enrolment that has not been withdrawn or put on hold.
Who can't get it
You can't get Apprenticeship Boost for your apprentice if you're:
- a State Sector employer
- already getting another wage subsidy from us for this apprentice, for example: Flexi-wage, Mana in Mahi or Māori Trades and Training Fund
- already getting a payment from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for this apprentice.
Payment rates
How much you get
You can get $500 a month, per apprentice, not including GST. If you're GST registered, you'll be paid the amount plus GST.
The amount paid per month changed from 5 August 2022 (before this date, first year apprentices were getting $1,000 a month). Payment periods that start on or after 5 August 2022 will be paid at the new rate of $500 for all apprentices, regardless of whether they are in their first or second year of training. This includes first year apprentices who are already registered and have been receiving $1,000 payments before that date.
How long you can get the payment
You can get Apprenticeship Boost payments for a maximum of 24 months. From 1 January 2025 you can get Apprenticeship Boost payments for up to one year.
How it’s paid
It's paid monthly in advance from the date you apply. You can choose how you use the money.
How to apply
You need to apply for your apprentice, they cannot apply themselves. You need a training agreement between yourself, your apprentice and the programme provider.
If you're self-employed, contact the company overseeing your apprenticeship. They'll need to apply on your behalf.
Our system will assess whether your apprentice is eligible based on information from TEC.
How to apply for your first payment
Find out how to apply for your first month's Apprenticeship Boost payment.
How to apply for monthly payments
To continue your monthly payments, you'll need to reconfirm your details each month. This is so we can check you still qualify for this payment.
Apprenticeship Boost invoices
You can log back into your account at any time to view your GST invoice. You can also save this as a PDF.
How to save a PDF from your account:
If you’re using Chrome
- Select the ‘Payments’ tab
- Scroll down the page to ‘Payment Periods’
- Select the invoice you want
- Select ‘Print’
- Find the ‘Destination’ section and select the down arrow to open the list under it
- Select ‘Save as PDF’
- Select ‘Save’.
If you’re using Microsoft Edge
- Select the ‘Payments’ tab
- Scroll down the page to ‘Payment Periods’
- Select the invoice you want
- Select ‘Print’
- Select ‘Microsoft Print to PDF’
- Select ‘Print’
- Write the name you want to save your invoice as
- Select ‘Save as PDF’.
Your obligations
You must pay your apprentice at least the:
- minimum wage
- starting out wage, or
- training wage.
You must also agree to the terms outlined in the Apprenticeship Boost Declaration. You'll need to reconfirm each month that:
- you're still employing your apprentice(s)
- they're still in training
- your apprentice still consents to their information being shared.
Previous declarations
Which declaration you agreed to depends on when you applied for Apprenticeship Boost.
If you applied between 2 August 2021 and 4 August 2022, you can read this declaration here:
If you applied before 1 August 2021, you can read this declaration here:
Information for apprentices
If you are an apprentice and your employer has claimed Apprenticeship Boost for you, you can ask for a copy of any information about you that has been supplied to us. You can request this by email at Apprenticeship_Boost@msd.govt.nz or by calling us on 0800 673 227.