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Work homepage
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Overview
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Find jobs
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Benefits and payments homepage
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Overview
Take a look at the range of benefits and payments we have available.
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Not working
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Travelling overseas, how to apply, payment rates and dates, overseas pensions, income and other info for Seniors
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Moving to New Zealand
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Benefits and forms
A-Z list of benefits, forms, benefit rates
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On a benefit homepage
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Overview
Check out what you need to do when you're getting a benefit or other payment from us.
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Something's changed
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Income
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Going overseas
Travelling or moving overseas may affect your payments.
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Housing homepage
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Overview
Find out how we can help you with housing.
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Nowhere to stay
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Find a house
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Living in your home
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Moving house
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Other languages
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loginGoing overseas while on a benefit
If you get a main benefit from us, you may still be able to get your payment. It depends if you're going overseas temporarily or going to live overseas.
If you get New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension, there are different rules for going overseas.
Going overseas temporarily
If you get a main benefit from us and are going overseas temporarily, you may be able to keep getting your benefit payment. It depends why you're going overseas. If you get other payments from us, e.g. Accommodation Supplement, these may continue.
Going to live overseas
If you get a main benefit from us and are going to live overseas, you may be able to keep getting your benefit payment. It depends which country you're moving to and what benefit you get. If you get other payments from us, e.g. Accommodation Supplement, these will stop.
Getting other payments from us
If you're getting other payments from us, they may be able to continue. It depends if you're going overseas temporarily, or going overseas to live.
Examples of other payments are:
- Unsupported Child's Benefit
- Orphan's Benefit
- Accommodation Supplement
- Disability Allowance
- Temporary Additional Support
- Winter Energy Payment.
Going overseas temporarily
You may be able to continue to get these payments for up to 28 days while you're overseas.
You must continue to meet the criteria for the payment while you're overseas. This means your costs, e.g. accommodation or disability costs, must be continuing while you're overseas. If you don't continue to meet the criteria, your payment will stop when you leave New Zealand.
How to tell us
You can tell us online using MyMSD. You need to log in and select 'Something has changed'.
If you have a partner and they're travelling with you, they'll need to tell us using their own MyMSD.
You need to tell us the:
- date you're leaving New Zealand
- date you're expecting to arrive back in New Zealand
- reason for the travel - you have to provide proof of this.
Going overseas to live
If you're going overseas to live, your other payments will stop from the day after you leave New Zealand.