Youth Payment

You may get Youth Payment if you:

• are 16 or 17
• have no dependent children
• are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
• normally live in New Zealand and intend to stay here.

You must also:

• be in, or available for either:
  • full time education
  • training
  • work-based learning leading towards an NCEA level 2 qualification, or an equivalent or higher qualification
• work with a Youth Service provider who will help you manage your money
• attend a budgeting course.

You're single

If you're single, you may get Youth Payment if you:

• have a parental support gap, or
• are divorced, or your civil union has been dissolved or you have separated from your de-facto partner.

You're in a relationship

If you're married, in a civil union or de facto relationship, you may get Youth Payment as long as you're not in a relationship with a specified beneficiary

A Family Court Judge must consent to your relationship. You'll need to show us the court order from the Family Court Judge.

Before 14 August 2018, we accepted written consent from the parents of the 16-17 year old. If you've already given the parents' consent to us before then, we can still use it. You don't need to get consent from a Family Court Judge.

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Parental support gap

You are considered to have a parental support gap if:

• you have left the care of Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children, or
• your parents or guardian can't support you. This could be because they are in prison, in hospital, deceased, or overseas, or
• your relationship with your parents or guardians has broken down and no one can support you financially, or
• there is a good reason why you can no longer live with your parents or guardian, or be supported by them or anyone else.

You would not be considered to have a parental support gap if you have the option of living with a parent or guardian but choose not to without a good and sufficient reason.

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Parent/caregiver involvement

When you apply for a Youth Payment we usually discuss your situation with your parents or caregivers. There are some circumstances when this won't happen, eg if you are married or in a civil union.

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Education & Training

Most young people are better off if they finish their education or are in training for future work. When you apply, we'll call you to talk about what education or training you'll return to, start or continue doing.

This depends on your current circumstances.

When you get Youth Payment we'll automatically pay you the Winter Energy Payment for heating your home over the winter months.

Find out if you might get this benefit, and what other financial assistance may be available to you.

You can apply online through MyMSD. We'll check to see if you can get any other help from us based on the answers you give in your application.