Guide

Carer funding and support in New Zealand and Australia

If you look after a family member, some of what you do may be funded — paid help in the home, a paid break, and in some cases a payment to you. Almost none of it is automatic, and most of it starts with an assessment. Here is what exists in each country, in plain English, and where to start.

This is general information, not advice. Rules, rates and eligibility change, and every situation is different. Every dollar figure here is the rate as at 1 April 2026 and moves each 1 April. Check the official links in each section before you act on anything here. Alutra is not a government agency and cannot assess your entitlement.

New Zealand

There is more here than most families ever find, and it is spread across agencies that do not talk to each other. The trick is to stop asking one question. Almost everything below falls into one of three buckets: money that can come to you, money and help for the person you care for, and services that take work off you entirely. Ask about all three — asking Work and Income "do I qualify for a carer’s benefit?" and stopping there is how most of this goes unclaimed. And if you only do one thing from this page, ask for a needs assessment: most of the rest unlocks from it.

Start here

Needs assessment — how to start

Free

Most of the funded help on this page starts with a needs assessment. A needs assessment service works out what the person you care for needs, explains what is available, and allocates the publicly funded support they qualify for. The assessment is free and you can ask for one directly — you do not have to be referred.

Who qualifies
  • Older people needing age-related support.
  • Disabled adults.
  • People with long-term chronic health conditions.
  • People with mental health needs — usually starting with a doctor, who can refer on.
  • If the person you care for is recovering from an injury, the accident compensation scheme handles this instead.
What it covers
  • The assessor talks to the person you care for, to you, and to their family or doctor.
  • They assess what support the family can realistically give — and what the family needs in order to keep giving it. That second half is the part carers most often do not know to ask about.
  • They allocate funded services, and refer on for specialist assessments where needed.
  • The person should be reviewed once a year, and you can ask for a reassessment at any time if either of your needs change.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current agency names, phone numbers and web homes for needs assessment after the 2022 health reforms — the 2021 source routes everything through the Ministry of Health and DHBs.]
  • [VERIFY: whether the annual review commitment still holds.]

Source: Ministry of Social Development, A Guide for Carers, July 2021, pp. 24-25.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

The payment that can come to you

Supported Living Payment — for a full-time carer

Work and Income

$489.21 a week before tax — $424.60 after tax at the M code — single, 18 or over, no childrenRate as at 1 April 2026 — check before you rely on it

This is the main weekly payment that goes to the person doing the caring rather than to the person being cared for. It is for people caring full-time at home for someone who would otherwise need hospital-level, rest home, residential disability or equivalent care. There is a separate Supported Living Payment for the person being cared for — the two are different payments with different tests, and mixing them up is the most common confusion on this whole subject.

Who qualifies
  • You care full-time at home for someone who would otherwise need hospital-level, rest home or residential care.
  • The person you care for is a parent, another family member, or a member of your community — but generally not your spouse or partner.
  • You are 18 or over without a dependent child, or 20 or over with a dependent child.
  • The person you care for meets the medical and care criteria, confirmed by their health practitioner on a medical certificate.
  • What you and your partner earn affects both whether you can get it and how much you get.
What it covers
  • A weekly payment to you while you are the full-time carer. Rates differ by relationship status and by whether you have children.
  • The Winter Energy Payment is added automatically over the winter months.
  • If the person you care for is your partner, you cannot get this as a carer. If they receive the Supported Living Payment for their own condition, you may be able to be included in their payment at the couple rate instead.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeSearch for "Supported Living Payment — caring for someone". Their "Check what you might get" tool is a good first stop if you are not sure what you qualify for.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the printed rate against the Work and Income rate table, and add the couple and sole-parent rates. All move on 1 April.]
  • [VERIFY: the current income thresholds and abatement points for the carer and their partner.]
  • [VERIFY: the current definition of "full-time care" used for this payment — the source notes different agencies define the term differently.]

Source: Ministry of Social Development, A Guide for Carers, July 2021, pp. 8 and 10; rate from the Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Help with the household bills

Disability Allowance

Work and Income

Up to $82.85 a weekRate as at 1 April 2026 — check before you rely on it

A weekly payment towards the ongoing extra costs that come with a disability or health condition. It reimburses real, regular costs rather than paying a flat allowance, so what you get depends on what those costs actually are, up to the maximum. It is income tested. Taking receipts to the appointment is the difference between a token amount and the real one.

Who qualifies
  • The person has a disability or health condition likely to last at least six months.
  • They have regular, ongoing extra costs because of it.
  • A health practitioner confirms the costs are related to the disability or condition.
  • It is income tested — the household income limits apply.
What it covers
  • Doctor's visits and prescription charges.
  • Travel to appointments and treatment.
  • Extra clothing, extra heating and extra laundry.
  • Counselling, gym or pool fees where a practitioner has recommended them.
  • Other regular costs a practitioner links to the disability.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeSearch for "Disability Allowance". Take receipts or quotes for the ongoing costs — the amount is worked out from them, not from a standard list.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the printed maximum against the Work and Income rate table, and the current income limits.]
  • [VERIFY: the current list of allowable costs — this changes more often than the rate does.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Special Disability Allowance

Work and Income

$51.67 a weekRate as at 1 April 2026 — check before you rely on it

A narrow payment with a specific purpose, easy to miss because its name sits so close to the Disability Allowance. It goes to the partner who is still at home when their spouse or partner is in residential care, or has been in a public hospital for more than 13 weeks. It helps with the extra cost of what has become two households.

Who qualifies
  • Your spouse or partner is in residential care, or has been in a public hospital for longer than 13 weeks.
  • You are the partner living outside that care.
  • It is paid to you, not to the person in care.
What it covers
  • A weekly payment towards the additional costs the separation creates.
  • It sits alongside other assistance rather than replacing it — including NZ Superannuation.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeSearch for "Special Disability Allowance", and ask about it by name — it is not always offered.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the printed rate, the 13-week hospital rule, and whether any income test applies.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Accommodation Supplement

Work and Income

Not a carer payment, and that is precisely why it gets overlooked. It is a weekly contribution towards housing costs, and caring is one of the most common reasons a household income drops far enough to qualify. You do not have to be on a benefit to get it.

Who qualifies
  • You have housing costs — rent, board, or the costs of owning your home.
  • Your income and cash assets are under the limits.
  • You do not have to be receiving a benefit.
What it covers
  • Part of your rent, or part of your board.
  • For homeowners, part of the mortgage, rates and insurance.
  • The maximum depends on where you live — the country is split into areas and the caps differ between them.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeSearch for "Accommodation Supplement", then use "Check what you might get" — the area-based maximums are hard to work out by hand.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current area maximums, income limits and cash asset limits.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Temporary Additional Support

Work and Income

The last-resort weekly payment for when essential costs are more than your income can cover. It is granted for a period and then reviewed, rather than being open-ended. It matters to carers because intensive caring does two things at once — it cuts your working hours and it raises your costs.

Who qualifies
  • Your essential living costs are more than your income can meet.
  • You have already taken up the other assistance you qualify for — this is assessed after those, not instead of them.
  • It is granted for a set period and then reviewed.
What it covers
  • A weekly top-up towards the shortfall between essential costs and income.
  • It is calculated from your actual costs, so it is worth taking real figures to the appointment.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current maximum, the review period, and exactly which costs count as essential.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Winter Energy Payment

Work and Income

A seasonal payment towards heating, added automatically to a qualifying main benefit or to NZ Superannuation over the winter months. Nobody applies for it. It is here because it is worth knowing it arrives — and worth knowing it stops, so a winter budget is not mistaken for a year-round one.

Who qualifies
  • You receive a qualifying main benefit — the Supported Living Payment for carers is one.
  • Or you receive NZ Superannuation or a Veteran's Pension.
  • It is paid automatically. You can opt out if you would rather not have it.
What it covers
  • A weekly amount over the winter months, at a higher rate for couples and for people with dependent children.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeSearch for "Winter Energy Payment" for the current rates and dates.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current rates, and the exact start and end dates of the winter period.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Community Services Card

Work and Income

Not cash, but for a household with frequent appointments it can be worth more than a small weekly payment. The card lowers what you pay for a range of health and community services. People on certain benefits are issued one automatically; people on lower incomes have to apply for it.

Who qualifies
  • You receive a qualifying benefit — in which case the card is usually issued automatically.
  • Or your household income is under the limit for your family size, in which case you apply.
  • It is also a gateway to other help: Household Management, under the home support services below, requires one.
What it covers
  • Lower charges at doctors who are part of the scheme.
  • Lower prescription charges.
  • Concessions on some public transport and some other health-related services.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeSearch for "Community Services Card". Check whether the person you care for already has one before applying.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current income limits by family size, and the current list of concessions.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Special Needs Grant

Work and Income

A one-off grant for an essential or emergency cost you cannot meet, and usually not repaid — which is what separates it from an Advance Payment. Work and Income look at what else you could be getting first, including Accommodation Supplement, Disability Allowance and Temporary Additional Support, so asking about a grant is often the appointment where those get sorted out too.

Who qualifies
  • You have an essential or emergency cost and not enough money to meet it.
  • You meet the income and asset tests for the grant.
  • Other assistance is considered first, including Accommodation Supplement, Disability Allowance and Temporary Additional Support.
  • You do not have to be on a benefit to ask.
What it covers
  • Food, and other immediate essentials.
  • Certain emergency and one-off costs, depending on the type of grant.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current grant types, maximums, and the income and asset tests.]
  • [VERIFY: which grants are recoverable and which are not.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Advance Payment of Benefit

Work and Income

If you are on a qualifying benefit you may be able to draw an advance against it for an essential cost. It is on this page for completeness and for one reason: it is a loan. It is repaid out of your future payments, so it is not extra income, and taking one lowers what arrives each week until it is cleared.

Who qualifies
  • You receive a qualifying benefit.
  • You have an essential cost you cannot meet from income or savings.
  • Work and Income must be satisfied you can afford the repayments.
What it covers
  • A lump sum for an essential item or cost — car repairs, a fridge, a bond.
  • Repaid from your future benefit payments.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeSearch for "Advance Payment of Benefit". Ask about a Special Needs Grant first — that one is usually not repaid.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current limits on advances, and the standard repayment terms.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Services that take work off you

Carer Support Subsidy

Publicly funded, allocated by a needs assessment service

Carer Support reimburses part of the cost of paying someone else to take over while you have a break. You are allocated a number of days each year through a needs assessment, and you choose how and when to use them. It is a reimbursement towards relief care, not a wage for the caring you already do — a distinction that catches a lot of people out.

Who qualifies
  • You are a full-time carer providing more than four hours a day of unpaid care.
  • The person you care for has been assessed as needing support — because of a disability, an age-related need, a mental health condition, or a long-term medical condition.
  • The number of days you get is set through the needs assessment, based on your situation and theirs.
What it covers
  • Relief care by a friend, a neighbour, or some family members.
  • Other people who provide relief care.
  • Formal services, such as a rest home or a holiday programme.
  • You will usually have to pay a top-up on the day rate.
  • How the relief carer is taxed depends on where and how they provide the care — worth settling before money changes hands.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current Carer Support day rate, and the typical number of days allocated per year.]
  • [VERIFY: which agency now funds Carer Support for each group. The 2021 source splits it between the Ministry of Health (disability) and DHBs (aged care, mental health, long-term conditions); the 2022 health reforms have since changed both.]
  • [VERIFY: which family members can and cannot be paid as the relief carer — the source says "some family members" without listing them.]
  • [VERIFY: the tax treatment of payments to a relief carer, and where to send someone for a straight answer on it.]

Source: Ministry of Social Development, A Guide for Carers, July 2021, pp. 9 and 30.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Respite — taking a break

Publicly funded through several routes

Respite is time away from caring, and there is more than one funded route to it. Which one applies depends on why the person needs care and who is funding their support. Breaks can be planned, and they can also be arranged for the week something goes wrong for you.

Who qualifies
  • Carer Support is the most common route — see the section above.
  • If the person you care for manages their own disability funding, they can use part of it to buy respite. That funding cannot be used to pay parents or spouses for respite care.
  • If the person you care for is covered by the accident compensation scheme, that scheme funds respite instead — including backup care if you are suddenly unable to carry on.
What it covers
  • A support worker spending time with the person in their own home.
  • An overnight or longer stay away from home — with a host family, in a facility, or on a holiday programme.
  • Paying for an activity or programme the person enjoys, so you get the time back.
  • Emergency and unplanned breaks, if a plan is in place before you need it.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: whether the rule barring parents and spouses from being paid for respite out of self-managed funding still stands.]
  • [VERIFY: current respite options and any waiting lists, which the 2021 source does not cover.]

Source: Ministry of Social Development, A Guide for Carers, July 2021, pp. 29-31.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Home and Community Support Services

Publicly funded, after a needs assessment

Funded help in the home for the person you care for, in two parts. Household Management covers meal preparation, laundry and cleaning. Personal Care covers eating and drinking, dressing, getting up in the morning and ready for bed, showering and using the toilet. A needs assessment decides which of these the person can get.

Who qualifies
  • The person you care for has been assessed by a needs assessment service as needing help at home because of a disability or health condition.
  • For Household Management specifically, the person must hold a Community Services Card.
  • If the person is recovering from an injury, this help comes through the accident compensation system instead.
What it covers
  • Household Management — meal preparation, washing and drying clothes, house-cleaning and tidying.
  • Personal Care — help with eating, dressing, getting up and going to bed, showering and toileting.
  • If the person has been assessed as having high or very high support needs, they may be able to employ a family member to provide this care — either through a support service provider, or by managing the funding themselves.
  • The line worth taking from this section: you are not expected to provide every hour of care yourself.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: whether the Community Services Card requirement still applies to Household Management.]
  • [VERIFY: the current definition of "high or very high support needs" for the employ-a-family-member pathway.]
  • [VERIFY: whether health.govt.nz is still the right home for this content after the disability support functions moved.]

Source: Ministry of Social Development, A Guide for Carers, July 2021, pp. 18-19.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Individualised Funding

Publicly funded disability support, held by a host organisation

Individualised Funding is the same disability support money, handed over to be managed by the disabled person — or by an agent acting for them, which can be a relative or the carer. It is not a payment to the carer. What it buys is control: over who provides the support, when they come, and how the hours are arranged. A host organisation holds the funding and handles the employment paperwork.

Who qualifies
  • The person you care for has been allocated disability support through a needs assessment.
  • They, or an agent acting for them, are willing to take on arranging the support.
  • The agent can be a relative or the carer.
  • You choose a host organisation to hold the funding and handle the employment side.
What it covers
  • Employing and rostering your own support workers, rather than accepting an agency roster.
  • Respite and other approved supports, within the allocation.
  • Considerably more flexibility over how and when support is delivered.
  • Rules apply on who may be paid — in particular, the funding generally cannot pay a parent or spouse for respite.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current list of host organisations, and which agency now administers Individualised Funding after the disability support functions moved.]
  • [VERIFY: the current rules on which family members can be paid out of it, and in what circumstances.]
  • [VERIFY: whether Enhanced Individualised Funding or any successor arrangement should be described here instead.]

Source: Ministry of Social Development, A Guide for Carers, July 2021, p. 19; Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Equipment and home modifications

Publicly funded disability and health support

Funded equipment and building work, assessed on the needs of the person you care for rather than on yours. It belongs on a carer's list anyway, because a rail, a shower chair or a ramp routinely removes more physical work from a carer's day than any payment on this page replaces.

Who qualifies
  • The person you care for is assessed as needing the equipment or the modification.
  • The assessment is usually done by an occupational therapist or another health professional.
  • If the need arises from an injury, the accident compensation scheme funds this instead.
What it covers
  • Mobility equipment, including wheelchairs and walkers.
  • Bathroom and toileting equipment.
  • Communication equipment.
  • Ramps, rails and accessibility modifications to the house.
  • Other disability-related equipment identified by the assessment.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: which agency now funds equipment and housing modifications, and what the current application route is called.]
  • [VERIFY: whether any contribution or means test applies to housing modifications.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Residential Care Subsidy

Publicly funded, means assessed by Work and Income

If the person you care for eventually needs permanent residential care, this subsidy helps with the cost, subject to a needs assessment and a financial means assessment. It is not a payment to you. It is here because it is the thing families most often discover far too late, and because the asset thresholds shape decisions people make years earlier.

Who qualifies
  • The person has been assessed as needing long-term residential care.
  • They meet the financial means assessment — the tests differ depending on age and circumstances.
  • Assets, income and any history of gifting are all assessed.
What it covers
  • Part or all of the cost of contracted care services in a rest home or hospital.
  • A Residential Care Loan is a separate option where the family home is the main asset.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeSearch for "Residential Care Subsidy". The means assessment is the slow part — start it before it is urgent.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current asset thresholds, the income-from-assets test, and the gifting rules.]
  • [VERIFY: the current Residential Care Loan terms.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

If the person was injured rather than unwell

Accident compensation support

Accident Compensation Corporation

If the person you care for has a covered injury you are in a different system, and it changes the financial picture substantially. The support goes to the injured person rather than arriving as a carer's allowance — but a great deal of what it funds is work that would otherwise fall on the family, and in some circumstances a family member can be paid to provide the care.

Who qualifies
  • The person you care for has an injury covered by the accident compensation scheme.
  • The support is assessed by that scheme rather than by a needs assessment service.
  • Cover depends on the injury, not on income or assets.
What it covers
  • Home help and attendant care.
  • Rehabilitation and treatment.
  • Equipment, and modifications to the house or vehicle.
  • Transport to treatment.
  • Payments related to incapacity, paid to the injured person.
  • Respite, including backup care if you are suddenly unable to carry on.
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current rules on paying a family member to provide attendant care, and the rates.]
  • [VERIFY: how this scheme interacts with Work and Income payments, so this page never encourages a double claim.]

Source: Ministry of Social Development, A Guide for Carers, July 2021, pp. 29-31; Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Your job, and your own leave

Sick leave, used to care for someone else

Your employer

10 days a year, once you have met the qualifying periodRate as at 1 April 2026 — check before you rely on it

This one is missed constantly. Sick leave in New Zealand is not only for your own illness — an eligible employee can use it to care for a partner, a parent, or another dependant who is sick or injured. If you are employed and caring, this is an entitlement you already hold and may never have used for its full purpose.

Who qualifies
  • You are an employee and have met the qualifying period.
  • The person you are caring for depends on you for care — a partner, a parent, or another dependant.
  • Your employer may ask for proof of sickness or injury in the usual circumstances.
What it covers
  • Paid days off to care for a dependant who is sick or injured, not only for your own illness.
  • Unused days carry over, up to the maximum the law allows.
How to apply
  • Employment New ZealandSearch for "sick leave" for the entitlement, the qualifying period and the carry-over maximum.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current entitlement, the qualifying period, and the maximum that can be carried over.]
  • [VERIFY: the statutory definition of a dependant for this purpose.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Flexible working, annual leave and unpaid leave

Your employer

Not government money, but for many carers the difference between staying employed and not. Employees have a statutory right to request a flexible working arrangement, and the employer has to deal with the request properly and answer in writing. Annual leave and negotiated unpaid leave are the other levers, and they are worth asking for as a package rather than one crisis at a time.

Who qualifies
  • You are an employee — the right to request flexible working applies from the start of employment.
  • The request has to be in writing, and set out what change you want and how it might affect the work.
  • The employer must respond within the statutory timeframe, and can only refuse on specified business grounds.
What it covers
  • Changes to your hours, your days, or where you work.
  • A change that is temporary, or one that is permanent.
  • Annual leave, and unpaid leave by agreement.
  • Best raised before a crisis, while there is still time to plan the cover.
How to apply
  • Employment New ZealandSearch for "flexible working arrangements" for what a request must contain, and how long an employer has to answer.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the current statutory response timeframe and the permitted grounds for refusal.]
  • [VERIFY: whether bereavement leave and family violence leave belong on this page too.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

What the person you care for can claim in their own right

What the person you care for can claim themselves

Various

The most common mistake with this whole subject is to ask one question — "do I qualify for a carer’s benefit?" — and to stop when the answer is no. A large part of what is available is paid to the person being cared for rather than to you, and it can still pay for the care. Check their entitlements as carefully as you check your own.

Who qualifies
  • The person you care for is assessed in their own right, on their own income and assets.
  • Their entitlement is separate from yours, and one does not rule out the other.
  • If they are on NZ Superannuation, there is no extra universal carer's allowance for you simply because you look after them — but several of the payments on this page can still sit alongside their Super.
What it covers
  • Supported Living Payment, paid to them for their own health condition or disability.
  • Disability Allowance, for their ongoing disability-related costs.
  • NZ Superannuation, with the Accommodation Supplement, Disability Allowance or a Community Services Card alongside it.
  • Accident compensation payments, if their need follows an injury.
  • Disability support funding, home support, equipment and respite.
  • Residential care support, if it comes to that.
How to apply
  • Work and IncomeUse "Check what you might get" for the person you care for as well as for yourself — the two answers are different.

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: which payments can and cannot be held at the same time, so this section never encourages a double claim.]
  • [VERIFY: the current position on additional assistance alongside NZ Superannuation.]

Source: Alutra entitlements list, August 2026.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Australia

Australia separates the two questions more clearly than New Zealand does. Services Australia handles payments to carers — one supplement and one income-support payment — while Carer Gateway handles services, including counselling and respite. Funding for the person you care for is assessed separately again.

Payments that can come to you, the carer

Carer Allowance

Services Australia

Carer Allowance is a supplementary fortnightly payment for someone who gives daily care to a person with a disability, a medical condition, or who is frail aged. It is a supplement rather than an income-support payment, so it is paid on top of wages or another payment rather than instead of them. It is a different payment from Carer Payment, and some people receive both.

Who qualifies
  • You provide daily care to someone with a disability, a medical condition, or who is frail aged.
  • [VERIFY: whether the care must be given in the same home as the person, and what the current exceptions are.]
  • [VERIFY: the current income test, and whether an assets test applies.]
  • [VERIFY: how the care receiver is assessed.]
What it covers
  • A fortnightly supplementary payment.
  • [VERIFY: the current payment amount.]
  • [VERIFY: any concession card or additional entitlement that comes with it.]
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: this entire section against current Services Australia guidance — no source material was available when it was drafted.]

Source: Structure only — awaiting Australian source material.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Carer Payment

Services Australia

Carer Payment is an income-support payment for someone who cannot work in substantial paid employment because of the constant care they provide. Unlike Carer Allowance, it is a main income-support payment and is both income and assets tested. The two are assessed separately, and qualifying for one does not automatically qualify you for the other.

Who qualifies
  • You provide constant care to someone with a severe disability or medical condition, or who is frail aged.
  • The care stops you doing substantial paid work.
  • [VERIFY: how many hours of paid work, study or volunteering are allowed before the payment is affected.]
  • [VERIFY: the current income and assets limits for you and your partner.]
  • [VERIFY: how the care receiver is assessed, and whether a medical report is required.]
What it covers
  • A regular income-support payment while you are the carer.
  • [VERIFY: the current payment rate, and whether supplements are paid alongside it.]
  • [VERIFY: what happens to the payment during a hospital stay or a period of respite.]
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: this entire section against current Services Australia guidance — no source material was available when it was drafted.]

Source: Structure only — awaiting Australian source material.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Services that take work off you

Carer Gateway services

Australian Government — free to carers

Carer Gateway is the national entry point for carer support services, and it is free. It is the practical counterpart to the two payments: rather than money, it provides counselling, peer support, coaching, and packages of tailored support. It is also the route to respite for many carers.

Who qualifies
  • You care for someone with a disability, a medical condition, a mental health condition, or who is frail aged.
  • [VERIFY: whether there is any income, hours-of-care or residency test for the services, and whether it differs by service.]
What it covers
  • Counselling, peer support groups, and coaching.
  • Tailored support packages.
  • Planned and emergency respite.
  • [VERIFY: what a tailored support package can actually pay for, and how it is applied for.]
  • [VERIFY: whether services are delivered nationally or by regional providers, and what that means for waiting times.]
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: the Carer Gateway phone number and hours before publishing them. The Resource Hub already prints 1800 422 737 — confirm it is still current and make the two pages agree.]
  • [VERIFY: this entire section against current Carer Gateway guidance.]

Source: Structure only — awaiting Australian source material.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Respite — taking a break

Australian Government through several routes

As in New Zealand, there is more than one funded route to a break, and which applies depends on who the person you care for is and which system supports them. Carer Gateway is the usual starting point for carers; where the person is in aged care or the disability scheme, respite may come through their own funding instead.

Who qualifies
  • Carer Gateway is open to carers generally and covers both planned and emergency respite.
  • [VERIFY: how respite is accessed where the person you care for has aged care funding.]
  • [VERIFY: how respite works where the person you care for is a participant in the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and whether the scheme funds carer respite directly.]
What it covers
  • Planned breaks — someone else taking over for a set period.
  • Emergency respite when you are suddenly unable to continue.
  • [VERIFY: how much respite is available, over what period, and whether a co-payment applies.]
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: this entire section against current guidance, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme route.]

Source: Structure only — awaiting Australian source material.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Funding for the person you care for

Aged care at home — and what it means for you

Australian Government, assigned to the person you care for

This funding is assigned to the older person, not to you. It matters to carers anyway, because what it buys — personal care, domestic help, and respite — is largely the work the family is otherwise doing unpaid. Access starts with an aged care assessment arranged through My Aged Care.

Who qualifies
  • The person you care for is an older person assessed as needing ongoing help at home.
  • The assessment is arranged through My Aged Care.
  • [VERIFY: the current assessment process and who conducts it.]
What it covers
  • Personal care, domestic assistance, and in-home respite, among other services.
  • [VERIFY — IMPORTANT: Home Care Packages are being replaced by the Support at Home programme. Confirm the current programme name, its funding levels, the start date, and what happens to people already on a package, before any of this is published.]
  • [VERIFY: whether a family member can be paid to deliver any of this care, which is the question carers most want answered here.]
How to apply

Still to be checked

  • [VERIFY: this entire section, and in particular the Home Care Packages to Support at Home transition, before publish.]

Source: Structure only — awaiting Australian source material.

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026

Common questions

Can I get paid to care for a family member in New Zealand?

Sometimes, and it depends which door you come through. If you care full-time for someone who is not your partner, and they would otherwise need hospital-level or residential care, you may qualify for the Supported Living Payment from Work and Income. Separately, if the person you care for has been assessed as having high or very high support needs, they may be able to employ you directly to provide their personal care or household help. Both start with an assessment.

What is the difference between Carer Support and the Supported Living Payment?

Carer Support reimburses part of the cost of paying somebody else to take over while you have a break — it is respite funding, not wages. The Supported Living Payment is a weekly income-support payment that can be paid to you for doing the caring. They are separate, they come from different parts of government, and receiving one does not rule out the other.

They are on NZ Super. Does that rule everything else out?

No, and this is one of the most expensive assumptions on the subject. There is no extra universal carer’s allowance simply because you look after someone on NZ Superannuation — but the Disability Allowance, the Accommodation Supplement and a Community Services Card can all sit alongside their Super, and so can the Special Disability Allowance if you are the partner still at home while they are in residential care.

What happens if they need to go into a rest home?

The Residential Care Subsidy can help with the cost, subject to a needs assessment and a financial means assessment of assets, income and any history of gifting. It is paid towards their care rather than to you. The means assessment is the slow part, and the asset thresholds shape decisions families make years earlier — so it is worth understanding before it is urgent.

Can I use my sick leave to look after someone else?

Yes. In New Zealand an eligible employee can use sick leave to care for a partner, a parent, or another dependant who is sick or injured — not only for their own illness. If you are employed and caring, this is an entitlement you already hold. Employees can also request a flexible working arrangement, and the employer has to answer in writing.

What is a needs assessment and do I have to wait for a referral?

A needs assessment works out what the person you care for needs and allocates the publicly funded support they qualify for. In New Zealand you can contact a needs assessment service directly — you do not need a referral, though a health professional can also refer you. It is free, and most of the funded help flows from it.

How do I get a break from caring?

Respite is funded through several routes. In New Zealand the most common is the Carer Support Subsidy, which reimburses part of the cost of paying someone to take over. If the person you care for manages their own disability funding, part of it can buy respite instead. In Australia, Carer Gateway is the usual starting point. In both countries the break is far easier to arrange if a plan exists before you need it.

Does the person I care for have to be assessed before I can get anything?

For most of it, yes. Nearly all funded support in both countries flows from an assessment of the person being cared for rather than an assessment of you. The main exceptions are the carer payments themselves, which assess your circumstances — though they still usually require medical evidence about the person you care for.

What if the person I care for was injured rather than unwell?

In New Zealand this changes which system you are in. Injuries are covered by the accident compensation scheme, which funds its own home help, attendant care, equipment and respite, and can pay a family member providing care in some circumstances. Start there rather than with a needs assessment service.

Can I get anything for caring for a family member in Australia?

There are two payments for carers — Carer Allowance, a fortnightly supplement, and Carer Payment, an income-support payment for people whose caring stops them working. They are assessed separately and some people receive both. Carer Gateway provides the services, including counselling and respite, and it is free.

Last reviewed 19 August 2026.

Looking for something broader? The Resource Hub covers respite, hard conversations, checklists and country-specific support. Or take this page with you as the printable Funding Checklist.