Money

Financial support if you’re caring for a child - A Guide for Carers

Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Subsidy

This payment helps families with the costs of before and after school care for up to 20 hours a week, and school holiday programmes for up to 50 hours a week.

To get the OSCAR Subsidy a person must be the main carer of a dependent child or young person who is under 14 years old (or under 18 years old if the main carer gets a Child Disability Allowance for them) and unable to take care of the child or young person because of work, study, illness or disability.

Entitlement for this payment depends on how much you and your partner earn.

To find out more and how to apply

Childcare Subsidy

This payment helps families with the cost of preschool childcare.

To get the Childcare Subsidy, you must be the main carer of a child under 5 years old, over 5 years old if they are waiting until the first term to start school, or under 6 years old if the main carer gets a Child Disability Allowance for them.

To get this payment, you and your partner’s earnings must be under the income limit.

To find out more and how to apply

Working for Families Tax Credits

Working for Families is help for families with dependent children aged 18 years or younger. Payments vary depending on how much you and your partner earn and how many children there are in the family.

There are four different types of payments, and families can get more than one.

Payment  Description 
Family tax credit  Payment made for each dependent child in the family. Getting this payment depends on your family’s income.
In-work tax credit Payment for families with dependent children who work a certain number of hours each week.
Minimum family tax credit  A top-up paid to make sure the annual income of a family with dependent children does not fall below a certain amount.
Best Start Best Start helps families with the costs of caring for young children. Best Start is paid to all families with a child under one year old, and for up to two more years depending your family’s income.

To find out more and how to apply

If you’re applying for or already getting a benefit, talk to Work and Income.

Working for Families calculator

Use the online calculator on the Inland Revenue website to see what type of Working for Families Tax Credit you might get.

Child Disability Allowance

This is a fortnightly payment made to the main carer of a child or young person with a serious disability.

This payment is for the extra care and attention that you need to give to a disabled child. It is not income tested.

You may be able to get both the Child Disability Allowance and the Disability Allowance for the same child.

To find out more and how to apply

Unsupported Child’s Benefit

This is a weekly payment to help a person supporting a child or young person whose parents can’t care for them because of family circumstances.

To get this payment the child or young person you care for must be 18 years old or younger, single, rely financially on you and not able to be cared for by their parents.

You must be the main carer of the child or young person and not be their natural or adoptive parent or step-parent. You must also apply for Child Support from the child’s parents to help cover what the government pays you and attend a Family
Meeting.

Getting this payment does not depend on how much you and the child you care for earn. Income of the child that you care for that is not from personal earnings, for example, from a family trust or ACC, can affect whether you can get this payment and how much you get.

There are a number of additional payments and non-financial supports that you may qualify for.

These include an Establishment Grant (when the child first comes into your care), the School and Year Start-Up payment and the Extraordinary Care Fund.

To find out more and how to apply

Orphan’s Benefit

This is a weekly payment to help you if you support a child or young person whose parents have died or can’t be found or can’t look after them because they have a long-term health condition.

To get this payment the child or young person you care for must be 18 years old or younger, single and rely financially on you.

You must also be the main carer of the child or young person and not be their natural or adoptive parent.

Getting this payment does not depend on how much you and the child you care for earn. Other money that the child gets, for example, from a family trust or ACC, can affect whether you can get this payment and how much you get.

To find out more and how to apply

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