Support for families from Inland Revenue

Upcoming changes for this guidance

This content will be strengthened so it more completely reflects our commitment to practice framed by te Tiriti o Waitangi, based on a mana-enhancing paradigm for practice, and drawing from ​Te Ao Māori principles of oranga to support mana tamaiti, whakapapa and whanaungatanga. We each need to consider how we can apply these principles to our practice when reading this guidance. The following resources provide support:
Practice for working effectively with Māori
Our practice approach

Inland Revenue payments to support families

These include:

• paid parental leave
• Best Start
• Working for Families
• child support.

When te tamaiti transitions to a new placement (including when they return home), entitlements to the payments made by Inland Revenue may change.

We need to support those involved to contact Inland Revenue promptly to ensure they:

• make the correct payments
• receive their correct entitlements
• avoid overpayments incurring debt.

We should confirm the change of living arrangements to Inland Revenue if requested.

Payments can be backdated by Inland Revenue. However, they will ask the reason why the application wasn’t made in a timely way. Inland Revenue will also require evidence (such as a letter) of when a tamaiti came into the person's care from Oranga Tamariki. Late applications also create a risk that Inland Revenue will then need to pursue any overpayments made to any previous caregivers.

Caregiver allowance payments can reduce eligibility of caregivers to payments from Inland Revenue (although Best Start is not affected and should be applied for where te tamaiti is less than 1 year old).

Caregivers with other tamariki (who are not receiving a caregiver allowance) may be eligible for payments from Inland Revenue.

Inland Revenue has an online calculator where caregivers can see what payments they may access.

Can I get Working for Families payments? | Inland Revenue