Paying emergency housing contribution by date or dates determined by MSD

Clients who qualify for an Emergency Housing Grant must pay an emergency housing contribution. This is an amount they pay, based on their income, towards their emergency housing costs.

Clients must pay 25% of their net income or 25% of the appropriate Jobseeker Support rate (whichever is higher).

Clients must pay the contribution for each Emergency Housing Grant by the date or dates determined by MSD. This is one of their emergency housing responsibilities.

When a client applies for an Emergency Housing Grant for a new emergency housing event, they:

• will not have to pay the contribution for the first 7 nights and
• will have to pay the contribution from the 8th night onwards

MSD needs to decide if the client has a new emergency housing event to know when to start the client’s contribution.

Agreed activities are steps or actions the client must take to meet their emergency housing responsibilities.

The client must:

• understand and agree to meet the responsibilities including any activities set by MSD and
• understand the activities and what is expected of them

MSD can discuss and set agreed activities to help the client pay the emergency housing contribution.

Agreed activities must be reasonable for the client to do given their circumstances and by their next Emergency Housing Grant date.

Examples of agreed activities

In most cases, where a client is getting a main benefit, New Zealand Superannuation or Veterans Pension, the client will need to agree to have their contribution paid using a redirection of benefit. From this point, there are unlikely to be any other activities for this responsibility and as long as the redirection of benefit is paid, MSD can consider the responsibility met.  

If a client is not getting  a main benefit, New Zealand Superannuation or Veterans Pension, or a redirection of benefit is not possible, MSD can discuss and set agreed activities to help the client meet the emergency housing contribution responsibility.

For example: 

• client agrees to make weekly payments by bank transfer or wage deduction

Note if a client does not pay their contribution in full by the date or dates determined by MSD, MSD will need to find out the reason for this.

For more information see:

• Emergency housing contribution payment date
• Client does not pay emergency housing contribution on time

MSD may require a client to provide supporting evidence to determine if they have met their emergency housing responsibilities.

If supporting evidence is required and the client refuses to provide it, MSD may determine whether or not the client has met their responsibilities on the information available.

If MSD determines the responsibilities have not been met and there is no good and sufficient reason, the client will receive a warning.

The client must meet the emergency housing responsibilities during their stay in emergency housing. This includes completing any agreed activities set for an Emergency Housing Grant, by the date determined by MSD.

If the client does not have a good and sufficient reason for not paying the emergency housing contribution by the date determined by MSD, this will result in a warning.