Income excluded

Do not include the following income when completing the means assessment of income:

• any income that is earned by the client's partner (if any) from personal effort
• any benefit paid to the client's partner (if any)
• any pension or allowance paid under the Veterans' Support Act 2014 for the person’s own disablement (except for weekly income compensation and weekly compensation payments, which must be included as income)
• any overseas war pension paid by the government of any Commonwealth country provided they are the equivalent of the New Zealand disablement pensions, surviving spouse or dependent pensions
• Crown funds provided directly to clients to purchase Support Services and Direct Disability Support payments
• Energy Trust Dividends and income earned on the payment for the first 12 months after payment is made
• MSD lump sum payments and income earned on the payment for the first 12 months after payment is made
• Christchurch mosques attack support payments and income earned on the payment
• 50% of any pension received by a client or their partner (if any) under a superannuation scheme constituted in New Zealand or overseas
• 50% of any payments received by a client or their partner (if any) under a life insurance policy either issued in New Zealand or overseas
• any compensatory or ex gratia payments from any country to a client or their partner (if any) because they were a prisoner of war, civilian internee or a victim of persecution of any country during the Second World War or were a dependent child of someone that was
• ex gratia payments paid to people who have suffered a personal injury that is or was caused by a Hepatitis C infection contracted through the New Zealand blood supply. This exemption applies only in the first 12 months after the payment is made
• ex gratia payments made by the New Zealand Government to Viet Nam Veterans, their partner (including former partners) or their natural children and their children's immediate family
• specified Ex gratia and Compensation payments and income earned on those payments
• any interest generated from the compensatory or ex-gratia payments referred to above
• any interest derived from any pre-paid funeral of the client or their partner (if any)
• any interest derived from any KiwiSaver account or superannuation scheme account within the locked-in period of the client or their partner (if any)
• any ACC Independence Allowance paid as a continuing payment
• any Temporary GST Assistance paid to the client or their partner
• the following payments are exempt as income for:
  • 48 months from the date of payment if the client intends to use the payment to repair or rebuild the home or purchase a further home or
  • 12 months from the date of payment in all other cases:
    • payments from the Canterbury Earthquake Commission (Red Cross)
    • payments from the Earthquake Commission and insurance companies for:
    • rebuilding or repairing the damage to homes caused by the Canterbury Earthquake 2010 (including aftershocks)
    • the costs of renting temporary accommodation because people can no longer live in their home due to damage from the Canterbury Earthquake 2010 (including aftershocks) or
    • any interest earned on payments received from the Earthquake Commission, insurance companies and the Canterbury Earthquake Commission (Red Cross) as a result of the Canterbury Earthquake 2010
• payments made by the Crown on or after 23 June 2011 for the purchase of property in the Canterbury red zone and any income earned from any investment of the payment are exempt for 48 months from the date the payment is made, if the client intends to use the payment to repair or rebuild the home, or purchase a replacement residential home
• payments of arrears to Special Benefit clients better off on Temporary Additional Support and income earned on the arrears for the first 12 months after the payment is made
• payments of Accommodation Supplement arrears due to system processing error from 1993 to 2014
• Payments to clients whose Kāinga Ora tenancy was terminated due to methamphetamine contamination and income earned on the payment for the first 12 months after the payment is made
• Residential Care Subsidy historic review refunds and income earned on the payment for the first 12 months after the payment is made
• severe weather event payments for the first 12 months from when payment is received (and any interest earned on the payment)
• FamilyBoost Tax Credit payments for the first 12 months after payment is received