Completing the 26 week reapplication process

Clients must complete the 26 week reapplication process before the expiry date of their Jobseeker Support, unless they have exceptional circumstances. If a client does not do this, their benefit will stop.

To complete the 26 week reapplication process the client and their partner (if any included in their Jobseeker Support) must:

• confirm their circumstances for the purposes of an eligibility check and
• participate in and complete and appropriate employment engagement (including their partner, if they have part-time or full-time work obligations) and
• agree to their obligations and confirm their intent to reapply for Jobseeker Support.

If MSD is satisfied that the client and their partner have completed all relevant parts of the reapplication before their expiry date, and the client continues to qualify for Jobseeker Support, MSD must regrant their benefit.

For more information see:

• Eligibility part of the 26 week reapplication
• Employment part of the 26 week reapplication
• Employment part of the reapplication not required
• Exceptional circumstances for reapplication

A client and partner may complete the parts of the reapplication separately or at the same time. The eligibility and employment parts of the reapplication may be completed in the 13 weeks before their expiry date through specific engagements.

Clients must agree to their obligations and confirm their intent to reapply for Jobseeker Support when they submit their 26 week reapplication. They can do this at any time from the start of their notice period.

Specific engagements are interactions or discussions that a client or partner can have with MSD in the 13 weeks before their expiry date that satisfy either the eligibility or employment part of the reapplication process.

A specific engagement may include:

• an interaction with MSD where the client confirms the same circumstances that apply to the Jobseeker Support qualifications, as required for the reapplication, and
• a discussion with MSD about what the client is doing or needs to do to find or prepare for suitable employment

If a client and their partner have satisfied the eligibility and employment parts of the reapplication through specific engagements, they only need to confirm if there have been any changes in their circumstances since they completed a specific eligibility engagement, agree to their obligations and confirm their intention to reapply to complete the reapplication.

Note agents may complete the eligibility, obligations and intent to reapply parts of the reapplication on behalf of the client or partner if they have been given the appropriate rights to act on their behalf.

Agents cannot complete the employment engagement unless MSD decides there is a reason that this is unavoidable.

For more information see:

• Specific engagements
• What an agent can do
• What an agent cannot do

If the client has satisfied all parts of the reapplication (including where in the 13 weeks before their expiry date, specific engagements for eligibility and employment are completed to satisfy parts of the reapplication) and continues to qualify for Jobseeker Support, their benefit may be regranted automatically using Automated Decision Making.

This applies when all of the following requirements are met:

• a client has confirmed their circumstances for the purposes of an eligibility check and
• the client has completed an appropriate employment engagement and
• the client has agreed to their obligations and confirmed their intent to reapply and
• the client has declared no change of circumstances since their specific engagements, and
• the outcome is that the client continues to meet the qualifications for Jobseeker Support.

There are situations where a client or partner do not need to complete the reapplication process.

For more information see:

• Client does not need to complete the reapplication process

Clients aged 65 years or older who do not qualify for New Zealand Superannuation may get Jobseeker Support if they meet all of the qualifications.

For more information see:

• Reapplication process for clients aged 65 or older