Imprisonment
Generally, when a Supported Living Payment client is imprisoned or detained in custody, they are no longer entitled to receive the Supported Living Payment.
Supported Living Payment should stop from the day following the date of imprisonment.
MSD must decide whether to suspend or cancel the benefit after considering the likely period in prison and whether the client has a partner and or dependent children or whether someone else will care for the person temporarily.
In some circumstances Supported Living Payment can continue when the client is imprisoned.
Care and protection concerns
If a sole caregiver is remanded in custody and/or sentenced to a term of imprisonment, the case must be referred to Oranga Tamariki.
In other situations, if MSD believes any child has been, or is likely to be, harmed (physically, emotionally or sexually), ill-treated, abused, neglected, deprived or MSD has concerns about the wellbeing of the child, the case must be referred to Oranga Tamariki.
For more information see:
Legislation
- Factors affecting benefit: custody in prison or on remand section 217-218 Social Security Act 2018
