Income Related Rent : Contents

• Introduction
• Formula for calculating rate of Income Related Rent
• Assessable income
  • Estimating and adjusting net weekly income
• Contributions from additional occupants
• Types of income
  • Benefit, New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans Pension payments
  • Getting Supported Living Payment for total blindness
  • Income of additional occupants
  • Working for Families Tax Credits
    • Determining portion of family tax credit to include
    • Minimum family tax credit
  • Child Support included as assessable income from 1 July 2023
  • Unsupported Childs Benefit excess payments
  • Ceasing employment
  • Dependent child's income
  • Honoraria, payments to board of trustee members or local body members
  • Retirement payments
  • Scholarships
  • Superannuation scheme contributions
  • Income considered on case by case basis
  • Other sources of income
  • Table of types of income
• Income from assets
  • Asset thresholds and formula to work out assessable income from assets
  • Assessable assets
  • Treatment of specific assets
    • Lump sum payment of an independence allowance
    • Lump sum for impairment
    • Cash assets gifted
    • Net equity
    • Net equity in former family home
    • Prepaid funeral expenses
    • Property not used as a home
  • Deprivation of income
    • Assessing the amount of deprived asset
    • Assessing the amount of deprived income
    • Examples of deprivation of income
• Household types and income thresholds
  • Children in the household type
• Applications for Income Related Rent
  • Accommodation Supplement or Accommodation Benefit
  • Client does not apply for Income Related Rent
  • Insufficient information to calculate Income Related Rent
    • Backdating Income Related Rent - application
      • Factors to consider when backdating
      • Period of the backdate
• Calculation of Income Related Rent
  • Calculating rate using Jobseeker Support rate
  • Calculating rate using household income
    • Examples of calculating the rate of Income Related Rent
  • Rent rate charged is different from calculated rate
    • Examples calculated rate greater than market rent
• Grandparented rate for Kāinga Ora clients
  • Abating cap
  • Non-abating cap
  • Ending grandparenting provision when client no longer eligible
• Shared housing and Income Related Rent
• Reviews of the rate of Income Related Rent
  • Child Support is assessable income from next review on or after 1 July 2023
  • Deciding if changes are permanent or temporary
    • Permanent change becomes a temporary change
    • Temporary change becomes a permanent change
  • Reviewing Income Related Rent following a permanent change
  • Date of change in circumstance
  • Notifying a new rate of Income Related Rent
    • Material difference to the rate of Income Related Rent
    • Housing provider actions new rent calculated
  • Clients must be given notice of rent increase - change in circumstances
  • Client must be given notice of rent increase - annual review
    • Increasing the rate of Income Related Rent to the market rent rate
      • Difference in notice periods given by housing providers
      • Service periods required for notices before increasing rents
    • Tenant has subsequent change but notice already issued
    • Frequency of rent change
    • Housing provider gives a 60-day notice period
    • Insufficient information to calculate a correct rate
    • Calculating new rate for client paying market rent
    • Examples of notice periods for housing provider to increase the rent
  • Overpayment of benefit 
    • Example of reviewing the rate of Income Related Rent from an earlier date
  • When the rent is decreased 
    • Examples of decreasing the rent
  • Refunds and backdating a rate of Income Related Rent during a review
    • Backdating where a lower rate was appropriate - at review
    • Relevant information was subsequently provided - at review
    • Unreasonable to expect the information to have been provided earlier
    • Examples of backdating - at review
    • Deciding who the refund should be paid to
      • Refunds - paying to the client
      • Refunds - paying to the housing provider
      • Refunds - paying to client and the housing provider
      • Refunds - paying to joint tenants
• Change in circumstances
• Changes and Reviews - Income Related Rent
  • Absence from New Zealand
  • Annual review of Income Related Rent
    • Annual review process
      • Next scheduled review date
        • Examples of annual review periods
  • Change in additional occupant contributions
  • Change in assessable income
  • Annual general adjustment and assessable income
  • Change to people in the household type
  • Child changes in circumstances
  • Client advises change of circumstances of another tenant
  • Client no longer requires a particular property
  • Client no longer wants a rate of Income Related Rent calculated
  • Clients with suspended or expired benefit records
  • Death of a client
  • Ending Income Related Rent or Income Related Rent Subsidy
  • Hospitalisation or rest home care
  • Imprisonment
  • Leaving a tenancy or changes to a tenancy
  • Mismatch of additional occupant contributions and accommodation costs
  • Reviews and Appeals
    • Review of decision - three stage process
    • Appeals to the Social Security Appeal Authority
      • Appeal Authority Process
    • When to advise a client of their right to review
    • Who can apply for a review or appeal
    • Client wishes to withdraw application for review
    • Review of decision for Income Related Rent debts

Related information

Benefit rates

Superannuation rates

Employment and training

Your rights and responsibilities

Help from Work and Income

Finding work