Parental Support Gap

A young person may have a Parental Support Gap when there is a reason they cannot reasonably be expected to rely on a parent for financial support. A young person may have a Parental Support Gap when:

• they cannot get financial support from their parent or
• it is unsafe for them to expect or get financial support from their parent or
• it is not reasonable for them to expect financial support from their parent

If a Parental Support Gap exists with a parent, that parent is not an applicable parent for the Parental Income Test. A young person may have a Parental Support Gap with more than 1 parent at a time.

Generally, when a young person has a Parental Support Gap with a parent, they must declare their circumstances to MSD and provide suitable evidence. If the evidence provided verifies the young person's declaration, MSD will determine that a Parental Support Gap exists.

There are two situations where it has already been established that a young person cannot reasonably be expected to rely on their parents for financial support. This is when:

• another person was paid Orphans Benefit or Unsupported Childs Benefit for them until they turned 18, or until the end of the school year in which they turned 18
• they were in the care of Oranga Tamariki and are, or were, eligible for Transition Support Services

When a young person is in one of these situations, suitable evidence is not required. MSD will be satisfied that a Parental Support Gap exists.