Grandparented Accommodation Benefit payments
The change to the calculation of the standard rate of Accommodation Benefit means some students will get less Accommodation Benefit on 1 January 2023.
Students will be grandparented their current rate of Accommodation Benefit if they will get a lower standard rate of Accommodation Benefit from 1 January 2023 compared to 31 December 2022 (within a current study application). The grandparented rate will end when the current study application period ends, or they have a change in circumstances which ends their eligibility.
This will affect students who:
- are getting, or were eligible to get, the maximum rate of $60 on 31 December 2022, but their new Territorial Authority rate is less than the maximum rate from 1 January 2023 or
- move to a lower standard rate of Accommodation Benefit due to their SAL regions splitting into different Territorial Authorities on 1 January 2023
Example - New Territorial Authority rate is less than the student's current rate of Accommodation Benefit
Rawiri is an extramural student at Waikato University.
Rawiri's study application period is 11 July 2022 to 9 April 2023, he is getting a Student Allowance and, based on his rural residential address, a standard rate of Accommodation Benefit paid at the rural rate.
On 1 January 2023 the standard rate of Accommodation Benefit is mapped to Territorial Authorities.
Rawiri's residential address now comes under the Opotiki District Territorial Authority, and the rate of Accommodation Benefit is now lower.
However, as Rawiri is within the same study application, he will get the grandparented rate for his residential address until he has a change in circumstances or his current application ends (whichever is first).
