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Student allowance : Contents

Income that is not personal income

Some types of income are not personal income for Student Allowance.

These include

  • a Christchurch mosques attack support payment (for study starting on or after 1 January 2021)
  • a Student Loan under the Student Loan Scheme Act 2011
  • Accommodation Supplement arrears received in a lump sum on or after 1 November 2016 (and any interest earned) due to a system processing error from 1993 to 2014, for the first 12 months after payment is made
  • assistance from parents or caregivers for single students under the age of 24 years without children
  • ACC payments made:
    • for a sensitive claim (except for any payments paid as weekly compensation for loss of earnings or potential earnings)
    • to replace the income of a former parent of the supported child of a student (or their partner)
    • under schedule 1 of the Accident Compensation Act 2001 as a lump sum for impairment
    • for the death of a parent to a single student, without children, under 24 years of age
  • an ex-gratia payment made by the Crown, in particular by MSD
  • any benefit, grant, allowance, bursary or payment received under the Veterans' Support Act 2014
  • any benefit or earnings received before starting the course
  • any loans with ordinary commercial conditions
  • any money the student earns during vacation periods when they are not getting a Student Allowance
  • family tax credits, including Best Start tax credits paid under the Income Tax Act 2007
  • for study starting on or after 1 January 2019, disability support payments made directly:
    • by or on behalf of the Crown
    • to a student or their partner (or a person on the student or their partner's behalf)
    • for the purpose of purchasing or obtaining Disability Support Services
  • income or interest generated by a superannuation scheme when the superannuation scheme has a lock-in clause
  • income received from work that is a prerequisite to the course
  • lump sum payments (not including scholarships, grants and bursaries)
  • Kāinga Ora energy subsidy
  • one-off gifts, winnings or prizes
  • payments intended as payment of tuition fees for a Student Allowance approved course
  • proceeds from the sale of a capital asset - e.g. the sale of a house
  • Payments of arrears to Special Benefit clients better off on Temporary Additional Support and income earned on the arrears for the first 12 months after the payment is made
  • Payments to clients whose Kāinga Ora tenancy was terminated due to methamphetamine contamination and income earned on the payment for the first 12 months after the payment is made
  • reimbursements received for work related expenses; e.g. an employer may reimburse an employee for such things as, meal and clothing expenses the employee incurs as part of their employment
  • severe weather event payments for the first 12 months from when payment is received (and any interest earned on the payment)
  • supplementary beneficiary assistance payments made under the Social Security Act 2018
  • Temporary Accommodation Assistance lump sum or weekly payments (ended 30 June 2025)
  • Temporary GST Assistance paid to Student Allowance recipients between 1 October 2010 and 1 April 2011
  • the following payments made under the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
  • the following scholarships:
  • the amount of a scholarship that is paid for tuition fees, under the terms and conditions of that scholarship
  • FamilyBoost Tax Credit payments for the first 12 months after payment is received

For more information see:

Best Start tax credit
Income that is personal income

Legislation

  • personal income (definition) regulation 2 Student Allowances Regulations 1998
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Kāinga Ora energy subsidy (also known as Winter Energy Study subsidy) is a subsidy paid by Kāinga Ora to an energy retailer for the supply of electricity to a person living in Kāinga Ora housing.

This subsidy is not included as:

Legislation

Ex gratia payments are made:

  • in recognition of harm experienced by the client and
  • without legal obligation or acceptance of liability

A claim for physical and/or mental injury suffered as a result of sexual abuse or sexual assault.

Supplementary beneficiary assistance payments are payments made under the Social Security Act 2018, but do not include main benefits. These payments are also known as Extra help.

These payments include, but are not limited to:

  • Accommodation Supplement
  • Child Disability Allowance
  • Childcare Subsidy
  • OSCAR subsidy
  • Disability Allowance
  • Funeral Grants
  • Home Help
  • Special Benefit
  • Temporary Accommodation Assistance (ended 30 June 2025)
  • Temporary Additional Support
  • Winter Energy Payment
  • Work Bonus
  • Orphan's Benefit
  • Unsupported Child's Benefit
  • Establishment Grants and/or a School and Year Start up payment paid to Unsupported Child's ...

Christchurch mosques attack support payment - a payment made from donations collected, or made for a person affected by the attack on 15 March 2019 on the Christchurch mosques.

These may include collections from:

  • web sites
  • businesses
  • employers
  • individuals
  • or by overseas governments

The Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 is also known as the Children's and Young People's Well-being Act 1989. It was previously known as the:

Payments made as part of:

A lump sum payment is a one-time or single payment. It does not include a series of payments that have been added together to make a single "lump sum" payment.

example a payment of arrears in a "lump sum" that represents a number of payments that would ordinarily have been made individually.

Any interest received from investing lumps sums must be declared and the interest will be counted as personal income.