Student allowance : Contents

• Introduction
• Background
• Legal framework - Student Allowances Scheme
  • Statutes
• Eligibility and Entitlement
  • Applications
  • Age
    • Students aged 16-23 years
      • Completed year 13 or attained at level 3 NCEA, 42 credits or more
    • Students aged 24 years and over
    • Secondary students aged 16 or 17 years
    • Secondary students aged 18 years and over
    • Age restriction - 65 years
      • Students who are independent of their parents
  • Student with a partner
    • De facto relationship
    • Relationship changes
    • Recognised relationship changes
    • Student couple - both eligible
    • Student couple - one eligible
    • Student couple earning not more than $552.22 per week
    • Student couple earning between $552.22 and $1,150.00 per week
    • Partner studying
  • Definition of parent
    • Person acting in place of a parent
    • Caregivers and legal guardians
  • Independent Circumstances Allowance
    • Family breakdown
    • Transitioning from Youth Payment
  • One parent application
  • Residency - Student Allowances
    • Three years living in New Zealand
    • Family member of someone affected by the Christchurch mosques attack
    • Refugees
    • Protected person
  • Students in prison
  • Paid practical work 
  • Income
    • Income limits
    • Income that is personal income
      • Income from boarders
      • Business income
        • Rental property income
      • Commission
      • Free accommodation in lieu of income
      • Holiday pay
      • Superannuation funds
      • Investments
      • Income from a trust
      • Scholarships
        • Merit grants
        • NZQA Scholarship Monetary Awards
          • Study and residency criteria
          • Application process
          • Payment of awards
            • Withdrawals, postponements, failures, transfers and part-time study
              • Reasons beyond student's control
      • Redundancy payments
    • Income that is not personal income
    • Deprivation of income
    • Assessing employment pay periods
    • Partner's income
      • Partner getting a benefit
    • Parental income
      • Income that is parental income
      • Income that is not parental income
      • Assessment of parental income
      • Overseas income
      • Parents supporting other dependent students
      • Parents living in separate households
      • Reassessment of parental income (RPI)
  • Sole parents
  • Supported child
  • Other Government assistance
  • Recognised Programmes
    • Trimester 3 (summer school) study
    • Programmes not recognised
  • Extramural study
  • Study overseas
  • Full-time study
    • Full-time secondary school
    • Full-time tertiary
    • Limited full-time study
      • Illness of the student
      • There is sufficient cause that is outside the student's control
      • The course of study is 'in the student's academic best interests'
      • Student will complete a recognised programme they previously commenced but did not complete and are undertaking 'more than half of a full-time course'
  • Performance requirement - passing more than half 
    • How passing more than half is calculated
    • Effect of withdrawal or reduction of course
    • Failure for reasons beyond a student's control
    • Reinstatement of entitlement
    • Change of course
    • Postponement
      • Effect of postponement on payments
      • Non completion of postponed part of course
    • Transferring students
  • Meeting course requirements
    • Failure to attend because of injury or sickness
  • The 92 week limit for secondary school study
  • The 120/200 week limit for tertiary study
    • Special circumstances
    • Previous study assistance
    • Recognised Long Programmes
    • Retraining for employment in programmes of national interest
  • Refund of payments after withdrawal
• Accommodation Benefit
  • Standard rates of Accommodation Benefit
    • Overseas study - Accommodation Benefit
    • Hostel - Accommodation Benefit
    • Clinical placement or block courses - Accommodation Benefit
    • Grandparented Accommodation Benefit payments
      • Grandparented late applications for study assistance
    • Grandparenting ends - Accommodation Benefit
    • Resuming grandparenting in the same study application period
    • Continuation periods
  • Sole parent rate of Accommodation Benefit
  • Market rent or outgoings
  • Living with a parent
• Obligations, offences and penalties
  • Student, education provider and third party obligations
  • Offences and penalties
• Payments
  • Tax codes
  • Courses spanning two calendar years
  • Extension of payment period
  • Breaks in tuition (study breaks) - when Student Allowances can continue being paid
  • Living away from home rate
  • Extra assistance for students
  • Reviewing entitlement to a Student Allowance
    • Debt write-off
    • Student, partner or supported child dies
• Reviews and Appeals
  • Statutory reviews
  • Administrative reviews
  • Appeals
    • Student Allowance appeals
• Deductions from Student Allowances
  • Debt recovery
• Student Allowances may not be assigned

Related information

Benefit rates

Superannuation rates

Employment and training

Your rights and responsibilities

Help from Work and Income

Finding work