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Bin Enquiry FormAs the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown continues in New Zealand, there is a risk that some households will come under financial stress and struggle to meet their accommodation costs. For some, this could mean that they cannot afford to pay their rates.
The Government has two main options for supporting homeowners with their rates payments:
While the Rates Rebates Scheme can be applied for at the end of a rating year, the Accommodation Supplement is open for applications now. The below provides some key points on the AS as a reference to help you on your discussions with rate payers.
The Accommodation Supplement (AS) is the Government’s primary assistance mechanism to help people with their accommodation costs. This assistance contributes towards the costs of rent, board and owning a home. It is administered by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) through Work and Income.
For homeowners, the AS is a non-taxable, weekly payment that enables the following accommodation costs to be claimed:
Other costs that can be claimed for are:
To be eligible for AS, applicants need to:
People do not need to receive a main benefit to be eligible for the AS. If a person’s income is below the threshold, they can apply as a non-beneficiary to receive the AS to complement their income. Non-beneficiaries will have to meet both an asset and income test. The asset test is the same as for beneficiaries.
MSD have an online eligibility test.
The amount of AS payment that an applicant might receive will depend on the homeowners’:
The entry thresholds and maximum payment rates vary depending on an applicant’s personal circumstances. The entry threshold is the amount of money that an applicant is expected to contribute towards their housing costs before they would receive an AS.
The application form for homeowners need to fill out varies depends on what assistance payments they already receive, if any.
Homeowners seeking assistance can apply online through Work and Income.
For more information, check out the Government support for homeowners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic factsheet.