Some examples of Student Allowance payments
Here are some examples of Student Allowance payments for students in different situations. Not everyone gets the same amount from the Student Allowance.
It depends on your circumstances – like your personal income, how much your parents earn, whether you’re living at home or not and whether you have any brothers and sisters who are also studying.
Please note: These examples give approximate estimates of the financial assistance available for students and are fictional. Rates of payments can change.
Use the Student Allowance Rate Calculator to check how much you could get, and the What You Can Get tool to check whether you may be eligible for the Student Allowance.
Rachel
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RACHEL Her parents' combined income is $85,000 and they live in Palmerston North, so Rachel can stay at home while she's studying and save on costs. Her parents' combined income is too high and this means she won't get any Student Allowance. Rachel is keeping her part-time job which pays $100 a week so she can cover some of the other expenses of her course through the year, and have a bit of extra cash for going out with friends. She has decided not to apply for the living costs component of the Student Loan. |
Aroha
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AROHA Her parents' combined income is $68,000 and they live in Gisborne. She's got two older brothers (18 and 19 years) who are studying full-time and dependent on their parents. This means that her parents' income threshold is reduced by $7,000 for each dependent child under 24 years of age. Because Aroha will be living away from home, she'll be able to get a weekly Student Allowance of approximately $170, plus the accommodation benefit for Auckland which is $40. Luckily, Aroha's family are helping to cover her fees so she doesn't need to take out a Student Loan. She will, however, be getting a part-time job to help with the rent - accommodation in Auckland is expensive! |
Matthew
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MATTHEW He has two younger sisters - both still at primary school and are too young to be considered for the $7,000 exemption from his parents' income. Matthew's dad died when he was young and his mum is currently on a benefit. Matthew's mum earns $15,856 before tax. She will need to complete a One Parent application form. Matthew has applied for a Student Allowance and will receive $137.47 weekly after tax. He will not receive an Accommodation Benefit because he is living at home. He's going to apply for a Student Loan to cover his course fees of $3,000 and $500 for course-related costs. Matthew also has a part-time job which gives him an extra $80 each week. |
Sam
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SAM His parents' combined income is $90,000 and he lives in Blenheim. Because Sam's parents earn more than the income threshold he does not qualify for a Student Allowance. As this is Sam's first year away from home, he has decided to stay at one of the Halls of Residence in Dunedin. His family are going to help him pay the $1,500 deposit and weekly accommodation costs. Sam will apply for a Student Loan of $4,000 to pay his course fees and course-related costs. Sam will also visit Student Job Search when he arrives in Dunedin to get a part-time job, so he can reduce the amount he needs to borrow and to assist with his living costs. |
