skip to navigation skip to main content
StudyLink
  • A-Z
  • Forms

  • Home
  • Starting study
  • In study
  • Returning to study
  • Finished studying
  • Home
  • Search
  • Login
  • Menu
  • Menu
  • Online Services
    • Your RealMe login
      • Manage your RealMe account
      • Forgotten username or password
    • MyStudyLink
      • What you can do in MyStudyLink
      • Can’t log in to MyStudyLink
    • Apply
      • First-time students
      • Returning application in MyStudyLink
      • Apply in MyStudyLink
      • Help with applying online
      • Information you'll need
      • Help with filling in the online form
      • Documents supporting your application
      • Verifying copies of original documents
      • How to send us your documents
      • Application status in MyStudyLink
      • When do payments start
    • Eligibility test
      • What the test assesses you for
      • Eligibility test disclaimer and privacy information
  • Starting study
    • How StudyLink works
    • Thinking about study
      • What and where to study
      • Your costs while studying
      • How to pay for study
      • Scholarships
      • Moving from benefit to study
      • Information for parents
    • What's available
      • Student Allowance
      • Student Loan
      • Extra help
      • Help for partners
      • On a benefit
      • Studying part-time
      • Studying overseas
      • Coming to NZ to study
    • Apply
    • Student Allowance
    • Student Loan
  • In study
    • Change in circumstances
      • Age changes
      • Address and contact details
      • Bank account
      • Cancel your loan
      • Change course or programme
      • Change papers
      • Children in your care
      • Going overseas
      • Change living costs
      • Relationships
      • Tax code
      • Change education provider
    • Childcare
      • Absent from childcare
      • Change in hours
      • Change in reason you get payment
      • Child moves providers
      • Child no longer in your care
      • Start or stop 20 hours ECE
      • Continuing pre-school childcare
      • Continuing childcare when your child's at school
      • Extending childcare
      • Moving to OSCAR
      • Add a child
      • Stop payments
      • Child stops childcare
      • Study, work or training
      • Teacher only day
    • Debt
      • Pay from overseas
      • Pay from NZ
    • Urgent or unexpected costs
      • Bond and rent arrears
      • Car repairs
      • Dental treatment
      • Food grant
      • Glasses
      • Power, gas, water bills
      • Whiteware
    • Income
      • Student Allowance
      • Student Loan
      • Childcare
      • Extra help
      • Jobseeker Support Student Hardship
      • Parents income
    • Study details
      • Break between study
      • Change study dates
      • Claim course related costs
      • Drop papers
      • Extending your study
      • Jobseeker Support Student Hardship obligations
      • Not meeting course requirements
      • Pick up papers
      • Student Allowance obligations
      • Student Loan obligations
      • Summer school
      • Unpaid work or research
      • Withdraw
      • Working while studying
  • Returning to study
    • Continue from last semester
    • Took a study break
    • Postgraduate study
    • Returning application
  • Finished studying
    • Help when you finished study
    • What happens to your loan
    • More study
    • Starting work
  • Payments and rates
    • A-Z of payments
      • Student Allowance
      • Student Loan
    • Rates
    • Calculators
  • Forms
  • Glossary
  • About StudyLink
    • Contact us
      • Phone numbers
      • Send evidence
    • News
    • Glossary
    • Our services
      • Appointments
      • Cheap as data
      • Death of a student
      • How StudyLink works
      • About us
    • Agents
    • Complaints
  • About this site
    • Access keys
    • Privacy, disclaimer and copyright information
    • Online security
    • Site map
    • Change font size
Home / Payments and rates / A-Z of payments / Jobseeker Support Student Hardship

Products

  • A-Z of payments
    • Student Allowance
    • Student Loan
  • Rates
  • Calculators

Jobseeker Support Student Hardship

Jobseeker Support Student Hardship is a weekly payment to help with your living expenses during a study break of more than 3 weeks.

Important information

If you're studying, apply 4 weeks before your break starts to help get your correct payments on time.

  • Who can get it

    You have to:

    • be aged either:
      • 18 or older if you do not have dependant children
      • 20 or older if you have dependant children
      • If you're 16 or 17 you may still be able to get it, call us to discuss your situation
    • be either:
      • a New Zealand citizen
      • ordinarily resident in New Zealand while:
        • holding a residence class visa
        • you've been living in New Zealand for at least 2 years
    • be actively looking for full-time work (at least 30 hours a week), unless you have a health condition
    • be registered for work with Student Job Search or Work and Income
    • be intending to study full-time within the next 16 weeks
    • have no other way to financially support yourself.

    It also depends on any income or assets you and your partner have.

    Assets don’t include what you need for day to day living, eg your home or your car. They do include money in the bank, or things like a caravan or a second property.

    If you are: Your assets are worth less than
    single $4,300
    have a partner or child $7,464

    Not getting Student Allowance

    If you didn't get Student Allowance before your break and you can't get one when you go back to study after your break, we'll also look at:

    • why you either:
      • didn't get a Student Allowance
      • won't get a Student Allowance for your next lot of study
    • your parents' financial situation, if you couldn't get an allowance because their income was too high
    • what income you have available to you
    • if you can cover your living expenses
    • anything else that's relevant.

    Obligations

    There are also obligations that you and your partner need to meet.

    Jobseeker Support Student Hardship obligations
    Jobseeker Support Student Hardship partner's obligations
  • What you can get

    How much you get depends on your situation.

    Jobseeker Support Student Hardship rates

    You can still earn income while you're getting this payment. How much is deducted depends on what you earn.

    Jobseeker Support Student Hardship income deduction tables

    When you get Jobseeker Support Student Hardship you'll also automatically be paid the Winter Energy Payment over the winter months.

    Winter Energy Payment
  • How to apply

    Have MyStudyLink

    If you have MyStudyLink you need to:

    • login
    • select "apply for financial assistance"
    • complete a new eligibility test
    • submit an application.
    
    MyStudyLink

    Don't have MyStudyLink

    If you don't have MyStudyLink, you'll need to:

    • set up a RealMe login
    • log in to apply online as a first time student
    • complete a new eligibility test
    • submit an application.

    Not getting Student Allowance

    If you didn't get Student Allowance before your break:

    • but you've had it in the last year, you need to complete a returning application online in MyStudyLink for a Student Allowance.
    • and you haven't had it in the last year, you need to follow the instructions on how to apply under the heading 'Have MyStudyLink' or 'Don't have MyStudyLink'.

    If you didn't get Student Allowance before your break and you can't get one after your break, you also need to fill out the Jobseeker Support Student Hardship Additional Hardship form.

    linksJobseeker Support Student Hardship Additional Hardship form (PDF 199.98KB)
  • What happens next

    If you’re applying for the first time, you’ll need to send us evidence of your:

    • date of birth (eg, birth certificate or passport) unless you have a RealMe verified identity
    • residency (eg, passport or citizenship papers)
    • bank account number, eg. your bank statement, screenshot of your online banking (showing your name, account number and the bank's logo), or deposit slip
    • name change (eg, your marriage certificate or deed poll papers).
    Order a Birth or Marriage Certificate online

    These documents must be verified copies and you can upload them in Connect

    Once we’ve processed your application, we'll let you know if we need any other documents from you, eg, evidence of your:

    • income
    • partner’s income
    • cash assets.

    If you have a partner, they'll need to complete a Jobseeker Support Student Hardship Partner's form.

    linksJobseeker Support Student Hardship Partner's form (PDF 391.93KB)
  • Payment

    Usually you receive your first payment in the third week of your break. This can be later if you received holiday or redundancy pay.

    This is because you usually have a 1 week stand-down (a period of time where you can't get a benefit payment) and we make payments 1 week in arrears.

    Example

    Your course finishes this week so:

    • you'll get your last payment of Student Allowance or Student Loan living costs next week.
    • the following week you won't get any money.
    • the week after you'll get your first payment of Jobseeker Support Student Hardship.

    If you have a partner or a child and you need help during the week you don't get any money, you may be able to get a Student Allowance Transfer Grant

    When your break finishes, you’ll get your last payment a week later (so in the first week of your course).

    How payments are made

    Jobseeker Support Student Hardship is paid weekly, based on how many days you're entitled to it for that week.

    If you have a change in circumstances that affects your entitlement, you may not get a full week's payment.

    Example

    You've gone overseas for a holiday and return to New Zealand on a Wednesday. Your first payment, which is paid to you the week after, will be for Wednesday-Sunday.

    • Your full weekly payment is normally $213.10.
    • You're only getting paid for 5 days of the week so you'll get $152.21.
    • You'll get your full weekly payment again the following week if nothing else changes.
  • Getting Jobseeker Support Student Hardship and your circumstances changes

    If you're getting Jobseeker Support Student Hardship and your circumstances change, you need to let us know. If you don't let us know, you may get a debt.

    Jobseeker Support Student Hardship change in circumstances

linksRelated links

Other help you can get
Jobseeker Support Student Hardship obligations
Order a Birth or Marriage Certificate online

How we can help

  • Starting study
  • In study
  • Returning to study
  • Finished studying

Online services

  • Eligibility test
  • MyStudyLink
  • Declare income

About

  • About StudyLink
  • About this site
  • Access keys
  • Privacy, disclaimer and copyright

Contact us

  • How to contact us
  • Facebook
Ministry of Social Development logo govt.nz - connecting you to New Zealand central & local government services shielded