Student Allowance when you have 2 parents

If your parents' joint earnings are more than $68,413.80 a year before tax, the rate you get for Student Allowance goes down.

You can't get a Student Allowance if their joint earnings while you study are more than:

• $124,922.46 if you live with them
• $134,204.31 if you don't live with them.

What we assess as your parents' joint earnings will be reduced by:

• $7,000 a year before tax if they already financially support other students who are:
  • aged 16-23
  • studying full-time in New Zealand at secondary school or an approved education provider
• $3,400 a year before tax if they live in separate houses.

What you need to do

Apply online for a Student Allowance (if you haven't already).

Parents' form and income evidence

Your parents will need to fill out a Parents’ form and provide evidence of their income. The Parents’ form will be sent out to you after you’ve applied online, or you can download it.

You can upload and send us the form and income evidence online using Connect.

Parents' income changes during study

If your parents' income changes, it may affect your Student Allowance.

Parents want to contact us on your behalf

If you want your parents to be able to contact us on your behalf, you need to fill out a form to appoint them as your agent.

If you haven't appointed them as your agent, they can't access any of your information with us, even if you're under 18. We can only give them information about their part of your application. For example, their income evidence or Parents' form.

If you have more than 2 parents

We look at the income of whichever parents give you the most emotional and financial support. If you have more than 2 parents (eg your birth parents and an adoptive parent), then we look at the income of whichever 2 parents support you the most out of these.