Accommodation Benefit rates

Region	Current Rate	1 January 2018 rate (if changed)	Estimated rate from 1 April 2018
Auckland	$40		$60
Cambridge	$40		$54
Carterton	$39.50		No change
Dannevirke	$21.50	$26.50	No change
Dargaville	$34	$38	No change
Featherston	$28	$40	No change
Feilding	$36		No change
Foxton	$28.50	$33	No change
Gisborne	$40		No change
Greytown	$40		No change
Hamilton	$40		$49.50
Hastings	$40		$45
Havelock North	$40		$41
Hawera	$32	$35	No change
Hawke's Bay	$40		$41
Huntly	$36	$40	No change
Invercargill	$26.50		No change
Kaitaia	$33	$38.50	No change
Kapiti	$40		$57.50
Katikati	$40		$50.50
Kerikeri	$40		$41
Levin	$31	$32.50	No change
Marton	$22		No change
Masterton	$33.50	$38.50	No change
Matamata	$40		$45
Morrinsville	$40		$48.50
Mount Maunganui	$40		$41
Napier	$40		$46.50
New Plymouth	$40		$52.50
Northland	$40		$41
Opotiki	$23.50	$28	No change
Otaki	$40		$43
Otorohanga	$28.50	$38.50	No change
Paeroa	$40		No change
Palmerston North	$40		$40.50
Paparoa	$40		$41
Putaruru	$25.50	$31	No change
Rawene	$40		$41
Rotorua	$39.50	$40	No change
Stratford	$31.50	$33.50	No change
Taumarunui	$21.50	$25	No change
Taupo	$40		$45
Tauranga	$40		$58.50
Te Aroha	$40		$41
Te Awamutu	$40		$47.50
Te Kuiti	$31		No change
Te Puke	$40		No change
Thames	$40		$45
Tokoroa	$19		No change
Turangi	$24.50		No change
Waihi	$36.50	$40	No change
Waipawa	$24.50	$26.50	No change
Waipukurau	$29.50	$33.50	No change
Wairoa	$22.50	$25	No change
Waitara	$39.50	$40	No change
Warkworth (Puhoi)	$40		$60
Wellington	$40		$60
Wellsford	$40		$41
Whakatane	$40		$44.50
Whanganui	$27	$31	No change
Whangarei	$40		$43.50
Whitianga	$40		$49
Woodville	$29.50		No change

Region	Current rate	1 January 2018 rate (if changed)	Estimated rate from 1 April 2018
Arrowtown	$40		$60
Ashburton	$40		$46.50
Balclutha	$33.50		No change
Blenheim	$40		$41.50
Christchurch	$40		$60
Cromwell	$40		No change
Dunedin	$40		$51
Gore	$22.50	$27	No change
Greymouth	$40		$42
Hokitika	$31.50		No change
Invercargill	$26.50	$29	No change
Kaikoura	$40		No change
Motueka	$40		$49.50
Nelson	$40		$51.50
Oamaru	$37		No change
Picton	$40		No change
Queenstown	$40		$60
Timaru	$40		$41.50
Waimate	$31		No change
Wakefield	$40		$43
Wanaka	$40		$60
West Coast	$40		$41
Westport	$40		No change

If where you live isn't listed in the 'North Island' and 'South Island' tables, you'll currently get a rural rate of $40 a week.

From 1 April 2018, it's estimated that the rural rate will increase to $41 a week.

If you're a sole parent, we work out how much Accommodation Benefit you can get by using the same calculation we would for Accommodation Supplement.

This is based on:

• the Area you live in
• your accommodation costs
• your income
• your cash assets.

You also need to be paying at least:

• $106 a week for rent or board, or
• $127 a week for your home ownership costs, eg mortgage, rates, insurance.

The most you can get for an Accommodation Benefit is:

If you have:	And you live in:
	Area 1	Area 2	Area 3	Area 4
1 child	$160	$125	$75	$55
2+ children	$225	$165	$120	$75

Changes from 1 April 2018

From 1 April 2018, if you're getting an Accommodation Benefit, this payment may go up.

Places in New Zealand are allocated into 4 different Accommodation Supplement Areas based on their local housing costs, with Area 1 having the highest housing costs and Area 4 having the lowest.

From 1 April 2018:

• the maximum rates for all 4 Areas will go up
• some places will move into a different Accommodation Supplement Area.

This means, if you're getting an Accommodation Benefit:

• it may go up regardless of where you live
• if you live in a place that moves to a different Area, it could go up significantly.