Information for parents

If your child is under 18 when they apply for their Student Loan, you need to sign the contract to show you agree to your child getting a loan for:

• compulsory course fees
• course-related costs
• living costs.

Signing the contract doesn't mean you are responsible for taking out and repaying the loan, only that you agree to them getting it.

Once you have agreed to this, you can’t take back your consent.

If your child applies for Student Allowance, how much they get will depend on your income if:

• they're under 24
• they don't have children.

How your income affects the Student Allowance

If your joint earnings are more than $72,108.92 a year before tax, the rate your child can get for Student Allowance goes down.

They can't get a Student Allowance if your joint earnings while they study are more than:

• $131,670.35 if they live with you
• $141,451.55 if they don't live with you.

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

• $7,000 a year before tax for each other student you're financially supporting 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 you live in a separate household from your child’s other parent.

What's counted as income

We look at your total annual income. This is more than just taxable income, e.g. money from businesses and trusts.

What you need to do

1. Fill out a Parents' form:
   • if you have more than one child studying at the same time, you can complete one form for all children.
   • if your accountant or tax agent fills out the income table, they will need to give us their details and sign the declaration
2. Get evidence of your income (the form will tell you what to provide)
   • if your accountant or tax agent fills out the income table and gives us their details, you won't need to do this
3. Log in to Connect and upload your form and evidence.

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Your child only has a relationship with 1 parent

In some circumstances, if your child only has a relationship with 1 parent, we'll just use that parent's income to work out how much Student Allowance your child can get.

Jobseeker Support Student Hardship  

If a young person is 18- or 19- years old and applying for Jobseeker Support Student Hardship or an equivalent Emergency Benefit, they may need to complete a Parental Assistance Test. 

The Parental Assistance Test helps us understand: 

• if you can support a young person financially, or
• if there are reasons a young person cannot reasonably rely on support from you.  

We use this information to check whether a young person is eligible for support. 

Providing information does not automatically mean a young person will qualify for support. We'll consider all relevant information before making a decision.