Young Parent Payment

A payment for taiohi who are bringing up children

If you’re aged 16 – 19 and you’re responsible for a child, you might be able to get a Young Parent Payment towards your living costs.

Who can get it?

You may be able to get the payment if you’re bringing up your own child, or if you’re supporting whānau like brothers, sisters or cousins.

To get the payment, you must be either:

16 or 17 years old and living with parents who can get family tax credit, or
16 or 17, and you can’t live at home or get help with money from anyone, and
16 to 19 and bringing up a child.

If you haven’t got a child but you can’t live at home, you may be able to get a Youth Payment to cover your living expenses.

Youth Payment

How it works

The amount of money you’ll get depends on your circumstances, but you can check the current rates at the Work and Income website.

Young parent payment: Current rates

In most cases, your rent and bills will be paid for you, and you’ll be given a weekly allowance of up to $50. Any money left after this will be put on a payment card you can use to buy food, groceries and essentials like stationery for school or baby clothes.

Caring for your child

Your youth coach will support you to build a great life for your child. We’ll send you on a parenting course as soon as there’s a space. Your payment will increase by $10 per week if you:

have been enrolled in the youth service for at least 3 months,
complete the parenting course,
keep your child’s Well Child/Tamariki Ora checks up to date,
make sure your child is enrolled with a public health provider, and
make sure your child is enrolled in a childcare programme when it’s time for you to go back into education.

This is called a parenting incentive.

Payment card

A payment card is a bit like an Eftpos card. We load money onto it, and you can use it to buy things you need, like food, toiletries, stationery for school or baby clothes. You can use your card in shops that have registered with us to accept it.

The money on your card won’t expire and can be saved up. If at the end of your time with Youth Service you have money left on your payment card, we can transfer the balance (over $10) back into your bank account.

If a hardship payment is added to your card, you need to spend it within three days or it will expire.

The Work and Income website has more information about payment cards, like where and how you can use them.

Payment cards