Carer Support

disabilitysupport.govt.nz
How to access Carer Support
The purpose of Carer Support is to enable full time carers to have a break from their caring role.
You are a full time carer if you provide more than 4 hours per day unpaid care to a disabled person. For example, you may be the parent of a disabled person. 
Carer Support may be used to:
  • make certain purchases
  • contribute to the costs of engaging a support person to care and support a disabled person while you have a break
  • contribute to the costs of some activities where this gives you a break.
This information is about Carer Support for disabled people who are supported by Disability Support Services.
Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora also provides a Carer Support Subsidy for carers of people with health-related conditions. More information can be found on their website: Carer Support Subsidy – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora external external  
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What is Carer Support?
Carer Support is a subsidy that can be used to provide a full-time carer a break from their caring role. It contributes to the costs of care and support for a disabled person, including making some purchases.
You are considered a full time Carer if you provide more than 4 hours a day of unpaid care to a disabled person. For example, you may be the parent of a disabled person. 
Carer Support is accessed through your local Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) organisation.
NASCs are responsible for determining whether a disabled person is eligible for DSS-funded supports. Eligible people will have a needs assessment and may be allocated disability supports, including Carer Support.
The amount of Carer Support that is allocated will depend on your needs and those of the person you support. 
While Carer Support is allocated, by the NASC, in days, it can be treated as a whole budget for the year.

How can you use Carer Support?
Carer Support funding is governed by the DSS Purchasing Rules. These rules aim to give flexibility to disabled people and carers, while ensuring funding is being used for the purposes that it was allocated. These rules aim to give flexibility to disabled people and carers, while ensuring funding is being used for the purposes that it was allocated.
Understanding these rules will help you make the most of your Carer Support funding. 
Flexibility and person-led choice are key to Carer Support. When making a claim or thinking of using your Carer Support funding you should first consider "will this provide the full time Carer with a break?"  
You can use your Carer Support as a total budget, and not just as the rate per allocated day. What this means is you can take the number of days you are allocated funding, times the daily amount to figure out your total Carer Support budget.
For example, Lisa is allocated 28 days at a rate of $80 per day. Lisa's total Carer Support budget is therefore 28 x $80 = $2,240 for the year.

What you can and cannot claim for You can claim for: 
  • A contribution to the costs of substitute caring whilst the full-time carer takes a break.  
  • Expenses that are a necessary part of supporting the disabled person while the full-time carer takes a break.  
  • One-off purchases of: 
  1. Tablet devices. 
  2. Noise cancelling headphones. 
  3. Sensory items (such as fidget spinners etc.)   
  4. Weighted blankets. 
You cannot claim for: 
  • Purchases of items as a form of delivering respite, except those listed above. 
  • Self-care services such as massages, pedicures and other appearance or therapeutic care that are not for the direct benefit of the disabled person. 
  • All expenses that are not a necessary part of supporting the disabled person while the full-time Carer is taking a break. 
  • Gifts and other forms of recognition for support provided voluntarily. 
  • Travel related costs for disabled people, whānau, and/or persons providing support, including: 
  1. Accommodation.
  2. Overseas and domestic travel. 
  3. Food.
For more details, check out the frequently asked questions at the bottom of the Disability Support page. 

Carer Support forms
Your local NASC will decide whether you can make a claim for Carer Support. 
Our partner Health New Zealand processes claims.
From 14 July 2025, unless requested, Health NZ is no longer sending claim forms out by post to Carer Support claimants.
The change doesn’t affect the Carer Support claiming process or the way Carer Support claimants can apply.
You can still make claims by either: Download a blank carer support form (PDF 282 KB) to fill out.
You can request physical forms from the Carer Support team by phone (0800 855 066) or email: [email protected]. 

How to make a claim
There  are a couple of ways you can make your claim to our partner Health New Zealand.
By emailSending your claim by email will help it be processed more quickly. Completed Carer Support forms can be sent by email to [email protected].
To do this you can either:
  • Download and print a form from the link above, or
  • Download and complete a form on your computer (electronic signatures are accepted if you submit the form electronically).
If you are using a printed form, you can:
  • scan it (if you do not have a scanner at home, your local library can help you do this), or
  • take a photo of it.
By postYou can mail your Carer Support claim form to Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora at:
Private Bag 1942,
Dunedin 9054
If you have additional paperwork to include with your claim, such as receipts, we suggest using an envelope. This is a reply paid address, so you don’t need a stamp.
If you have questions about the claiming process, you can contact the Carer Support team on 0800 855 066 or email [email protected].

How long does a claim take to process?
Processing times can vary depending on the volume of claims received. A correctly filled-in form should take about 10 working days to process from the time it is received.
Please call Te Whatu Ora Contact Centre, Carer Support team on 0800 855 066 or email [email protected] if you have an enquiry regarding your claim. 

​Tips for filling in your form correctly
When submitting your form, it is important to complete it correctly so that it gets approved the first time.
This checklist will help you submit your claim form correctly. 
Please ensure:
  • Your photo or scan is clear and easy to read. If images are blurry, we may not be able to process it.
  • You have included the entire form in the photo/scan. If parts of the form are missing, for example the bottom is cut off, we will not be able to process it.
  • The claim form is both signed and dated.
  • The information you have provided is correct. 
  • You have included identifying information – including the disabled person’s client name, client ID and full time Carer name. 
  • The disabled person’s client information (carer name and/or ID) is in the subject line of your email, not just on the form. For example, if you are sending in a bank account verification, we need to understand which client this account is relevant for. Please don't assume just your email address is sufficient. 
  • You send everything together in one email. This means the claim form and any supporting documentation needs to be sent in one email. Multiple emails add time and means your claim will take longer to process. 
  • One file format is ideal. Sometimes we receive in one email jpegs, word docs and pdfs. This adds to the time we need to process. Our preference is pdf. 
  • You send your claim to the correct email address: [email protected]. 
  • If you are mailing in your claim form with receipts or other support documentation, it’s a good idea to put it in an envelope so it doesn't get lost. You just write our postage paid details on it. No stamp required. 
Ensuring you have considered all these tips enables easier and quicker processing of your claims.   
TaxPayments to people for caring for your disabled family member using Carer Support may be treated as part of their overall income and will depend on their individual circumstances. Inland Revenue has information about income tax for Carer Support payments on their website: Inland Revenue - Carer Support payments external
You may wish to seek advice about tax issues from:

Individualised Funding 

disabilitysupport.govt.nz
Individualised Funding (IF) is person-directed funding from Disability Support Services where you can purchase your own disability supports.
What is Individualised Funding (IF)?IF is a type of person-directed funding from Disability Support Services which gives disabled people and their family/whānau more choice in how they are supported to live their lives. It is available throughout New Zealand for eligible people who have been assessed to receive either:
IF increases your choice and control about who provides this support, and how, and when you use it. Your options range from engaging support workers to directly work with you and the person in your care, or choosing purchases which support you living a good life. 
What you can use IF forWorking with a host, we want to make sure you feel confident to use your funding in the best way, so here are some guidelines to help. 
You can use IF to:
  • Get help with household management and the personal care of the disabled person by engaging a support worker (these can include family members, contracted people or organisations) and pay costs relating to engaging support workers
  • Take a break through engaging a support worker or other suitable alternatives so that the full-time carer can have time out and the disabled person can enjoy doing something away from the full-time carer while they take a break. 
For information on how you can use your funding please view the Purchasing Rules which are available on our Purchasing Guidance page.
  • The Purchasing Rules have been updated (from 18 March 2024) so please check them carefully.
It's worth noting your funding cannot be used for illegal activities, gambling, alcohol or things that are not disability supports, such as health services provided by a hospital or income support.
IF also doesn’t cover costs related to medical supplies, equipment, home renovations, and personal or family costs.
Who can get IF?IF is something you need to have an assessment for, so contact the Needs Assessment and Service Coordination provider nearest you to talk about this funding.
You can get IF when you:
  • are eligible for Disability Support Services
  • have talked to a NASC to see whether IF is suitable for you
  • have been allocated a support that you are allowed to manage using IF.
What is an IF host?Your IF Host does a number of things to support you including:
  • helping you understand IF
  • helping you learn how to organise, set up and manage your supports
  • administering payments for the support services
  • helping you manage your responsibilities – this includes reporting back to them on the support hours you have used, so that they can be paid for
  • advising you if something that you want to purchase meets the Purchasing Guidance.
Your IF Host must also check that the service is working well and report back to Disability Support Services about it.
Depending on your level of confidence to manage your IF, you may also want your IF Host to be responsible for recruiting, training and paying your support workers and possibly managing the legal aspects of your service. Some IF Hosts will be able to do this for an extra fee they set and you pay. 
IF is all about flexibility and support that works for you so when you talk to your Host organisation, make sure you talk to them about how they can support you. You are under no obligation to use them for all their services.
What is an agent?An agent is a person who makes decisions on behalf of a disabled person regarding their IF. For example, if you are the parent/guardian of a disabled person under the age of 18, you will be their agent.
There are responsibilities you have that the Host can't do for you, for example with IRD so please talk to your IF host about the responsibilities you hold as an agent under IF. Please note, as an agent you cannot pay yourself.
What is a recognition payment?A Recognition Payment is a payment given for administration work that is done on a voluntarily basis on the disabled person’s behalf. Usually, but not always, by the full-time carer. The payment must be for reasonable expenditure incurred and be no more than $300 per year.
The requirement that the payment be made to cover "reasonable expenditure" is to ensure that it falls within the scope of the exemption in section CW 62B of the Income Tax Act 2007. Any questions about how or when to claim for this payment, please talk to your Host or connector.
IF Host DirectoryPlease find a list below of all the Hosts who have contracts with us at Disability Support Services.
Access Community HealthGeneva Healthcare LimitedNZCL LimitedManawanui Support LimitedHome Support NorthEnlivenThe Lifewise TrustVision WestFlorence Nightingale AgencyCare on CallWhere to go for helpIf you have any questions about IF specific to your funding allocation please talk to your host. They have all the information on your funding and are there to provide guidance and advice.
If you have questions about whether or not you are eligible, you need to contact your local Need Assessment and Service Coordination provider.