Support for carers

The purpose of Carer Support is to let full-time carers have some time to themselves. It is a subsidy that pays for some of the costs of care and support while you, the carer, have a break. 

The Carer Support Subsidy can cover some of the costs of:

• using another support person to provide the care and support the full-time carer normally gives
• purchases which will provide the carer with respite.

Carer Support is provided by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for the care of:

• older people
• people living with long-term health conditions or mental health and addiction issues. 

Once an assessment has been made, your Carer Support Subsidy allocation (number of hours) will be given to you in a few days.

Carer Support is available for full-time carers — people who provide more than 4 hours a day of unpaid care, for example the spouse of someone who:

• has dementia
• has a terminal illness
• has an age-related disability (usually lasting more than 6 months)
• has an ongoing health or mental health condition.

The number of hours or days Carer Support is funded for depends on your needs and those of the person you care for.

To access Carer Support you must have a needs assessment by a Health New Zealand Needs Assessment Service Coordination (NASC) service. You can contact your healthcare provider, key mental healthcare provider or specialist to ask for support with your assessment. 

Needs Assessment Service (internal link) 

Paid family and whānau carers may also be eligible for Carer Support and will be advised of this by the needs assessor.

Caring for people with a disability

Carer Support for people with disabilities is funded by Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People.

Whaikaha Carer Support — Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People (external link)

You can use your Carer Support Subsidy to help:

• pay for a support worker to look after the person you care for
• with purchases that allow you to take a break.

You can use your total budget when deciding how to spend it. You do not need to be restricted to your budget per allocated day. If you have been allocated 25 days at a rate of $80 per day, your total available budget is $2000.

You might choose to pay for:

• day care at another facility
• someone to take over from you at home
• care in someone else’s home
• short-term residential care, for example a rest home.

There is often a large gap between Carer Support and the cost of residential care, so take into account the shortfall and any extra costs.

Flexibility and choice

You can decide when to use your Carer Support days and how much to use at a time. You have flexibility and choice. 

You can choose how to spend your subsidy, as long as it goes to someone who will care for the person you usually look after. Always ask yourself, "Is this purchase offering the full-time carer a break?"

Know the guidelines for purchasing

It is important you understand what Carer Support is for and what it is not for, and how it applies to whānau members or other people providing informal care.

The Carer Support Subsidy purchasing guidelines give detailed advice and information to help you understand how to use the Health New Zealand funded, needs assessed Carer Support Subsidy. 

Carer Support Subsidy purchasing guidelines [PDF, 206 KB]

Carer Support claim form — Ministry of Health [PDF, 96 KB]

Help and information

If you have a question about the subsidy or your claim, the Health New Zealand contact centre Carer Support team can help.

• Freephone 0800 855 066
• Email carer_support@health.govt.nz

Carers New Zealand can also answer questions about the Carer Support Subsidy.

• Freephone 0800 777 797
• Carers New Zealand  (external link)
  
  

Carer Support does not apply to:

• long-term care
• recovery (convalescent care) after hospital discharge
• ACC claimants
• the purchase of items or services other than for relief care
• care while the full-time carer is in paid employment.

Carer Support cannot be claimed for things that are not disability supports like:

• rent or mortgage payments
• food
• personal debt
• gifts
• beauty treatments
• power bills
• regular household items
• alcohol, tobacco, vaping or gambling.

If you bought something to give you a break from caring instead of paying a support worker, you do not need a signature from a support worker.

In the Carer Support claim form, as the the full-time carer, you must:

• sign and date the form
• write the item purchased and the cost in the hours section of the form
• provide an invoice or receipt
• send in the claim within 90 days.

Working out the impact of a purchase on your total allocation before you make the purchase is a good idea. The amount must fall within your allocation. 

You can send your completed Carer Support form by:

• email to csclaims@health.govt.nz
• mail in the reply-paid envelope to Private Bag 1942, Dunedin 9054.

Electronic signatures are currently accepted if you send the form electronically. If you print it out you will need to scan the completed form or take a photo of it on your phone and attach this to an email.

Sending your form by email is quicker and the processing can begin sooner. The PDF file format is preferred when sending by email.

If you have additional paperwork with your claim, it may be best to mail both using an envelope addressed to Private Bag 1942, Dunedin 9054 — no stamp needed.

You can call Health New Zealand for a replacement form. They can also tell you how many allocated days subsidy you have left .

• Health New Zealand contact centre — freephone 0800 855 066.

Processing times for claims can vary, but a correctly filled-in form should take 10 working days to process from the time it is received.

If you are given advanced approval of a claim, no further claims will be paid until the receipt for any previous advance is provided to confirm the use of the advance funding. 

A copy of the receipt must be attached to the next claim submitted and will be checked by the Carer Support team when processing the next claim. Disputes regarding this will be considered by the relevant Health New Zealand district representative, to ensure carers are supported in making claims.

If you have an enquiry regarding your claim:

• call the Health New Zealand contact centre, Carer Support team on 0800 855 066
• email carer_support@health.govt.nz 

Filling in your Carer Support form correctly helps it get approved first time. Make sure:

• your images are clear, not blurry.
• all the form is included in the photo or scan
• the form is signed and dated
• you give the support carer information
• you provide identifying client information — your client name, ID and full-time carer name
• you include in the email subject header, as well, your client information (as above).
• you send all supporting documents together in one email, with the claim form — try to use PDF file formats if possible.

There is only one Health New Zealand email address to send your claim to:

• Email csclaims@health.govt.nz

If you are mailing your claim form with receipts or other support documentation, it is a good idea to put it in an envelope so it does not get lost. Write our postage paid details on it. No stamp is required.

• Postage paid mailing address: Health New Zealand, Private Bag 1942, Dunedin 9054.

Bank account verification

Bank account verification can be a:

• pre-printed deposit slip
• the top of a bank statement
•  a handwritten deposit slip stamped by the bank.

Account verification should display the full bank account number (including suffix) and the account holder’s name.

For internet banking, provide a screen shot that includes the:

• bank header
• account holder's name
• full bank account number (including suffix).

Carer Support Subsidy payments may be treated as part of overall income and be subject to income tax. This will depend on your individual circumstances. 

You may wish to seek tax advice from Inland Revenue or, if you receive a benefit, from Work and Income. 

Carer Support payments — Inland Revenue (external link)

Carers — Work and Income (external link)

Information for carers and obligations while receiving a benefit — Ministry of Social Development (external link)