Jobseeker Support Calculator NZ

Jobseeker Support is a main benefit paid weekly by Work and Income (MSD) to people who are looking for work, or who can't work full time because of a health condition, injury or disability. The amount depends on your age, your family situation and how much you earn.

From 1 April 2026 the net (after-tax) weekly rates for people aged 25 or over are $372.55 for a single person and $521.52 for a sole parent. A couple where both partners are granted a main benefit gets $316.97 each without children ($334.70 each with children). If your partner gets no main benefit, NZ Super or a veteran's pension, you alone are paid the couple total, $633.94 ($669.40 with children). For people aged 20–24 the single rate is $324.50 a week.

You can earn up to $160 a week (before tax) before your payment is affected. Above $160, a single person's benefit reduces by 70 cents for every extra dollar earned, and for a couple where both partners are on a main benefit each partner's benefit reduces by 35 cents per dollar of combined income over $160 a week (70 cents together). Where your partner gets no main benefit, NZ Super or veteran's pension, you alone are paid the couple total and it reduces by 70 cents per dollar of combined income over $160 a week. Sole parents get a two-tier abatement: 30 cents per dollar earned between $160 and $250 a week, then 70 cents per dollar above $250.

You are paid your own rate, not a doubled couple figure: $316.97 a week net without children or $334.70 with children. It reduces by 35 cents per dollar of your combined income over $160 a week, and your partner's NZ Super or veteran's pension does not count as income for that test.

Yes. Jobseeker Support is taxable income, so the weekly figures are usually quoted as net amounts after tax has been deducted. Benefit payments are taxed at a benefit tax code, so the after-tax rate is what lands in your bank account.

The Winter Energy Payment is an extra amount added to your benefit over the colder months (1 May to 1 October). It is $20.46 a week for a single person with no dependent children, and $31.82 a week for couples and for people with dependent children, including sole parents.

Jobseeker Support has lower rates for people under 25 (lower again for under-20s living with a parent). For example, a single person aged 20–24 receives $324.50 a week, and a single 18- or 19-year-old living with a parent $276.46, compared with $372.55 for a single person aged 25 or over. The sole-parent and couple rates are the same at every age.