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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Social Security Act 2018

Assistance - Youth payment

54: Youth payment: continuation after turning 18 years old

You could also call this:

“Youth payment can continue for a short time after you turn 18”

If you get a youth payment, it usually stops when you turn 18. But sometimes it can keep going for a bit longer. Here’s how it works:

If you start getting the youth payment less than 6 months before you turn 18, you can keep getting it for 6 months after it started.

If you’re still in school, training, or doing approved work-based learning when you turn 18, you can keep getting the youth payment until you finish. If you’re in high school or your course ends in December, you can get the payment until the end of the following March.

If both of these situations apply to you, you get to keep the payment for whichever one lasts longer.

While you’re getting this extra time on your youth payment, you can’t get other types of help like sole parent support, emergency benefit, jobseeker support, or supported living payment for caring for someone else.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6783215.

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“Extra help for young people in tough times”

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Part 2 Assistance
Youth payment

54Youth payment: continuation after turning 18 years old

  1. This section sets out the circumstances in which, despite section 49(a), a youth payment granted to a person (P) continues (if P is otherwise entitled to it) after P turns 18.

  2. If a youth payment begins less than 6 months before P turns 18, the payment continues until the close of the day that is 6 months after it began.

  3. If P is continuing in a course of education or training or approved work-based learning when P turns 18, P’s youth payment continues until,—

  4. if the course is a course of secondary education or if the course ends in December, the close of the following 31 March:
    1. in any other case, the close of the day that the course ends.

      1. If subsections (2) and (3) both apply to P, P’s youth payment continues until the later of the 2 dates that apply under those subsections.

      2. While a youth payment continues under subsection (2), P is not eligible to be granted—

      3. sole parent support; or
        1. an emergency benefit; or
          1. jobseeker support; or
            1. supported living payment on the ground of caring for another person.

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