Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Social Security Act 2018

Assistance - Accommodation supplement

68: Accommodation supplement: special rules for joint tenants who are in relationship

You could also call this:

“Special rules for couples sharing a home with others when getting housing cost help”

When you share a place with other people and some of those people are couples, there are special rules about how much help you can get with your housing costs. These rules are called the accommodation supplement.

If you’re part of a couple living with other people, the government treats you and your partner as one person when they work out how much help to give you. They add up all the money you and your partner spend on housing. They also add up all the money and valuable things you both own, as well as all the money you both earn.

The government has a special name for money and valuable things you own. They call these ‘cash assets’. Cash assets include money you’ve saved in the bank, money you’ve invested, and money you’ve put into things like shares or property. But it doesn’t include money you’ve put into a KiwiSaver account, which is a special savings account for when you’re older.

There are some other things that don’t count as cash assets, but the government decides what these are in separate rules.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6783259.

Topics:
Money and consumer rights > Banking and loans
Money and consumer rights > Savings and retirement
Housing and property > Renting
Government and voting > Government departments
Family and relationships > Marriage and partnerships
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67: Other funding exclusion, or

“Reasons you can't get extra money for housing costs”

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69: Accommodation supplement: refusal, reduction, or cancellation of grant in certain circumstances, or

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Part 2 Assistance
Accommodation supplement

68Accommodation supplement: special rules for joint tenants who are in relationship

  1. If premises are occupied by 2 or more joint tenants that include 1 or more couples who are in a relationship, then, for the purposes of determining the rate of an accommodation supplement,—

  2. each couple is treated as 1 joint tenant; and
    1. despite the definition of accommodation costs in section 65, the accommodation costs of that 1 joint tenant are the total of the accommodation costs of both members of the couple; and
      1. the cash assets and income of that 1 joint tenant are the total of the cash assets and income respectively of both members of the couple.

        1. In this section, cash assets—

        2. means—
          1. money saved with a bank or other institution, money invested with a bank or other institution, or money banked with a bank or other institution:
            1. money invested in securities, bonds, or debentures, or advanced on mortgage:
              1. money withdrawn from a KiwiSaver scheme registered under subpart 2 of Part 4 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013:
                1. money invested in shares in a partnership or limited liability company or other incorporated or unincorporated body; but
                2. does not include any contributions to, or any member’s interest in, any KiwiSaver scheme that is registered under subpart 2 of Part 4 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013; and
                  1. does not include any item or kind of cash assets or any amount of cash assets exempted by regulations made under section 423(1)(b).

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