Social Security Act 2018

Obligations - Beneficiaries’ obligations - Specific obligations: young person granted youth support payment

162: Obligations of young person granted youth support payment

You could also call this:

"What you must do if you get a youth support payment"

If you get a youth support payment, you must do certain things. You must be in a full-time course of secondary instruction or tertiary education, or be in approved training or work-based learning that leads to NCEA level 2 or a similar qualification. You must also participate in a budgeting programme approved by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and attend interviews with MSD employees or people working on behalf of MSD.

You have to report to MSD or a service provider about how you are meeting your obligations. You must co-operate with MSD or a service provider to manage your youth payments. You will have regular discussions about budgeting with an MSD employee or a service provider. At these discussions, you must provide details of your accommodation costs, service costs, and debts.

You must give MSD or a service provider information about your accommodation costs, service costs, and debts within 20 working days of being asked. This information is needed to help you manage your money under section 341. If you do not comply with these obligations without a good reason, you may face sanctions, as outlined in Part 5.

You should know what some words mean in this context. Accommodation costs refer to what you pay for a place to live, and service costs are what you pay for things like power and water. Approved training is a course that MSD says is okay. A full-time course is what it says in the Student Allowances Regulations 1998 or similar rules. Work-based learning is on-the-job training, like an apprenticeship.

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Part 3Obligations
Beneficiaries’ obligations: Specific obligations: young person granted youth support payment

162Obligations of young person granted youth support payment

  1. A young person who has been granted a youth support payment must do the following things:

  2. be enrolled in and undertake to MSD’s satisfaction, or be available for, a full-time course of secondary instruction or tertiary education or approved training or work-based learning leading to—
    1. NCEA level 2; or
      1. a qualification that in MSD’s opinion is equivalent to NCEA level 2; or
        1. a higher qualification:
        2. as required by MSD, participate in and complete a budgeting programme approved by MSD for the purpose:
          1. as required by MSD, attend and participate in any interview with an MSD employee or a person on behalf of MSD:
            1. as required by a contracted service provider assigned to the person, attend and participate in any interview with that provider:
              1. as required by MSD or a contracted service provider assigned to the person, report to MSD or the service provider on the person’s compliance with the obligations set out in paragraphs (a) to (d):
                1. co-operate with MSD or a contracted service provider assigned to the person, in managing the spending of the young person’s youth payments or young parent payments:
                  1. attend and participate in regular discussions on budgeting with an MSD employee or a contracted service provider:
                    1. at budgeting discussions and otherwise as required by MSD, provide details of—
                      1. the young person’s accommodation costs, service costs, and other lawful debts and liabilities:
                        1. how the young person has spent the young person’s youth support payments and, if applicable, young parent payments:
                        2. give to MSD or to a contracted service provider assigned to the young person (within 20 working days starting on the day after the date on which MSD informs the young person of the requirement) the following information:
                          1. details of the young person’s accommodation costs and service costs and other lawful debts and liabilities; and
                            1. any other information reasonably required by MSD to effect youth money management under section 341.
                            2. In this section,—

                              accommodation costs, in relation to any young person, has the same meaning as in section 65 except that, in relation to a person who is a boarder or lodger in any premises, it means 100% of the amount paid for board or lodging

                                service costs has the same meaning as in section 65.

                                1. In this section and in sections 166 and 167,—

                                  approved training means an employment-related training course approved by MSD

                                    full-time course has the same meaning as in—

                                    1. regulation 2(1) of the Student Allowances Regulations 1998; or
                                      1. the corresponding provision of replacement regulations made under all or any of sections 645 and 646 and clause 3 of Schedule 9 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

                                      2. In this section and in sections 164 to 167 and 200, work-based learning, in relation to any person, means a course or programme undertaken (or to be undertaken), in the course of or by virtue of his or her employment, that comprises, or includes a component of, practical or on-the-job vocational learning (for example, an industry training programme or apprenticeship).

                                      3. A failure without good and sufficient reason to comply with obligations under this section is subject to sanctions, as provided in Part 5.

                                      Compare
                                      Notes
                                      • Section 162(1)(i)(ii): amended, on , by section 61 of the Social Security Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 25).
                                      • Section 162(3) full-time course paragraph (b): amended, on , by section 668 of the Education and Training Act 2020 (2020 No 38).