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Social Security Act 2018

Obligations - Beneficiaries’ obligations - Obligations of, and incentives for, young person who is spouse or partner of beneficiary

166: Young person aged 16 or 17 years who has no dependent child and who is spouse or partner of specified beneficiary

You could also call this:

“Rules for 16 or 17-year-olds with a partner who gets benefits but no kids of their own”

If you are 16 or 17 years old, have a spouse or partner who gets a certain benefit, and don’t have any children of your own, you need to follow some rules. You must be in full-time education, training, or work-based learning. This could be working towards NCEA level 2 or something similar. You also need to do a budgeting programme if asked.

You might need to go to meetings with people from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) or other services. You’ll need to tell them how you’re doing with your tasks. They will help you manage your money, just like they do for people getting youth support benefits. You’ll have regular talks about budgeting too.

If you meet certain requirements, you might get extra money, like people who get youth payments do. You don’t have to do work tests or get ready for work.

These rules usually last for 6 months, even if you turn 18 during that time. If you’re still in education or training when you turn 18, the rules might last longer, depending on when your course finishes.

While you’re following these rules, you have to tell MSD about any changes in your life, just like people who get youth support payments do.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6783439.

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165: Young person aged 18 or 19 years who is receiving jobseeker support in young person’s own right and who is at significant risk of long-term welfare dependency, or

“Young people getting jobseeker support might need special help”

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167: Young person aged 16 to 19 years who has dependent child and who is spouse or partner of specified beneficiary, or

“Help for young parents aged 16-19 who are with someone getting a benefit”

Part 3 Obligations
Beneficiaries’ obligations: Obligations of, and incentives for, young person who is spouse or partner of beneficiary

166Young person aged 16 or 17 years who has no dependent child and who is spouse or partner of specified beneficiary

  1. This section applies to a young person (P) who—

  2. is 16 or 17 years old; and
    1. is the spouse or partner of a specified beneficiary; and
      1. has no dependent children.

        1. P 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 P, report to MSD or the service provider on P’s compliance with the obligations set out in paragraphs (a) to (d):
                      1. co-operate with MSD, or a contracted service provider assigned to P, in managing the spending of the benefit received by P, as if that benefit were a youth support benefit:
                        1. attend and participate in regular discussions on budgeting with an MSD employee or a contracted service provider.

                          1. If P meets the criteria prescribed in regulations made for the purposes of section 55 under section 418(1)(c), P is entitled to receive the appropriate incentive payment (if any) stated in subpart 3 of Part 6 of Schedule 4 as if he or she were receiving a youth payment.

                          2. P is not subject to the work test, or to work-preparation obligations.

                          3. If P is aged under 18 years when the obligations in subsection (2) start to apply to him or her, those obligations continue—

                          4. until the close of the day that is 6 months after the date on which the obligations start to apply to P, even if he or she turns 18 during that 6-month period; or
                            1. if P, on the day when he or she turns 18, is continuing in a course of education, training, or work-based learning, until,—
                              1. if the course is a course of secondary instruction or if the course ends in December, the close of the following 31 March; or
                                1. in any other case, the close of the day on which the course ends.

                                2. If paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (5) both apply to P, those obligations continue until the later of the 2 dates that apply under those paragraphs.

                                3. While P is subject to obligations under subsection (2) (being obligations to which P became subject on or after 25 October 2016), sections 341 and 342 and the obligation in section 162(1)(i) apply to P as if he or she were receiving a youth support payment.

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