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Social Security Act 2018

Factors affecting benefits - Factors affecting benefits - Factors affecting benefit: voluntary unemployment or loss of employment through misconduct, etc

225: Basic rule: no work-tested benefit for 13 weeks after leaving employment or scheme or loss of employment due to misconduct

You could also call this:

“No work benefit for 3 months if you quit or get fired from your job”

If you leave your job on your own without a good reason, or if you get fired because you did something wrong at work, you won’t be able to get a work-tested benefit for 13 weeks. This means you’ll have to wait about three months before you can get this kind of help from the government.

The same rule applies if you’re in a work scheme. If you choose to stop being part of the scheme without a good reason, or if you have to leave the scheme because you did something wrong, you also won’t be able to get a work-tested benefit for 13 weeks.

MSD, which stands for the Ministry of Social Development, will decide if you had a good reason for leaving your job or scheme, or if you were fired because of something you did wrong.

There might be some exceptions to this rule, which are explained in another part of the law called section 323.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6783595.

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“Special rules for extra children no longer exist”

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226: Persons to whom basic rule applies, or

“Who needs to follow the basic work rule when getting benefits”

Part 4 Factors affecting benefits
Factors affecting benefits: Factors affecting benefit: voluntary unemployment or loss of employment through misconduct, etc

225Basic rule: no work-tested benefit for 13 weeks after leaving employment or scheme or loss of employment due to misconduct

  1. A person is not entitled to a work-tested benefit for a period of 13 weeks after ceasing employment if MSD is satisfied that the person has—

  2. left that employment voluntarily without good and sufficient reason; or
    1. lost that employment because of misconduct as an employee.

      1. A person is not entitled to a work-tested benefit for a period of 13 weeks after ceasing to participate in a scheme if MSD is satisfied that the person—

      2. has been receiving payments under the scheme and has voluntarily ceased to participate in the scheme without good and sufficient reason; or
        1. has ceased to participate in the scheme because of misconduct.

          1. This section is subject to section 323.

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