How to access Carer support

You are a full time carer if you provide more than 4 hours per day unpaid care to a disabled person. For example, you may be the parent of a disabled person. 

Carer Support may be used to:

• make certain purchases
• contribute to the costs of engaging a support person to care and support a disabled person while you have a break
• contribute to the costs of some activities where this gives you a break.

This information is about Carer Support for disabled people who are supported by Disability Support Services.

Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora also provides a Carer Support Subsidy for carers of people with health-related conditions. More information can be found on their website: Carer Support Subsidy – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora external external  

What is Carer Support?

Carer Support is a subsidy that can be used to provide a full-time carer a break from their caring role. It contributes to the costs of care and support for a disabled person, including making some purchases.

You are considered a full time Carer if you provide more than 4 hours a day of unpaid care to a disabled person. For example, you may be the parent of a disabled person. 

Carer Support is accessed through your local Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) organisation.

NASCs are responsible for determining whether a disabled person is eligible for DSS-funded supports. Eligible people will have a needs assessment and may be allocated disability supports, including Carer Support.

The amount of Carer Support that is allocated will depend on your needs and those of the person you support. 

While Carer Support is allocated, by the NASC, in days, it can be treated as a whole budget for the year.

How can you use Carer Support?

Carer Support funding is governed by the DSS Purchasing Rules. These rules aim to give flexibility to disabled people and carers, while ensuring funding is being used for the purposes that it was allocated.. These rules aim to give flexibility to disabled people and carers, while ensuring funding is being used for the purposes that it was allocated.

Understanding these rules will help you make the most of your Carer Support funding. 

Flexibility and person-led choice are key to Carer Support. When making a claim or thinking of using your Carer Support funding you should first consider "will this provide the full time Carer with a break?"  

You can use your Carer Support as a total budget, and not just as the rate per allocated day. What this means is you can take the number of days you are allocated funding, times the daily amount to figure out your total Carer Support budget.

For example, Lisa is allocated 28 days at a rate of $80 per day. Lisa's total Carer Support budget is therefore 28 x $80 = $2,240 for the year.

What you can and cannot claim for 

You can claim for: 

• A contribution to the costs of substitute caring whilst the full-time carer takes a break.  
• Expenses that are a necessary part of supporting the disabled person while the full-time carer takes a break.  
• One-off purchases of: 

• • Tablet devices. 
  • Noise cancelling headphones. 
  • Sensory items (such as fidget spinners etc.)   
  • Weighted blankets. 

You cannot claim for: 

• Purchases of items as a form of delivering respite, except those listed above. 
• Self-care services such as massages, pedicures and other appearance or therapeutic care that are not for the direct benefit of the disabled person. 
• All expenses that are not a necessary part of supporting the disabled person while the full-time Carer is taking a break. 
• Gifts and other forms of recognition for support provided voluntarily. 
• Travel related costs for disabled people, whānau, and/or persons providing support, including: 

• • Accommodation.
  • Overseas and domestic travel. 
  • Food.

For more details, check out our frequently asked questions at the bottom of the page. 

How do you get a form?

If you have been allocated Carer Support by your NASC, you will receive a claim form in the post.

You will get a new form in the post each time a claim is processed, with your remaining Carer Support allocation.  

You can also download a form here: 

• Carer Support Claim Form (DOCX 80 KB)
• Carer Support Claim Form (PDF 123 KB)

How can you make a claim?

The Ministry of Health is our partner which manages Carer Support claims processing on our behalf. There are a couple of ways you can make a Carer Support claim: 

By email

Carer Support forms can be sent by email to csclaims@health.govt.nz.

To do this you can either:

• Use the paper form which has been mailed to you,
• Download and print a form from our website, or
• Download and complete a form on your computer (electronic signatures are accepted if you submit the form electronically).

If you are using a mailed or printed form, you can:

• scan it (if you do not have a scanner at home, your local library can help you do this), or
• take a photo of it.

You must ensure all details in the form are clear for it to be processed.

Once you have accurately filled in the form and signed it, you need to attach it to an email and send to csclaims@health.govt.nz

By post

You can mail in your Carer Support claim form to the Ministry of Health at:

Private Bag 1942,
Dunedin 9054

 To do this, you can either:

• Use the paper form sent to you, or
• Download and print a form from our website.

If you have additional paperwork to put with your claim e.g. receipts, we suggest you use an envelope. This is a reply-paid address, so you do not need to use a stamp.

If you have questions about the claiming process, you can contact the Carer Support team on 0800 855 006 or email carer_support@health.govt.nz

How long does a claim take to process?

Processing times can vary depending on the volume of claims received. A correctly filled-in form should take about 10 working days to process from the time it is received.

Please call Te Whatu Ora Contact Centre, Carer Support team on 0800 855 066 or email carer_support@health.govt.nz if you have an enquiry regarding your claim. 

Tips for filling in your form correctly

When submitting your form, it is important to complete it correctly so that it gets approved the first time.

This checklist will help you submit your claim form correctly. 

Please ensure:

• Your photo or scan is clear and easy to read. If images are blurry, we may not be able to process it.
• You have included the entire form in the photo/scan. If parts of the form are missing, for example the bottom is cut off, we will not be able to process it.
• The claim form is both signed and dated.
• The information you have provided is correct. 
• You have included identifying information – including the disabled person’s client name, client ID and full time Carer name. 
• The disabled person’s client information (carer name and/or ID) is in the subject line of your email, not just on the form. For example, if you are sending in a bank account verification, we need to understand which client this account is relevant for. Please don't assume just your email address is sufficient. 
• You send everything together in one email. This means the claim form and any supporting documentation needs to be sent in one email. Multiple emails add time and means your claim will take longer to process. 
• One file format is ideal. Sometimes we receive in one email jpegs, word docs and pdfs. This adds to the time we need to process. Our preference is pdf. 
• You send your claim to the correct email address: csclaims@health.govt.nz. 
• If you are mailing in your claim form with receipts or other support documentation, it’s a good idea to put it in an envelope so it doesn't get lost. You just write our postage paid details on it. No stamp required. 

Ensuring you have considered all these tips enables easier and quicker processing of your claims.   

Tax

Payments to people for caring for your disabled family member using Carer Support may be treated as part of their overall income and will depend on their individual circumstances. Inland Revenue has information about income tax for Carer Support payments on their website: Inland Revenue - Carer Support payments external

You may wish to seek advice about tax issues from:

• Inland Revenue external, or
• Work and Income New Zealand, if you receive a benefit.